In order to tackle pressing societal issues, we must reconsider how we design and inhabit our neighbourhoods. The necessity of consistently including end users or local communities is sometimes overlooked in the planning, designing, and construction processes used today. However, combining community knowledge and initiatives can result in more liveable neighbourhoods that empower citizens and represent local needs and surroundings. Furthermore, the way public areas are constructed can have a big influence on how people interact with one another, what kinds of activities happen there, and how much trust the public has in their local government and democracy as a whole.

The project seeks to rethink how neighborhoods are designed and experienced by emphasizing the importance of involving local communities in the planning, design, and construction processes. By incorporating community knowledge, more livable spaces can be created that meet local needs and empower residents. Public spaces are vital in fostering social interaction, trust in government, and democratic engagement. Equipping people with the tools to actively participate in co-designing these environments can strengthen social trust, enhance a sense of belonging, and boost community involvement. The « Sustainable Public Spaces through Inclusive Community Engagement (SPICE) » project aims to develop a participatory cocreation model for shaping neighborhoods. It will explore and test innovative methods to engage communities in co-designing and maintaining public spaces across diverse European neighborhoods.

By promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging digital tools, and using sustainable construction practices, the project aims to address societal challenges, promote social inclusion, support democratic participation, and align with the European Green Deal and New European Bauhaus principles.

  • Duration: 36 months

List of participating organisations:

  • ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTY Greece Coordinator
  • BUSINESS AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE Greece Partner
  • DRAXIS RESEARCH VENTURES ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETGreece Partner
  • Codesign Toscana Italy Partner
  • IRIDRA SRL Italy Partner
  • UNIVERSITAT AUTONOMA DE BARCELONA Spain Partner
  • ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE D’ARCHITECTURE DE NANTES France Partner
  • IMPACT HUB GMBH Austria Partner
  • ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE DES AGENCESDE DEVELOPPE Belgium Partner
  • AGENCJA ROZWOJU REGIONALNEGO SA Poland Partner
  • MAKE IT BETTER ASSOCIACAO PARA A INOVACAO E ECONPortugal Partner
  • Julius Oförsagd Company Oy Finland Partner
  • DIMOS THESSALONIKIS Greece Partner
  • Rovaseudun Markkinakiinteistöt Oy Finland Partner
  • Município de Cuba Portugal Partner

Tasks including CRENAU – ENSA Nantes :

  • Task 1.1: Project management and coordination (Lead Partner: CERTH, 16PMs; KEPA, DReVen, CdT, IRID, UAB, ENSAN, IHNet, EURADA, ARRSA, miB, AF, THESS, RoMa, CMC; 0.5 PMs each)
  • Task 3.5: Aesthetic issues in inclusive codesign process (Lead partner: ENSAN) (role of participants: CdT, UAB, IRID)
  • This task focuses on aesthetic issues as key to the codesign process and is intended to provide guidelines on aesthetics in the methodological toolkit. This task will also take into consideration the physical barriers and accessibility issues that may derive from aesthetic challenges towards full inclusion. Based on the analysis of WP2 and the pilot cases gathered in the SPICE project, we will identify the aesthetic challenges of co-creation and the strategies put in place so the professionals involved in the process to design the project retain control over, or in some way negotiates, the aesthetics of the project, or fully integrates the codesign process into an original aesthetic. This will be put into perspective with older production references that have given way to incremental or iterative design ranging from a certain degree of randomness, to more controlled processes based on a combinatorial palette or specific medium made available to all the users involved in the codesign process, especially vulnerable groups such as people with physical disabilities or the aged.
  • Tasks 7.1 and 7.2: Elaboration of Communication and Dissemination strategic plan
  • Task 7.3: Fostering Collaboration with other initiatives and partnerships
  • Task 7.4: Exploitation and community uptake of the project’s results