You usually do not have to face challenges alone. And most challenges go beyond the borders of your own town. You colleagues in neighbouring towns probably face similar challenges, even if they are on the other side of a national border.

By joining forces and insights, you can develop sustainable solutions. Not only can you adapt these solutions to the needs of your own town, but you also have the guarantee that neighbouring towns are tackling the challenge as well. This significantly increases the impact of the measures you are taking.

Don’t forget to incorporate the experience of different stakeholders into the development of your solution. Involve quadruple helix partners from the very start in order to have an adequate overview of the challenge. A local government approaches a "problem” differently than a designer, for instance. The more diversity around the table, the more layers there will be in the formulation of the challenge and the more sustainable the solution will be.

Keep in mind that the partners who help determine the scope do not necessarily have to be the same partners as those who will develop the solution.