A number of specific reports from the Conference summarise the key discussions undertaken that exemplify a shared identity in exploring Learning City developments.  Papers, showcases and discussions looked towards the future with ideas, experience and insights focussing on the Learning City Networks themes and integrating aspects of the conference challenge question.  As learning cities across the world exist in differing and complex contexts, such multi-layering has provided a deep and richly dynamic cache.  This report helps document and reach wider material from the Conference and its contributors, with detail and big picture information.

PASCAL recognises that improving practice and effectiveness as Learning Cities is achieved through lifelong learning.  To this end, the PASCAL website continues to serve as a resource clearinghouse in drawing ‘worldwide perspectives on local possibilities’ that are solution-oriented.  Such learning is important, not only for individuals, but for cities and regions, businesses and public sector agencies, and community to professional bodies.

Issues of partnerships, including non-traditional or novel collaborations, have come to the fore in approaching Learning City initiatives, moving beyond unconnected silos to holistic synergies.  How can we personally (and in support of others) become more inclusive, healthy, smart and resilient?

Conference Challenge Question

With his keynote, Kearns envisioned potential ways of responding to the Conference challenge question:

In a world of ever increasing silo initiatives, in what ways can Learning City initiatives be connected to complementary initiatives such as Smart Cities, Healthy Cities and Resilient Cities to facilitate holistic approaches to sustainable urban development and build cities and communities which are inclusive, healthy, smart and resilient?

His timely Learning Cities for a Good Sustainable Future drew together leading thoughts, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and proposed complementary agendas that can guide and establish targets in a humanistic and empathetic way.

A principal direction is to foster global consciousness and citizenship.  Such goals for Learning Cities 2040 advance the PASCAL work in bringing people together, sharing ideas and generating learnings and insights which can be applied in diverse settings.  Learning is the fundamental hub.

Chair’s Reflection

A pertinent reflection on the Conference has been outlined by PASCAL International Observatory Board Chair, Professor Josef Konvitz as a “learning city microcosm” in which Learning Cities innovate to harness resources.

Pre-conference Workshop and Strand/Theme Reports

The conference began with a pre-conference workshop day hosted by the Urban Big Data Centre and topics are included in the Harnessing technology… strand outcomes below.  Learning Cities Networks themes were allocated as strands in the Conference with leaders providing the following synopses:

1. Inclusion, providing Lifelong Learning Opportunities (Judith Jensen, City of Townsville);
2. Culture and Policies for Sustainable Learning Cities (Henrik Zipsane, Jamtli, Östersund);
3. Connecting to complementary initiatives in holistic urban development (Denis Barrett, City of Cork, forthcoming);
4. Building entrepreneurial and economically engaged Learning Cities (Judith James, University of Swansea);
5. Harnessing Technology and Big Data in building Smart Learning Cities (Dr Catherine Lido, University of Glasgow).

Learning City Showcases

A significant contribution to the Conference was the global dimension of the Learning City Showcases expanded upon in presentations.  The profiles submitted by the 17 cities across Asia (Beijing, Taipei, Erbil, Modi’in, Duhok, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Asia-Europe (Essen & Changzhou), Europe (Cork, Bristol, Pécs, Glasgow, Swansea, Limerick, Karlstad, Acireale, Arbroath) and Oceania (Australian Learning Communities Network) were collated to demonstrate the diversity, uniqueness and the commonalities of how communities are approaching Learning City initiatives.

Download a summary of all Conference Papers & Showcases

2016 Conference Statement

Crucial to the forward thinking agenda of the Conference, a document that looks at addressing local needs and building cohesion was agreed upon:  The PASCAL Glasgow Statement on Innovation in Building Sustainable Learning Cities.  It is aspirational and refers to the Conference challenge question in progressing through six complementary priorities:

1. Towards Holistic Development in Learning Cities
2. Innovating Entrepreneurially towards Inclusion
3. Culture-led Development for Cohesion and Inclusion
4. Harnessing Technology and Big Data
5. From City to Region in the Evolving Universal Learning Society
6. Fostering Global Consciousness and Citizenship

Concluding Panel

A concluding panel sought to draw together the wide-ranging conversations of the Conference, prompting contributions to word clouds and in relation to the Conference challenge question.  What emerged is pictorially represented below.  Every Strand Leader provided a brief overview of themes that also fed into this consortium of ideas.

The essence of these ‘thought bubbles’ has given us an insight into the impact of the Conference on participants who seek to foster lifelong learning opportunities in a more comprehensive way through the mechanism of learning communities, cities and regions in relation to the challenge question.  Intersections, termed as ‘EcCoWeLL-proofing a city’ are seen as elemental in working together to achieve the philosophical underpinnings and transformational change of being a learning city.  Linking capital was added to the benefits out of a learning city beyond social, economic and identity capital, through holistic collaborations.  Strengthening place, be it personal, in one’s local street/neighbourhood to alternative marketplaces and wider city/country infrastructures resonated to improve social conditions collaboratively.

Learning Cities are seen as a smart tool utilising smart technologies to reach and improve the lives of constituents.  The city region concept is re-iterated for those who live beyond cities for the rural, remote and regional element, and a means of embracing all collectively.  Being authentic, anchoring all initiatives in the wider benefits of learning and having humans at the heart leads to addressing issues of environmental change and the spirituality of people or in society, by being comprehensive and connecting across silos.  These emerging themes also are bringing to play experiential and relevant research and policy as enabling factors to achieve significant local development. 

Activities such as learning festivals, sporting events, cultural championing and opportunities to access learning in age-friendly situations are seen as realising learning through existing or re-imagined resources.  Creating learning eco-systems and ensuring systemic responses feature as visible and viable ways to enriching an invigoration of the value-adds in being a learning city/region.  Forging and maintaining sustainable partnerships for ‘joined-up’  bridges across silos of distinct interests addresses the ‘many paths’ approach to common aims in being a Learning City.

Post Conference Meeting – Learning Neighbourhoods

A post-conference exchange on Learning Neighbourhoods pilot projects between Taipei and Cork provides a responsive insight into cooperative community renewal and enrichment; reports on selected community projects attached below.

The Conference Overall

The Conference has demonstrated how the Learning City concept continues to evolve with increased diversity in approach and enhanced outcomes.  It confirmed that fostering innovation in Learning City development is at the core of the PASCAL contribution to such development, articulated in the PASCAL Glasgow Statement adopted by the Conference.  The challenge is now to address the objectives of the Statement in the period leading up to the 2018 PASCAL International Conference on Learning Cities.