Wijkwijs: explore together, learn together
Wijkwijs is a Rotterdam research collective in which residents, researchers and local organizations work on knowledge that matters to the neighborhood. Instead of research about residents, research from residents is central. The ambition is to create equal, structural and reciprocal Rotterdam research practices.
The collective was created to question the usual ways of doing research and to learn how research can be created more from the local context of the city. In many communities, there is a lack of connection between science and the local context. Residents are often surveyed, but have little influence on the research questions and experience little direct added value from the research process and outcomes themselves. Wijkwijs works differently: research starts from the local context.
This approach is also called community-based research: research in which residents organize themselves and determine the knowledge needs, questions and agendas themselves, or in collaboration with knowledge institutions.
Because researchers are structurally present in the neighborhood, they work on the basis of building a relationship with the neighborhood. This creates scope for research in a different way, for example by enabling residents to be co-researchers, collect data together or use concrete insights to strengthen initiatives in the neighborhood.
Wijkwijs works from core values such as equality, reciprocity, inclusiveness and proximity. The commitment: sharing knowledge and making it together. As one of the researchers involved puts it, “All knowledge is valuable.” Whether it comes from residents, volunteers or scientists.
The collective is partly made possible by our program, in which we facilitate cooperation between science and society, make it more accessible and offer continuity. Wijkwijs is a good example of how Resilient Delta aims to contribute to research that is truly rooted in the city.
All knowledge is valuable
“Avoid research fatigue: leverage curiosity and enthusiasm in neighborhoods”
Recently, Sociale Vraagstukken published this opinion piece by six researchers from the Wijkwijs network. There, they denounce the term research fatigue, a label that residents or neighborhoods are often unfairly stuck with. According to the authors, residents are usually tired not of research per se, but of research that provides no recognition, little feedback and no tangible change.
The article shows the importance of residents being seen and heard, without being driven from a predefined research process. Not because people need to be motivated, but because they bring valuable knowledge, experiences and perspectives. The authors argue that true collaboration, in which residents are co-researchers, leads to research that better reflects what is going on in the neighborhood and produces more valuable results.
Read the Dutch article: Voorkom onderzoeksmoeheid.
The article was written by: Seline Westerhof, Beitske Boonstra, Jelle Burger, Mike Duijn, Jurian Edelenbos and Jiska Engelbert. They are part of the core team of Wijkwijs and work at Erasmus University: Erasmus Initiative Vital Cities and Citizens, GovernEUR, Resilient Delta: TU Delft
Want to know more about Wijkwijs? Visit: www.wijkwijs.nl
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