Rebranding a district: the Breiðholt project in Reykjavik

Cities have gained increasing attention from
government, researchers, and industry. The focus upon
smarter and more efficient cities is important, but
incomplete. Against this backdrop, COST Action builds
on a European Science Foundation exploratory
workshop on the emerging theme of smart and liveable
cities. COST Action’s framework for People Friendly
Cities in a Data Rich World acknowledges that the city
is largely the product of top-down expertise, and a
process in which the citizen plays a marginal role.
Despite this top-down approach, citizens have had to
build personal and collective biographies from the
infrastructure of the city. This paper explores how the
community of Breiðholt, Reykjavik, is being transformed
from a disadvantaged suburb, characterised as a
‘ghetto’, into a thriving community where citizens play
a central role in decision-making. This paper presents
the outcomes of a fieldwork experience, undertaken in
Breiðholt as part of COST Action’s Winter Training
School, focused on the drivers behind, actions, and
benefits of the Breiðholt Project and the Breiðholt
Congress. In making recommendations for the Project
and Congress, and other community-based initiatives,
this paper encourages the sharing of best practices
among different departments of the city, and to better
utilise bridge makers (key stakeholders/community
leaders) to build trust through face-to-face interactions
with citizens.