Background

The Future City Game ‘Spelet Om Uddevalla’,Vision 2040 was played in the municipality of Uddevalla, Bohuslän on the 8th and 9th of October 2010.    

Objectives

Uddevalla is in the process of establishing a new vision for its municipality. As part of this process, the municipality is seeking the views, opinions and ideas of residents. The purpose of the game was to present the ideas of the participants to the municipality board, which will enable them to use these ideas in their upcoming work on Vision 2040.

A total of 60 people were involved in the game, either as players, experts, observers, or local residents who happened to be in the area, with 24 players participating, all of whom were either residents or working in Uddevalla. The mission of the participants was to come up with ideas, suggestions and concepts to meet Uddevalla’s current challenges and seize future opportunities.

Winning idea

The lush green city - a taste of life   
The team vision is to invite us all on a journey to a future in green and gold. Uddevalla should invest in becoming - on every level - the first garbage-free municipality. The idea is for an assertive municipality with the ambition of generating gold medallists on multiple levels. The desired outcome would result in a feeling of comfort and pride among citizens, while simultaneously increasing others’ curiosity about Uddevalla. The effect would create a positive spiral, leading to an increase in people who want to visit or live in Uddevalla, which in turn would lead to economic growth. To achieve its mission, the team wants to invest largely in recycling, and create cutting-edge programmes fostering the green generation. The team also wants to take advantage of the benefits offered by the 270 kilometres of coastline at Uddevalla. Furthermore, they wish to link the promenade with the city, and construct a pedestrian/cycle path under the bridge at Uddevalla, build a bridge to Lysekil, and an industrial park in Laneryr.

Winning ideas from the other teams

MEDC - Team Orange
MEDC is about creating diversity through environmental action, citizen engagement and market places. M stands for market, E for environment, D for diversity, and C for citizens. Diversity is established when a municipality invests in the three factors of success: environment, market and citizens. Regarding the environment, the team wishes to focus on water resources, nature conservation and public transport, (rail). To promote a strong market, the team would like to build a market hall in the city centre where raw materials from environmental investments could be sold. The team would also like to transform Bohuslän’s museum into a cultural arena and engage in something called positive entrepreneurship. Concerning citizens, the aim of the team is to improve the democratic process, build public coastal housing and develop the promenade.

Boundless Uddevalla - Team Yellow
The team envisions Uddevalla as a meeting place for all. Today, Uddevalla is perceived by many as a grey, boring town where there is nothing to do. Boundless Uddevalla strives to take advantage of cultural treasures and create new attractions and meeting venues. One such a venue is Medborgen, a building for politicians, students, and the public to share. Medborgen would be located close to Svenskholmen, by the mountain in the direction of Riverside. Apart from providing the facilities of the city hall, the chalmers’ branch, restaurant and hotel, Medborgen would also be able to organise parties and host big celebrations. The idea is that this building should be part of a neighborhood with 1,600 homes built on the waterfront. There would also be space in the new district for a marina, houseboats, parks for exercise, a travel centre for rail transport, and more.

Team Corporate: bringing people closer -Team Red
This team describes our current society as one where selfishness, loneliness, alienation and a sense of not belonging are increasing. The solutions to the above include enhancing team work in workplaces, creating an energy centre to promote better health, and setting up organic housing in central Uddevalla. To improve working conditions, the municipality should make use of existing knowledge and skills, with a particular focus on young people and younger retirees. The next step of the municipality would be to take over the large factory buildings in the port, modernise them and then let them to small, cooperative craft enterprises that train unemployed people, both young and old. To improve health and well-being, the old bath house in Uddevalla would converted into the Uddevalla Energy Centre. It would be a healing centre designed to improve health and well-being. The energy centre would be unique and offer healing practices and philosophies from around the world. This would attract the best experts from around the globe, while restoring Uddevalla as a health resort where people go to find balance, harmony, happiness and well-being. The municipality would also create conditions for alternative ecological housing in the central area.

The Future - Team Blue
The aim of this team was to create a meeting place between municipality leaders, teenagers, business and culture. ‘The Future’ could be described as a youth and development centre created by and for young people. The business is primarily aimed at people between the ages of 13-25 years. A key to the success of The Future would be to allow the target groups to help shape the business. To provide a picture of what The Future may offer, here are a few examples; a knowledge centre, graffiti room, school/maths teachers, youth reception, music/theatre, job/career/work experience/internship, local television, arena/conference, social services, relaxation, night rambles, arts and crafts, dream corner.

The business would allow for significant external influence and would also be guided by its organic profile. Team Future seeks to achieve a change in attitude and contribute to a new profile for Uddevalla.