PRESENTING iUE'S STORYTELLING FOR PARTICIPATORY EXCHANGE METHODOLOGY AT EURESFO
On 25 – 27 June 2025, we attended the 12th European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO) in Rotterdam, where we presented our methodology Storytelling for Participatory Exchange, and joined rich conversations on the importance of citizen participation and people-centred initiatives to build more resilient and climate-just cities.
We started the development of our storytelling methodology through the UP2030 Horizon Europe project, as a response to failing mechanisms for citizen participation in urban and regional development. Drawing on our learnings from many applied research projects, we have designed a methodology that leverages storytelling as a way to understand the positions, thoughts and feelings of communities. We have put together a step-by-step process that enables citizens to express their perspectives on their living environment and their desires for the future by telling imaginary stories that reflect their real-life experiences. We use these stories to provide implementers with all the information they need to design interventions that serve communities, without laborious and extractive citizen engagement processes. This approach is able to bridge personal realities and urban transformation goals, fostering deeper dialogue between citizens and decision-makers.
Our team, with Samir Amin, Taliah Dommerholt and Alice Jelmini, had the opportunity to connect and discuss the methodology with a range of participations, from municipalities and city representatives who showed interest in applying the tool in their contexts, to practitioners eager to learn more about its development process.
The forum was the perfect place to share our work and learn from other organizations making strides within the urban field. We were deeply inspired by case studies, policy discussions, and workshops exploring how European regions and cities can enhance climate resilience. We left Rotterdam feeling encouraged by the enthusiastic reception of our methodology, and excited to continue contributing to a more equitable and resilient urban future.