Yesterday Blend was invited to report on the smart Future Minds Award. Over the last eighteen months the car manufacturer smart asked pioneers from eleven metropolises around the world to question the urban status quo. The results are visions, ideas and solutions for sustainable lifestyles, modern social systems and forward-looking developments in the fields of architecture, design and technology. The worldwide event series ’smart urban stage’ is exhibiting ideas and solutions of forward thinking future makers.

The projects ranged from philosophical visions to innovative solutions, but all aimed to provide answers to how everyday life in cities might be made more sustainable and more community-oriented. In each city, the projects were selected by local experts. The jury determining the winning project consisted of trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort, Apparatijk founder Magne Furuholmen, and designer and do-gooder Graham Hill.

The Dutch finalist is the graphic designer Christian de Boer, who suffers from dyslexia and came up with a typeface, which creates more differences between each character, so that they are easier to recognize for dyslexics. Dyslexics think in pictures, which makes reading the Western typefaces -with their similar forms- very difficult. This leads to learning issues in school when children have to start to read.

Other interesting projects include ‘Calle de Diversion‘ -a social project aimed at involving citizens in re-planning public spaces- form Rome, ‘Lighting Device‘ -a social and sustainable activation of public squares- from Madrid and The People’s Supermarket -a sustainable food co-operative- from London.

In their votes the jury said that they supported the project they thought most sustainable, green and useful for the community. And the winner is…The People’s Supermarket!

visit the website:
smart urban stage