Hub Hamar – NOK 400,000
Responsible applicant: Municipality of Hamar
Co-applicants: NAV Hamar, Salvation Army of Hamar, Fretex and Hamarregionen Utvikling
Contact person: Svein Frydenlund: Svein.Frydenlund@hamar.kommune.no
In spite of major public investments in recent years, the city centre of Hamar continues to experience stagnation and a decline in activity. The goal is for Hub Hamar to become an inclusive meeting place in a vacant building in the city centre. The measure is aimed at young people under the age of 30 who experience a sense of being outsiders and is based on a broad collaboration platform that includes Hamarregionen Utvikling, NAV Hamar, the Salvation Army, the Municipality of Hamar and Fretex, in addition to Hedmark University College, Hamar Cultural Centre and the business community. In addition to Hub Hamar being responsible for contact with young people and serving as an activity adviser, the meeting place is also to house activities like a café, work training, food bank, development of social entrepreneurship, bicycle rentals, debates and more.
Reason the project was selected
The Municipality of Hamar has adopted a plan to revitalise the city centre and is working strategically towards implementing this plan. Hub Hamar is to be established in a vacant building in the centre of Hamar and will be an important component of the overall municipal plans for the city centre. The large number of activities involved in this project will probably not all be organised simultaneously, but it is positive that the project allows for experimentation to determine what works and what doesn’t. The project has an interesting link to social entrepreneurship through, for example, financial support packages and the hub has a clear target group of young people, while at the same time aiming to include other groups.
Read also: DOGA provides funding for projects aimed at finding new uses for vacant buildings and spaces here.
Arendal People’s Workshop – NOK 400,000
Responsible applicant: Municipality of Arendal
Co-applicants: Med hjertet for Arendal, Arendal By and Arendal Kulturforum
Contact person: Lisbeth Iversen: Lisbeth.Iversen@arendal.kommune.no
The Municipality of Arendal is participating in the Sparkling Spaces project as one of three pilot municipalities and decided to apply for funding to establish a ‘People’s Workshop’ on Torvgata. The People’s Workshop is to serve as an urban community centre aimed at a broad spectrum of residents and offer various activities that include a workshop, market testing for entrepreneurs, supporters meeting place for Arendal Football, ØIF Håndball and Grane Håndballs Jenteløft, work training and courses. The People’s Workshop is affiliated with Arendal’s volunteer network, but also wants to include other public and private parties. The long-term goal is for the initiative to become economically sustainable through the rental of various facilities, courses, a café, etc., as well as for those running the meeting place to ultimately assume responsibility for all operations.
Reason the project was selected
The large number of activities desired in this project will probably not all be organised simultaneously, but it is positive that the project allows for experimentation during the start-up phase. It is also positive that the People’s Workshop is available to all residents, while focusing specifically on activities for vulnerable groups. The area where the initiative will be established shows signs of decline and has numerous vacant buildings, but several of the buildings in the area have been activated this past year through the Sparkling Spaces project, which has given new life to the area. This increases the likelihood of the project succeeding in becoming an established meeting place. It is positive that the municipality is open to new forms of collaboration and wants to include the private sector in the project.
Bybiblio-lab (Urban Library Lab) – NOK 150,000
Responsible applicant: Department of Culture, Municipality of Fredrikstad
Co-applicants: Bylaboratoriet, Library Manager and Operations Manager for the city centre
Contact person: Bjørn Heidenstrøm: bjhe@fredrikstad.kommune.no
While waiting for the further surveying and preliminary planning of the new main library, the Municipality of Fredrikstad is applying for funding to launch the ‘Bybiblio-lab’ pilot project. The initiative is to provide an opportunity for experimentation and knowledge procurement for three years and accommodate spontaneous visits, technology and reading materials. Parallel to the Bybiblio-lab, the Bylaboratoriet (City Laboratory) project in Fredrikstad will be developed further as a meeting place with activities and content linked to larger urban planning processes, with an emphasis on user involvement and urban innovation ideas. The Bybiblio-lab and Bylaboratoriet have much in common and Fredrikstad would like to collocate the two projects in a vacant building in the city centre.
Reason the project was selected
Fredrikstad was recently voted the most attractive city in Norway, largely due to its integral approach to its city centre. This has laid the foundation for a hopefully successful implementation of this initiative over the next three years. It is positive that the municipality wants to try out different methods and activities in a lab before the main library is built. Since Fredrikstad is daring to think outside the box and not restricting itself to only developing the most traditional activities, there is significant potential for a new approach to the role of the library in the city centre. The results of this project will also be of interest to other municipalities in Norway, as well as abroad. The link to the Bylaboratoriet is also promising and gives the initiative an extra dimension.
