Fondazione MAXXI

This proposal lays the foundations for creating a service hub that will combine, in a single entity, science, the arts, public engagement and business, to drive innovation and address the complexity of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). When addressing the complexity of global challenges, creativity stands as one of the most effective tools to reshape our societies and patterns of interaction. Creative thinking can promote new possible visions (e.g., the idea of '15-minute cities') of how society could transform itself to manage new challenges sustainably and harmoniously. From this point of view, it is of utmost importance to promote a renewed dialogue between the sciences and the arts, i.e., the two dominant creative forces in society, whose role has always been to understand the world we live in and project us into the future. The alliance between science and creative disciplines is also a powerful driver to bring the rise of tech innovation and creative freedom on the side of inclusion and social sustainability. The specific challenges addressed by CURE revolve around the future of cities, especially in a post-pandemic vision. Modern cities are at the centre of a passionate debate about their future, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the existing challenges. It clarified the urgent need for a radical rethink of our lifestyles: from the organisation of our societies and cities to the relationship between urban and rural areas, from our production systems to the breaching of ecological ceilings. In this context, the proposed hub will represent a bridge linking science, technology and the arts, on the one hand, and SMEs and public administration, on the other. CURE will provide a new environment where an innovative mindset can emerge to conceive and co-create new approaches, solutions, and business models. Furthermore, CURE will profuse a strong effort to foster and nurture a continuous dialogue among all actors of the unavoidable urban rebirth.