Strategic directions

One of the key conclusions of the process was the need to preserve MAD’s character as an organisation that connects research and fieldwork, local and national scales, and data-driven and rights-based approaches. Building on this character, the document sets out MAD’s orientation for the next ten years through nine strategic directions:

1. From knowledge production to creating impact
2. Strengthening MAD’s political voice while maintaining its research and analytical strength
3. A MAD rooted in the field and connecting scales
4. Placing directly affected communities at the centre of MAD’s audiences
5. From a core team to a wider MAD community
6. Developing cultural and artistic production as one of MAD’s core ways of working
7. From institutional goals weakened by projects to institutional goals strengthened by projects
8. Strengthening financial and institutional resilience together with wellbeing
9. Public engagement, visibility, and bringing the archive back into circulation

Each direction also includes first steps for the 2027–2029 period.

How did the process work?

Process design

The process began with preliminary conversations with the MAD team. These conversations identified the issues most critical for MAD, and the agenda of the process was built around them.

Participation was organised in three stages. Because the team, members and stakeholders relate to MAD in different ways and have different levels of knowledge about the organisation, separate exploration sessions were held with each group. This allowed each group to share its perspective openly.

Strategy Survey

The Strategy Survey was the anchor of the process. The survey was based on the interdependent pairs method. In this method, each question places two orientations that coexist within an organisation at the two ends of a scale. The issues raised in the preliminary conversations were translated into 17 strategic pairs in this way.

For example, one pair placed “grant-dependent income” at one end and “diversified income” at the other. On a scale from 1 to 7, participants marked where MAD stands today and where it should stand in the next ten years. The distance between the two marks revealed what kind of change participants expected in that area. Other pairs included knowledge production and creating impact, desk research and field research, and a core team and a broad community base.

Both ends of each pair were treated as valid and valuable approaches for MAD. The aim was to make visible MAD’s current balance and the expectations about which way this balance should shift. The survey was conducted anonymously, and its results showed where participants shared common ground and where their views diverged. Issues with divergent views or a clear expected shift were explored in depth during the sessions.

Exploration sessions

On 22 June 2026, a full-day exploration session was held with the team. Participants read the survey results together, explored the key issues in depth and reflected together on the short and long-term future.

The online session with members on 24 June 2026 focused on income diversification, working with a wider community, communication and outreach, and the trends MAD should follow.

Two sessions were held with stakeholders: an in-person session on 6 July 2026 and an online session on 8 July 2026. These sessions discussed what MAD has done well over the past ten years, the areas where it needs to grow, and its priorities for the coming period.

The process will open to a wider public at the MAD Forum and 10th Anniversary Celebration on 3 October 2026.

Acknowledgements

We thank the team, members, stakeholders and supporters of the Center for Spatial Justice who contributed their time, experience and ideas to the strategy process. The contributions of everyone who responded to the survey, took part in the sessions and imagined MAD’s future with us form the foundation of this document.

The strategy process was supported by the Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts (ASEA). It was designed and facilitated by Yekpare. We would like to thank Adhoc Research for their support in the implementation of surveys.