Engagement and Communication: An update on the State-of-the-Art Review

Engaging and communicating with partners and stakeholders is crucial for any project, so we were thrilled to have the opportunity to meet our IcARUS partners in person for the first time at the recent Security, Democracy and Cities Conference in Nice. One of the things that makes IcARUS distinct from other projects is the incorporation and synthesis of a large body of academic research and practitioner knowledge developed over the past 30 years in a State-of-the-Art Review. Immediately before the Efus conference, we were invited to engage with a new audience, delivering the keynote speech at the PACTESUR third annual meeting on 19^th October, also in Nice, bringing together some preliminary insights from the State-of-the-Art Review with our ongoing discussions with partners.

The State-of-the-Art Review will form the foundation upon which our IcARUS partners move forward, incorporating the broad lessons learnt in developing and co-designing innovative and useful tools for cities to apply in a way that fits their unique needs. The context within which these processes work vary widely between our partner cities, and over the recent months we have been conducting follow-up interviews with them to gain better insight into the urban security initiatives and measures which operate within their cities. This is complimented by further interviews with various prominent international urban security experts, which has helped to ensure a well-rounded understanding of the evolution and current state of urban security. 

Some key themes have emerged from our interviews. Indeed, many of these are strongly reflected in Efus’ PACTESUR project. We were extremely privileged to have the opportunity to present the keynote speech ‘The Evolution of Innovative Approaches to Build More Secure and Safer Public Spaces’, which was well received and helped stimulate a lively debate. This presentation features  some preliminary insight on our work on the State-of-the-Art Review and our ongoing discussions with partners. 

The presentation offers insights not only into one of the IcARUS project’s priority areas, namely ‘designing and managing safer public spaces’, but also highlights the interconnectedness of different urban security concerns faced by many European cities. It also reports on innovations in a couple of our partner cities (Rotterdam and Stuttgart) that illustrate some of the broader themes identified. A summary of our presentation can be found here.