{"id":8366,"date":"2012-04-22T21:39:50","date_gmt":"2012-04-23T01:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingottawa.ca\/?p=8366"},"modified":"2013-01-21T09:16:49","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T14:16:49","slug":"follow-up-on-spaces-of-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/ottawa\/2012\/04\/22\/follow-up-on-spaces-of-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"Follow up on Spaces of Collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first Next City Caf\u00e9 of 2012 focused on Spaces of Collaboration in the City of Ottawa.\u00a0 We began by collecting the knowledge and experience of everyone assembled on what collaboration means to them. The Alpha Soul Caf\u00e9 audience held people with varied experiences in arts and culture, sustainability, heritage, technology and science.\u00a0 The variety allowed the discussions at each table to be in themselves a collaborative experience.<\/p>\n

Personally, spaces of collaboration are interactive, dynamic environments that support spontaneous discussions between people who would otherwise not find the time or have a reason to connect.\u00a0 These spaces can inspire creative new projects and partnerships and expose new ways of thinking about old problems.<\/p>\n

When asked about their personal experiences with collaboration and collaborative spaces, participants talked about not only the exciting new and upcoming examples of collaborative spaces in Ottawa but also how events such as Open Ottawa Libre,<\/a> the 3i Summit<\/a> and Pecha Kucha,<\/a> that are themselves spaces of collaboration where people gather together to exchange ideas, network and become inspired.<\/p>\n

The panel discussion was lively and inspiring and verified the growing feeling that there is creative innovation brewing in Ottawa.<\/p>\n

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First we heard from Vinod Rajasekaran creator of Hub Ottawa<\/a> \u2013 an inspiring new space on Bank Street that is just exploding with innovation and collaboration.\u00a0\u00a0 Vinod discussed how Hub Ottawa fosters collaboration through its physical space and innovative programming to connect and curate partnerships and linkages between its members. Vinod gave an example of a recent event where guests were given puzzle pieces when they arrived with the names of specially selected people who Hub Ottawa thought they should meet.\u00a0 Throughout the course of the evening people linked up with their puzzle matches and according to Vinod \u201cengineered serendipity\u201d happened.<\/p>\n

Next was Julie Dupont, Cultural Planner with the City of Ottawa and team lead for Open Ottawa Libre.\u00a0 Julie spoke about her experiences with collaboration through her work with the city and how a culture of collaboration is evolving especially in the arts and culture sector.\u00a0 She also talked about her experiences with Open Ottawa Libre \u2013 a curated networking event that linked together people from a variety of sectors to encourage cross-sector collaborations.\u00a0 She gave an example of the power of cross-sector collaboration between a cellular biologist and a sound artist who collaborated on a project to investigate the different sounds cells made.\u00a0 This developed into a unique field of auditory-cellular biology.\u00a0 Open Ottawa Libre showcased many other examples of these creative linkages that help people think outside their own boxes.<\/p>\n

The third panelist was Clive Doucet, whose passion for cities and recent world travels lends a big picture spatial perspective on collaboration.\u00a0 Clive discussed the increasing challenges to collaboration that urban residents have faced as we moved from the pedestrian city to the streetcar city and now the car city.\u00a0 We have less opportunity to interact with each other and develop relationships that used to lead to creative collaborations.\u00a0\u00a0 Now, more than ever, more effort is needed to reduce the impact of the car culture on the city form so that we break out of our silos and move towards less isolated ways of moving through the city.\u00a0 But how do we do this without a major cultural shift at city hall?<\/p>\n

Diane Touchette creator of Under One Roof<\/a>\u00a0 and financial policy analyst for Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives discussed how Under One Roof brings together socially driven non-profits and for profits from a variety of sectors who are looking to share office space and resources. Also a new venture in Ottawa, Under One Roof provides opportunities for people to collaborate cross-sectorally and make linkages that lead to innovative change.<\/p>\n

The panelists and participants had a lively discussion about how we foster a culture of collaboration within Ottawa and what impact would this have on Ottawa?<\/p>\n

The discussion looked at specifically: how community investing can be used to leverage funding for innovative projects and a participant asked the question why can\u2019t the city be involved in guaranteeing mortgages for innovative start-ups; and the value of curated collaboration that links people and ideas together and how the city can be more involved in creating and inspiring these linkages throughout Ottawa<\/p>\n

To conclude, everyone was asked to write down what they can do to foster collaboration in the city.\u00a0 Here are the results:<\/p>\n