A map is by definition, a diagrammatic representation of an area . . but it is not the same as walking the streets. It is a reduction of sorts. If a map were high fidelity, it would no longer be useful to us.

This mental model speaks to the gap between our perceptions and reality, between our beliefs and the real world. The space that exists between the framework we might use to navigate a question, and the experience of actually doing the work.

Patterns of exploration. When we land in a new city, how do we think about breaking it down? How do we sensemake our way through to find the pointy bits, the outliers, the newness . . the examples of X or Y we might collect to bring home, that might throw a new lens on our work?

Sensemaking in this context, is about exploring beyond the usual boundaries. Finding different frames through which we might understand and imagine, new ways of seeing.

Simple unlocks can point us in new directions . . especially if we’re only travelling briefly through a city but hoping to find something below the surface.

Art is always a good place to start. What exhibitions are the progressive galleries or technology and science museums showing? Does the city play host to independent film festivals and which other places play in that space?

Street Art is another. What can we understand about a city by noticing the activism on its streets? Not just the messaging, but the modalities, the storytelling, the language or the placement. The absence of street art tells us something too.

Finding the Fashion Edges can be another unlock. Pick a directional global fashion brand like Comme des Garcons; what kinds of stores sell it and where are they located? These kinds of brands will have done some of the work for us already, in finding the edges where people gather. Using signals like this might help us to land quickly and notice . . what else is here?

Pointy Search Terms can also help us to find our way through the imagination phase space of a city.

• Oslo + Avant Garde

• Oslo + Radical Creative | Radical Rituals | Creative Collaborations

• Oslo + Imagination

• Oslo + Sensemaking

• Oslo + Participatory Research

• Oslo + Cultural Creatives

• Oslo + Independent Films

• Oslo + Archive of the Future

• Oslo + Post-capitalism

• Oslo + Radical Climate

• Oslo + Manifesto

Dig Deeper: Developing alternative and inclusive ways of seeing probably means we have to look somewhere else. Copenhagen Independent Film Festival is a good example of finding new narratives for possible futures.

It goes without saying that it’s also worth scanning any domain keywords when we’re in a city too, the local search algorithms will offer a different lens than we might find from home.

• Oslo + Circular Economy

• Oslo + City Regeneration

• Oslo + Creative Practice

• Oslo + Climate Pilots

• Oslo + Seed Projects

• Oslo + Innovation

Before You Go

Geo-spoofing from home beforehand can help you do some of this work before you go. Use a VPN to set your IP address to the local region and search.

Climate Signals

Carbon Footprint of the city

Per capita consumption compared to other cities of both similar and different nature.

Climate Budget does it have one? what’s the story here, who is telling it and how? How much does the news map match the territory on the ground?

Climate Policy is worth a quick scan.
- radical climate policy
- controversial climate policy
- urban climate governance
- climate failures
- climate controversy

These terms might surface something interesting to explore while we’re there. Remember we’re not trying to understand the whole system in one hit, we’re just trying to get a sense of the city which might help us keep lookout with a more contextually helpful lens as we explore the territory.

What’s the percentage of EV vehicles? general attitudes toward climate? Does what we scan beforehand match what we see on the ground?

Energy flows tell us a lot about a city. How does the city generate, distribute and think about energy? How much do the ‘case studies’ we might see account for the city as a whole . . versus small flags in the sand toward climate action? Try searching:
- radical energy innovation
- radical environmentalism

It goes without saying that having a useful understanding of the basics also helps us to locate our exploring within a useful contextual frame.

Population size of the city and surrounding regions

Migrational profile of the city. Who is most visible in the city and who is not? How does the map match the territory? It’s easy to feel like we get a sense of the city by walking through the inner streets, but try finding a gallery or an exhibition on the fringe . . how is the view different from there?

Education thumbprint of a city — is it progressive? what is it known for? What’s the mix of private vs Public and why? What’s the story here?

Political temperature of a city — who are the parties? What might the political history tell us about who gets to make the decisions and how?