Climate Challenge Session: let’s help the Mayor to solve the city’s mobility issues
Presented by CDMX (Fondo Mixto de Promoción Turística)
When Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum was asked what she thought the city’s most urgent problems were, she immediately named two: “Water and mobility”. As a former member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for which she received a joint Nobel Prize in 2007, Mayor Sheinbaum is deeply involved in the environmental challenges of Mexico City.
What Design Can Do accepts the challenge and calls on creative minds to do the same! In a set of workshops, WDCD explores possible topics for a new design competition, following the Climate Action Challenge and the Clean Energy Challenge – two global competitions to combat climate change.
Mexicans love cars – everyone who can afford it, buys one. The effects? 70% Of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions is from vehicles; people spend an average of three hours a day commuting and the high-altitude city is plagued by chronic air pollution.
The mayor proposes to invest in bus lines, light-rail trains, cable cars, while reducing use of overcrowded informal systems, such as collective vans; she also wants stricter emission standards for cars. Many more ideas and initiatives are needed however, to fight carbon emissions, congestion and air pollution.
The Breakout Session
In this session we will connect policy makers, business leaders, creative innovators and design professionals to explore México City’s issues with mobility together. What do we already know about this complex problem? What should we really look into? Who should be involved? What future do we dream of? And where can there be opportunities for design to make a difference in this complex issue?
The Goal
The goal is to strengthen the network that is working on mobility issues in México City, by adding more design power to it. To do this we will collect participants’ visions on the problems and the future of mobility in México City. What should we really look into? And what positive path can we take? We will explore and then try to find a shared focus.
The output of the session will be two maps:
- A map of the topic: a breakdown of the different problems and futures we see. And, crucially, define where design and designers can make a difference (having in mind their special powers: creativity, reframing and collaboration).
- A map of stakeholders: which people and organisations are currently involved? Which parties are missing? What role can you play? This will connect participants and clarify who else should be involved.
The Takeaway
Expect reflection, collaboration and action. This session will give participants the opportunity to be part of a new multidisciplinary network addressing Mexico’s mobility problems. The two maps and other outcomes will be used in further conversations of WDCD with the Mayor’s office. Our ultimate goal is involving creatives and innovators in the city’s biggest challenges.
This session is private and by invitation only