Erriberritu is a place to exchange resources and create connections between inhabitants and local projects
For two weeks, the Mondragon University Global Digital Humanities students have worked together with the Studio Petit Muller design studio to create the Erriberritu exchange spot. The students worked in 4 teams: Food, Exchange, Manufacturing and Education, each of them focused on developing an aspect linked to the circular economy.
The results of this work are located in a new space open to the neighborhood and situated in the old Artiach cookie factory in Zorrotzaurre, where anyone can leave or take things freely. The project’s intention is to give a new life to unused objects, promote reutilization, and foster the principles of the circular economy at a neighborhood level, as well as promoting connections among citizen initiatives on the island.
The group dedicated to the exchange built structures designed to store objects such as clothes, books, toys, and materials. The food team constructed a large mobile barbecue, intended for use by the neighborhood in parties, gatherings, and activities, which has been donated to the neighborhood association. The students from the manufacturing team created a map of the companies currently operating on the island, with the aim of fostering connections among them and promoting resource exchange. Meanwhile, the education team prepared informative panels with content aimed at spreading the principles of the circular economy.
The construction of Erriberritu is the final point of a learning process that began last October, throughout the module Circular economy and resilience at neighborhood level. This educational process was part of the university degree curriculum, and in the initial phase, students were able to learn about new methodologies and strategies related to urban innovation through a program of lectures with experts at the international level. The presentations revolved around issues such as the global economy and wealth distribution, social design, and the application of digital technologies in social innovation. From there, the students began an exploration process with local agents. The challenge was to devise possible solutions to local problems, such as the lack of resources and the disconnection between projects working in Zorrotzaurre, creating proposals for temporary urbanism.
Erriberritu is the result of this co-design and co-creation process. Now, the space is available to the neighborhood, and the next challenge will be to continue giving life to this initiative to promote its use by the community and organizations that work in the area.
