Innovative Universities and the Experience City

What happens to the role of universities in societies that are changing their economies and social constructions from 20^th century industry and material consumption towards a 21^st century combination of industry, entertainment and education? What happens to the content of engineering educational programmess and to the pedagogical setup in which immaterial consumption and edutainment are more in demand than traditional products? 

This article outlines a number of dilemmas relating to the role of universities as "heterotopias of illusion" in present-day societies, in which the global restructuring of the economy is changing the requirements for knowledge and advanced skills. The article presents various international examples of joint developments by industry, entertainment and education, and on this basis outlines the need for pedagogical experiments and new learning environments. The article relates some preliminary experiences in the development of informal learning environments in association with performance and city life. New models for "fun-based learning" have been developed. They place the focus on the interplay between the intuitive and the goal-oriented aspects of university pedagogy - by including intuitive and reflective tools, artistic progression and critical interpretation. These models also embrace a changed vision of the relationship between city and university in the development of the learning environment - both physical and virtual relationships and environments need to be developed in a new way.