SPICE – Sustainable Public Spaces Through Inclusive Community Engagement

SPICE aims to design, test and validate a structured participatory co-creation model that enables local communities to actively contribute to the planning, regeneration and long-term management of public spaces. By combining social innovation, digital tools, circular and regenerative practices, and interdisciplinary collaboration, the project seeks to strengthen democratic participation, social cohesion and citizens’ sense of belonging, while supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus.

The project builds on the observation that conventional urban planning and construction processes often limit the involvement of citizens to consultation phases, resulting in public spaces that insufficiently reflect local needs, socio-cultural diversity and environmental challenges. At the same time, European cities and regions are facing increasing pressures linked to climate change, social inequalities and declining trust in public institutions. SPICE addresses these challenges by promoting inclusive governance models and community-led approaches to neighbourhood regeneration. It directly contributes to EU policy priorities on climate neutrality, social inclusion and participatory democracy, and operationalises the New European Bauhaus values by integrating sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion into the co-design of public spaces.

SPICE pursues a set of closely interconnected specific objectives and expected results:

· To develop and validate an evidence-based participatory co-creation model for reshaping neighbourhood public spaces, integrating social, environmental and aesthetic considerations.

· To design and deploy inclusive engagement methodologies and digital tools that enable meaningful participation of diverse community groups, including underrepresented and marginalised populations.

· To demonstrate and test the SPICE approach through 4 pilot actions in Thessaloniki (Greece), Bielsko-Biała (Poland), the Municipality of Cuba in the Alentejo region (Portugal), and Rovaniemi (Finland).

· To assess the social, environmental and governance impacts of participatory co-creation processes and translate project outcomes into concrete policy recommendations.

· To support the uptake, transferability and replication of the SPICE methodology by public authorities and practitioners across European regions.

Role of EURADA:

Within the SPICE consortium, EURADA plays a strategic role by bringing its long-standing expertise in regional development, policy innovation and interregional cooperation. EURADA leads activities related to policy recommendations and the translation of project results into actionable guidance for policymakers and practitioners. It also coordinates tasks focused on fostering synergies and collaboration with other European initiatives and projects, ensuring that SPICE outcomes are connected to wider EU policy debates and networks. Through its extensive membership of regional development agencies across Europe, EURADA supports the dissemination, scaling-up and mainstreaming of the SPICE approach, helping to maximise the project’s policy impact and long-term relevance beyond the pilot territories.

EURADA members involved:

Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego S.A. w Bielsku-Białej (ARRSA), Poland.

Contact person(s):

Alessandra Frassetto, Cristina Sanz Rutherford

Channels:

· Website: https://spice-he.eu

· LinkedIn: (1) SPICE Project EU: Posts | LinkedIn

· Facebook: SPICE Project EU | Facebook

· YouTube: SPICE PROJECT EU - YouTube