UNLEASH Hacks with Ramboll: 3 cities, one challenge
Most of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. With cities growing faster than ever before and people flowing across cities more easily and frequently, the challenges facing urban areas today have become complex, interconnected, and urgent.
The need for cross-sector collaboration to tackle the challenges that cities face is more pressing than ever. This is why, in February, UNLEASH partnered with the Ramboll Foundation and Ramboll Group to host 3 UNLEASH Hacks in Singapore, Copenhagen, and London. The Hacks brought together 56 Talents from within and outside Ramboll and aimed to explore themes within the built environment, bringing local anchoring to global urban challenges.
Each Hack focused on a locally grounded, globally relevant challenge. In Singapore, the theme of urban resilience addressed rising heat stress and increasing pressure on dense infrastructure. Copenhagen centered on equitable and affordable housing, exploring how cities can meet demand while staying within planetary boundaries while fostering inclusive communities. In London, Talents tackled regeneration of ageing industrial zones, reimagining brownfield sites as circular, regenerative hubs.
Across all locations, Talents worked intensively over 2 days to analyze challenges and frame their root causes – an experience that was enriched by the diverse profiles within the Talent cohort that had a mix of employees from Ramboll and non-Ramboll participants. This translated into the solution outcomes from the Hacks. In Copenhagen, UrbanMatch conceptualized a platform to improve housing transparency using ESG data, while City.Seed focused on strengthening local communities by activating underused spaces to connect, collaborate, and shape their area. In London, solutions ranged from skill-based matchmaking to support green job transitions to activating underused spaces through pop-up market infrastructure. In Singapore, ideas such as targeted cooling systems for hawker centers demonstrated how data-driven, local interventions can enhance everyday urban experiences.
The experience was widely described as impactful and energizing. One Talent noted that “the UNLEASH Methodology forced us to peel back layers of complex urban issues, moving beyond symptoms to find the root causes.” Another highlighted the collaboration itself: “…combining UNLEASH’s framework with Ramboll’s technical expertise created a unique pressure cooker for change.”
Together, these Hacks offer a glimpse into the collaboration potential and possibilities that will shape the conversations at the UNLEASH Europe Innovation Lab this summer.
