The CSCP Supports Solingen to Revitalise its City Centre by Boosting Sustainable Manufacturing in “Gläserne Werkstatt” The city of Solingen has a clear and ambitious goal: revitalise the inner city by boosting manufacturing. Think of a large and dusty retail property totally reinvented: from a forgotten vacant location to a space where manufacturers can sell their products under a common roof and make manufacturing more tangible to the wider public. The “Urban Production in the ‘Bergisches Land’ Triangle – Competiveness, Innovation and City Quarter Development” which is an umbrella project for eight smaller projects, kicked-off in early March 2020. Through the “Gläserne Werkstatt” project, which the CSCP supports, the city of Solingen plans to specifically promote the development, production and consumption of high-quality, sustainable products from Solingen and the region at a central location in the city. The aim of the project is to create a joint innovation, experimentation and experience space for producers of the Solingen region in a location like a vacant retail property or an old commercial building. On the chosen location, companies of different sizes and from different sectors will come together to showcase and present their manufacturing work as well as offer their products for sale. In addition, workshops, seminars, exhibitions, experiments or tastings will be offered. The CSCP supports the “Gläserne Werkstatt” project with a series of Design Thinking workshops that enable entrepreneurs, start-ups as well as established companies to generate sustainable products and services or innovate their business models. In an inspiring environment, the CSCP will introduce methods and tools for collaboration and co-creation that can spark new ideas for products and services. A first workshop, aimed at introducing participants with the principles of Design Thinking and how to apply those to specific cases, is planned for September 2020. Let us know if you are interested by contacting Stephan Schaller. Furthermore, the CSCP will develop a regional label for sustainable products and services. Suitable criteria will be identified through hot-spot and sweet-spot analysis. The project “Urban Production in the ‘Bergisches Land’ Triangle – Competiveness, Innovation and City Quarter Development” , is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.