After an inspirational First International Superblock Meeting in Barcelona in early 2023 the TuneOurBlock Peer Group, invited experts and the project team convened in Berlin for the Second International Superblock Meeting.

Participants spent two intense days with knowledge exchange, workshops and on-site excursions to further the TuneOurBlock agenda.

The event was hosted by the German partners of the TuneOurBlock consortium in cooperation with the Berlin Borough of Templhof-Schöneberg.

Welcome on behalf of the TuneOurBlock team with an introduction to the agenda of the International Superblock Meeting and the work done within the TuneOurBlock Living Labs in Berlin and Vienna.

Participants then introduced themselves and went through several rounds of a speed-dating format to discuss their latest successes and setbacks for their work on urban transformations and what they want to learn during the Berlin meeting.

The academic element of the program started with a presentation on the current state of the TuneOurBlock project, its key research questions and the aims of the working sessions held in Berlin.

The goal of the four-phase conceptual model on a Superblock implementation process is to be able to break down the process into the key elements and interconnections that shape it. this should provide a useful heuristic for aiding decision-making and mid-process analysis.

First day of the workshop had the goal to fill the conceptual model with life by gathering the participants’ input and making use of all the expertise from municipal administrations gathered in the room.

The workshop was structured in four rounds that followed a world café format (each person circles around and gets introduced in all 4 tables/topics within the workshop). Participants were encouraged to expand on the theoretical 4-phase concept with contents:

• What could the phases look like in practice?

• Is it helpful and applicable in practice? Or, should it be adapted accordingly? 
  

Th second workshop day started with a hort presentation of the main findings from each workshop session and the possibility for and questions and comments.

The group then broke out in two workshop rounds to contextualise the ideal type phases by including real-life experiences and how these may change or prohibit these ideal type phases.

• What are the challenges we meet in practice for each phase? What types of contextual determinants – for example landscape pressures, local push-& pull-factors – do occur?
• What type of regime resistance might we encounter. What about external shocks like changes in political coalitions. And, how do they manifest? Can we find ways of overcoming these?

The workshop concluded with a plenary discussion of all participants reflecting on the What, Why, Who and How in regards to the four phases of the idealised implementation process.

The workshop concluded with a reflection of the participants on how the TuneOurBlock project can effectively provide results for stakeholders that are most useful. The discussion touched upon networking opportunities, potential webinars, how-to guides to be established and the project’s final publications.

The participants’ insights clearly benefitted the elaboration of the final TuneOurBlock results.

Many thanks for your great inputs!