Arnhem Community Innovation Lab

About the Arnhem Community Innovation Lab

In Arnhem, students participated in three community projects, each with its own objectives and outcomes. On July 14, 2019 the students presented their ideas from the projects at the business fair at VHL together with students from other studies such as Food Technology, International Development Management and Agribusiness. All the students worked on business plans Sustainable Entrepreneurship. The students' ideas were judged by a professional jury, who decided which students had the most sustainable business idea, and a group won the prize of €250 for the best market opportunities (powered by the Rabobank).

Community 1: Circularity in the Van Hall Larenstein Community in Velp

Objective: To lower the resource footprint of the HVHL community on the Larenstein Estate and its immediate surroundings and save money

Partners: HVHL services, HVHL students and staff as users, Peeze coffee burners, neighbourhood members, Renuwi-waste services, Student Green Office, entrepreneurs, 2nd year students Management of the Environment

Activities: Waste-Audit, co-creation sessions with stakeholders, student and associate professorship projects on Vermiculture, water, agriculture

Chances and challenges of the university-community collaboration: Well-established groups, some empowerment from the top-down levels is required

Potentials of the university-community collaboration: Seems feasible, economic perspective, provides social learning

Outcomes of Community 1

• Waste reduction was achieved to the desired goal
• Waste reduction awareness was raised in the Larenstein community
• The student group developed a business plan for a social enterprise around a 1 hectare FoodForest on the Larenstein estate
• The aim of the social enterprise is education, plus FoodForest operation and awareness
• The business plan has not resulted in a company, but there will be a FoodForest starting 10th of October 2019
• FoodForest is an educational and research project for all the departments of VHL, plus for citizens and businesses around the community: The food forest will be opened 10 October 2019 (see picture)

In 2019, the students will go further, exploring all the opportunities of the Larenstein Estate. One of the goals is to open the FoodForest and do research.

Contact: Daan van der Linde or Freddy van Dijken

Community 2: BlueNeighbourhoodEconomy Project Spijkerkwartier

BlueNeighbourhoodEconomy (DeBlauweWijkEconomie)

Objective: To establish a cost-efficient Green Landscaping Workforce in the Spijkerkwartier neighbourhood in Arnhem based on the local community

Partners: BlueNeighbourhoodEconomy organisation, Patrick Hoogenbosch, Municipality of Arnhem, GreenArnhem Network, neighbourhood members, entrepreneurs, 2nd year students in the Management of the Environment program

Activities: Entrepreneurship analysis for the NeighborhoodGreenCompany (BuurtGroenBedrijf) run by community members, WormHotel development (including realisation)

Chances and challenges of the university-community collaboration: Well-established group, there is a collaboration agreement

Potentials of the university-community collaboration: Seems feasible, economic perspective, provides social learning

Outcomes of Community 2

• Worm-bins promotion in the neighbourhoud was researched and initiated: production of worm-tea for use in private and community gardens
• A social enterprise as part of the existing Buurtgroenbedrijf was not succesfully established
• This fall a new group is studying the Energy Transition in Spijkerbuurt by means of a narrative analysis method. They will do research on the willingness to change energy sources like solar power instead of gas. The VHL UAS group will cooperate with HAN UAS Social Work students. They are working in a living lab DAZO in the neighbourhood.

In 2019 we will go further with students in their third year in Spijkerkwartier. We will assist the community with the energy transition working with students and teachers from the University of Applied Sciences Arnhem en Nijmegen and the University of Arts Artez in a learning community together with the Gemeente Arnhem (municipality).

Contact: Freddy van Dijken

Community 3: Sonsbeek-Park Community Project

Objective: to enhance entrepreneurial thinking within the Friends of Sonsbeek-park community with regard to event organisation and environmental issues

Partners: Friends of Sonsbeek-park organisation , Municipality of Arnhem, GreenArnhem Network , neighbourhood members, entrepreneurs, 2nd year students in the Management of the Environment program

Activities: Entrepreneurship analysis for the event portfolio in the park, advice on what should and should not be done concerning events in the park and environmental projects on water retention and climate change

Chances and challenges of the university-community collaboration: Well-established group, needs some empowerment from the municipality

Potentials of the university-community collaboration: Seems feasible, economic perspective, social learning

Outcomes of Community 3

• A social enterprise for maintenance, surveillance and work-placement for jobless people was described, but not established.
• The proposed ideas were welcomed in the Friends of SonsbeekPark Community, but they need further elaboration next year.
• The social enterprise was located in and around Molenplaats visitor centre, but the economic basis was not sound enough to sustain the proposed activities.

Contact: Daan van der Linde