Proposal for a gathering and creation space

Proposal by the Socialist Party of Iceland to be submitted to the next city council meeting.

It is proposed that the city create an indoor space that is an open gathering place for city residents who want to come together and discuss among themselves, free of charge. The space will be designed for large groups as well as smaller ones. Those who come to the space will have the opportunity to eat their own food, and it is proposed that coffee and water facilities and toilet facilities be offered. The venue will be open to the public, but it is proposed that the space specifically meet the needs of those who are unemployed and might be interested in presenting ideas for job creation with others or simply want to interact with people in a similar situation.

The space will be conceived as a platform for gathering, brainstorming, and a place for those who want to implement ideas. It is important that those who want to work on new ideas get facilities for such with ample space, meeting rooms, and facilities for phone calls. The space needs to be such that groups of people can be there while still being able to observe the proximity restrictions in force at any given time due to the coronavirus. In the city's libraries, groups can gather, but this has become more difficult as the groups grow larger. Community centers and community houses are located throughout the city, and a steering group on policy-making for the development of community centers for adults has worked on proposals for the development of these community centers.

It is proposed to examine whether the aforementioned proposal can align with the use of community houses. If this is not suitable, another location will be found for the gathering and creation space. The Department of Culture and Tourism and the Department of Welfare will be tasked with elaborating on the content of the proposal with others within the city, as appropriate.

Rationale:

Words are the beginning of everything, and it can be challenging for people with little means to find a place to meet when ideas are to be implemented. It can be costly to meet in coffee shops for those who have no extra money, and furthermore, the coronavirus has complicated matters as many spaces within the city are not suitable when proximity restrictions must be observed.

Public spaces play an important role in society. They provide people with the opportunity to come together, express their ideas in conversation with others, and actively participate in what is happening in their immediate environment. Residents are now adapting to a changed reality due to the coronavirus, and meeting spaces that previously could accommodate, for example, twenty individuals, now accommodate fewer individuals as proximity restrictions in force at any given time must be observed. It can therefore be said that our indoor public spaces cannot accommodate as many people as they could before. This changes regularly as proximity restrictions change. It is therefore important that public spaces take this into account in the near future.

Remote meeting equipment has been useful to many in recent months for communicating with other people, but for that, one needs access to a computer or smartphone and the internet, and that does not apply to all households. In the current situation in society, it is important that people who are unemployed or people who want to communicate with others get a space for that. In 2009, Hafnarfjarðarbær, in collaboration with Vinnumálastofnun, trade unions, schools, and Impra, established an employment and development center where people were encouraged to attend, chat, and participate. The activities were built up in line with user development, and among other things, lectures and courses were offered. The goal of Deiglan was to support those seeking new opportunities in employment and education and also to be a center for those who wanted to improve their situation, whether people were unemployed or not. The ideas of Deiglan can be considered when designing the gathering and creation space.

The proposed expansion of Borgarbókasafnið in Grófarhúsi and the strengthening of services to meet the needs of different groups could, to some extent, serve those whom the above proposal aims to reach. It will take a considerable amount of time for such a thing to become a reality, as the goal is to open an improved library in 2023, and therefore it is proposed that the city seek a suitable space for the gathering and creation space that can open as soon as possible. It is proposed that the future design of the gathering and creation space will then be shaped based on the arrival of the people who seek it out.