Cultural and Creative Spaces and Cities tackled a problem the European Commission had long recognised: cities were struggling with declining welfare resources, growing inequality and an aging population, while civil society, business and public authorities rarely spoke to each other. Led by Trans Europe Halles alongside the European Cultural Foundation, the Peer2Peer Foundation and the University of Antwerp, the project ran seven Urban Labs across Europe, each bringing cultural spaces and local decision-makers together to co-design real solutions to their city's challenges. Over three years, it delivered 21 workshops, 14 traineeships, 3 policy co-creation events and a free digital benchmarking platform for cultural managers, proving that culture could be a genuine partner in shaping urban policy, not just a beneficiary of it.
About the initiative
The European Commission had long recognised the potential of cultural and creative spaces to build bridges between different stakeholders, find new solutions to local problems, and positively impact urban development. In spring 2018, it announced the call "Cultural and Creative Spaces and Cities," aiming to bring cultural and creative spaces closer to local decision-makers, better valorise public spaces for social and urban regeneration through culture, share best practice on social inclusion, and explore innovative models for the delivery of public services.
In response, Trans Europe Halles led a consortium of ten non-profit and public organisations, including the European Cultural Foundation, the Peer2Peer Foundation and the University of Antwerp (with Prof. Pascal Gielen). The consortium invested in the cultural and creative commons, bringing workers from the cultural and creative sectors together with local decision-makers to positively impact policy-making, encouraging a more socially-oriented approach. From October 2018 to March 2019 alone, the project delivered 2 international conferences, 21 workshops, 14 traineeships, 5 urban explorations and 3 co-creative policy events, with the wider programme running through to its close in May 2021.
Objectives
- Explore: brought together cultural spaces and local governments to explore urban challenges from the perspective of the commons, co-creation practices and policy development.
- Learn: facilitated peer-to-peer exchanges and training in commoning practices for cultural operators, policymakers and other stakeholders.
- Disseminate: researched, documented and disseminated the processes of the 7 Urban Labs exploring different urban challenges.
Approach: Urban Labs
The Urban Labs were the project's core element, gathering cultural organisations, local authorities and cultural and creative spaces to explore complex urban challenges in collaboration with other stakeholders, committing together to develop innovative, participatory and commoning solutions. Seven organisations led and organised seven Urban Labs in partnership with a number of selected organisations, known as Handshake Partners. In total, 37 organisations across 21 European countries took part.
- City of Lund and Mejeriet, Sweden — with City of Giffoni (Italy), City of Kiruna (Sweden), City of Aarhus and Odense (Denmark).
- Northern Tzoumerka, Greece — with University of Nicosia (Cyprus), Visual Sociology and Museum Studies Lab, Limassol (Cyprus), Timelab, Ghent (Belgium), Valuecraft Coop, Helsinki (Finland), L'Asilo Napoli (Italy).
- Region of Skåne, Sweden — with Region Midt-Jylland (Denmark), Region Emilia-Romagna (Italy).
- Kaapeli, Helsinki, Finland — with Aparaaditehas, Tartu (Estonia), Urban Institute Biedrība, Riga (Latvia), FinEstBayArea Development Helsinki-Tallinn.
- AMBASADA, Timișoara, Romania — with Foundation Novi Sad 2021 – European Cultural Capital, Novi Sad (Serbia), Bakelit Multi Art Centre Foundation, Budapest (Hungary), Rijeka2020 LLC (Croatia), City of Leuven – Cultural and Creative Spaces Vaartopia, Leuven (Belgium), Asociația Timișoara Capitală Culturală Europeană 2021, Timișoara (Romania), Timișoara City Hall, Timișoara (Romania).
- Hablarenarte, Madrid, Spain — with European Alternatives, Paris (France), Heart of Glass, Saint Helens (UK).
- CIKE, Košice, Slovakia — with Creative Industries Styria, Graz (Austria), Creative Region Linz & Upper Austria, Linz (Austria), Creativity Lab, Tallinn (Estonia), Creative England, Bristol (UK), European Centre for Creative Economy, Dortmund (Germany).
Outputs
- Opening and Closing Conferences in Brussels
- 21 workshops with local decision-makers at the Urban Labs
- 14 traineeships with 20–24 Handshake Partners and local decision-makers at the Urban Labs
- 7 exchanges between Urban Labs
- 5 thematic urban explorations with international participants
- 3 policy co-creation events
- A Knowledge Base on Urban Regeneration and an online policy toolbox for participatory policy development
- Artsmetric, a free cooperative digital benchmarking platform for cultural managers
- 3 mini-documentaries about the Urban Labs, including one on L'Asilo Napoli as an example of "Commoning Culture"
- Two publications: Commons. Between Dreams and Reality and Policy Analysis and Recommendations
- A synthesised final study