1st Metabolism of Cities Retreat 2018

Metabolism of Cities is happy to report that the 1st Metabolism of Cities Retreat 2018 took place in Ghent, Belgium from July 27 to August 3, 2018. It was the first time that so many of the team came together in one place for so long. In attendance was our international team of members: Aristide Athanassiadis (Greece), Gabriela Fernandez (Italy-USA), Paul Hoekman (South Africa), Carolin Bellstedt (Germany) and Yves Bettignies Cari (Belgium). Other members, which included Joao Meirelles and Rupert J. Myers joined us remotely.

During the retreat a number of issues were discussed in intense and long working sessions. Every minute of the day was filled, which isn’t to say that the team didn’t have fun. On the contrary, there was a great feeling of belonging and understanding, which inspired and brought the team together even more.
Amongst other things, the team spoke about the future of Metabolism of Cities in general, its website, content, new logo design, collaborations, projects, partners, and new member integrations. The team also went into depth with regards to its mission and values.
Four specific actions emerged that demonstrate those and that Metabolism of Cities will continue to focus on going forward: creating knowledge, sharing knowledge, applying knowledge, and fostering a community.

 



Along with getting to know every single team member better and working together in person, it was also an important time to reflect back on how the group got here. Metabolism of Cities works hard on its remote working culture, and seeing it all pay off at the retreat  inspired the members to be even more committed to building a fantastic team and urban metabolism community. Everyone is looking forward to the next retreat and the new team members that will be able to be welcomed there!

The next Metabolism of Cities Retreat 2019 will take place in Beijing, China when the team is there for the ISIE conference.  Maybe you will be there too? If you are interested in joining the team, you can find out more here.