Description

This grant from the European Commission supports transdisciplinary projects that pioneer innovative, participatory approaches for the spatial design and transformation of public spaces at the neighbourhood level. The focus is on integrating user perspectives and leveraging methods such as research-by-design, security-by-design, and life-centric design to address climate, environmental, social, and cultural challenges. The aim is to reduce inequalities, foster social cohesion, enhance civic engagement, and strengthen a sense of security and belonging in neighbourhoods.

Projects must:

• Analyze values, practices, and stakeholder relations in neighbourhood spatial design.
• Adapt and apply innovative methods to diverse sociocultural contexts using co-creation.
• Address climate and water resilience, civil security, and biodiversity in public spaces.
• Evaluate multisensory perceptions of public spaces, including aesthetics and user experience.
• Demonstrate these approaches in at least three neighbourhoods across different EU Member States or Associated Countries (urban, peri-urban, or rural).
• Produce scalable plans and recommendations for broader application and skills development.
• Ensure significant involvement from social sciences and humanities (SSH) to maximize societal impact.

A participatory, transdisciplinary approach is required, integrating actors from various fields, including architecture, urban planning, social sciences, and the cultural sector.