The Aurora Hackathon ‘Rethinking Food Systems in the Anthropocene’ – was organised by the University of Naples Federico II and took place in Palazzo Gravina, seat of the UNINA Department of Architecture, from Monday 23 to Friday 27 October 2023. The main goal of the activity was to co-create conceptual solutions to rethink the food economy of a specific area of Naples, drawing inspiration from university seminars, and workshops hosted by representatives of sustainable entrepreneurial local activities and from on-field excursions conducted in the local markets.

The following subjects were covered in the lectures and seminars: Anthropocene/Capitalocene (by Adam Arvidsson); Rethinking the City through Food (by Ramon Rispoli); Service Design in the Food Ecosystem (by Afi Soedarsono); Housing experiments for food collectivization (by Ciro Priore); Jugaad, Informal Economy and Technological Disobedience (by Benedetta Toledo, Cristina Trey). For more info on the program please download the Flyer.

According to the hackathon design challenge, the participants had to develop a design proposal to guarantee ecological resilience, economic sustainability for producers and consumers, and organizational feasibility. The long-term goal would be the generation of new communities involving consumers and producers in a specific area of Naples, around Palazzo Fuga, which was the main building involved in the design proposals.

Moreover, design proposals had to include:
– sustainable and community-based solutions for urban gardening (community gardens, vertical farms, and the like);
– solutions for waste reduction based on circularity (composting, recycling, upcycling, etc.);
– physical and digital spaces able to connect producers and consumers in a direct way (farmers’ markets, consumers’ groups, apps and digital platforms);
– sense-making strategies (promotion of local food and recipes; collective events, initiatives, and campaigns related to food, also as a vehicle for social and cultural integration, community building, and cooperation).

The hackathon involved 54 participants, a strong increase compared to the previous two editions: 12 students from the Copenhagen Business School, 6 students from the University of Iceland and 36 students enrolled in the UNINA Master of Science in “Design for the Built Environment” (DBE). The added value of this experience for the students has been the transdisciplinary learning environment, as students were coming not only from all over Europe but also from different backgrounds (Design; Social Sciences; Business Administration; Service Management; Industrial engineering; Environment and Natural Resources, Renewable Energy Sustainability, Economics, and Policy).

On the final day, the students had the opportunity to showcase their project proposals in front of a jury. The best projects, selected for their creativity, social innovation, sustainability, economic feasibility, and business model, have been nominated for the “Seismic Awards”, a competition held by CBS (Copenhagen Business School) to promote creative and innovative social entrepreneurs.