Tromsø’s Sparkling Spaces – NOK 300,000
Responsible applicant: Municipality of Tromsø
Contact person: Anniken Romuld: anniken.romuld@tromso.kommune.no
Tromsø is one of three pilot municipalities in the Sparkling Spaces project and, during the project period, has chosen to develop different resident-initiated activities in two vacant buildings in the city centre. The goal of the project is to learn more about which groups need space for activities in the city centre and the type of content and activities the city centre should facilitate in the years to come. The municipality has applied for funding for three temporary activity projects aimed at three groups that do not have a fixed base in the city centre, namely children, young people and immigrants, and for a city festival. The activities are to be organised in vacant buildings, the historic city kiosks in the centre and public space. An explicit goal is for the temporary activities to contribute to the development of a permanent meeting place for the target groups in the long term.
Reason the project was selected
In the wake of the strong growth of the tourism sector in Tromsø, there has been an accumulation of generic tourism shops in the city centre. The initiative for which Tromsø is applying for funding is a clear attempt to also give residents a greater sense of ownership of their city. It is positive to see how the Municipality of Tromsø is further developing the insight gained from the temporary activities as part of the Sparkling Spaces project in this initiative. The focus on exploring the needs of the three groups without a fixed base in the centre is a positive one. It is also interesting to see how the historic city kiosks are being used in new ways through these initiatives. The insight gained will be transferable to similar ‘abandoned’ structures in Norwegian city centres. The temporality of the project is effective since it will be used to establish a more permanent social meeting place for these groups in the future.
Photo: Rune Stolz Bertinussen
Grønland’s Sparkling Spaces – NOK 300,000
Responsible applicant: Områdeløft Tøyen (area improvement plan) and Grønland
Co-applicants: Volunteer Work Coordinator, City Council Department for Culture, Sports and Volunteer Work
Contact person: Sarah Dallas Prosser: sarah.prosser@bgo.oslo.kommune.no
The area improvement plan for Grønland is in the start-up phase and includes the establishment of a meeting place in a vacant building in Grønland aimed at vulnerable groups and local volunteer groups and associations. The results of the socioeconomic area analysis of the historic district of Oslo shows that there are numerous volunteer activities in Grønland that do not have a place to be carried out. By establishing a meeting place in a vacant building, a place can be offered where volunteer work, social entrepreneurs and other interested parties in the area can test out ideas, arrange activities, get better acquainted and so on. The initiative will be used to gain knowledge that can be used for the further development planning of the area.
Reason the project was selected
For some time now, Frivillighet Norge (Association of NGOs in Norway) has pointed out the need for spaces for volunteer groups and associations and linked this need to inclusive meeting place for all groups in the area, making it a particularly exciting project. The committee believes that this project has significant potential in an area of the capital with challenging living conditions. The committee also believes that the basic idea behind the Space 4 Change project, which plans to grant support packages to young people looking for support for their projects, can be used in this project by having young people help develop the project. Another positive aspect is that the project is being launched during the start-up phase of the area development project, making it possible to use the results for knowledge procurement, planning and as a foundation for long-term plans.
Risør – New in Old: Where People and Technology Converge – NOK 200,000
Responsible applicant: Municipality of Risør
Co-applicants: Risør By AS, Pensjonistforbundet (Pensioners’ Association)
Contact person: Sigrid Hellerdal Garthe: Sigrid.Hellerdal.Garthe@risor.kommune.no
The Municipality of Risør is applying for funding to establish a welfare technology centre in a vacant building in the city centre of Risør, which will also serve as a social meeting place for the elderly, young people and immigrants. The meeting place is to be a gathering place for learning, innovation and interaction in the city centre. Collaborative partners include the Risør Pensioners’ Association, ‘Daytime activity’ programme (under the direction of NAV), Frivilligsentralen (volunteer centre), Vi over 60 (We over 60) and Sanitetsforeningen (Norwegian Women's Public Health Association). By establishing a welfare technology centre, jobs can also be created for young people. The long-term target groups for the initiative are secondary schools and students who choose welfare technology as a career.
Reason the project was selected
The committee emphasises that the project is aimed at a mixed target group of the elderly, young people and immigrants and asks that these groups continue to be prioritised. The committee also likes the fact that the meeting place will serve as a link to technology development and innovation in the restructuring of the welfare sector. The fact that Risør aims to take the lead in welfare technology creates the potential for this project to be an incubator for innovation. In choosing the project, the multi-generational social meeting place was of particular interest, since important resources and synergy effects can be achieved in the various groups through this type of meeting place and thematic focus.
