The ARCHETHICS Network arrived at the end of its journey. A final Network meeting was organised in Betera and Valencia on 10-11 December 2025 to share network results and make reflections on the highlights and issues.
From June 2023 to December 2025, the ARCHETHICS Network opened a deep reflection on the European Dissonant Heritage present in many cities, to work on the complex and diverse history of Europe (focusing in particular on the Twentieth Century) and, through a critical examination of the past, come into the present to promote democracy and solidarity.
The Network led by the Municipality of Cesena, has brought together 8 European cities: Cesena in Italy; Permet in Albania; Kazanlak in Bulgaria; Krakow in Poland; Gdansk in Poland; Leipzig in Germany; Bétera in Spain; Vila Nova de Cerveira in Portugal. These cities have in common the presence of dissonant heritage, characterised by very diversified typologies. In some cases, it is submerged or sleeping, discussed and controversial; it is located in different urban contexts, that is to say in the city centre or rural areas; it has different states of conservation and belongs to different eras.
A multi-perspective approach to read the complexity of Dissonant Heritage
ARCHETHICS proposed to work on dissonant heritage through a multi-perspective approach, which has become the way to foster the integrated approach for dissonant heritage. ARCHETHICS partners have envisaged this approach at local level involving their stakeholders and local communities.This approach guided project partners in their reflections about dissonant heritage to co-design their integrated action plans.
The multiperspective approach was broken up into four dimensions of project investigation: Architecture, People, History and Ethics that helped partners to read the dissonance of the cultural heritage. Collectively finding key questions to interrogate the Dissonant Heritage is the key starting point.
All partner cities addressed the multiperspective approach in their work with the URBACT Local Group to co-design their Integrated Action Plans. The work developed locally followed the transnational roadmap where peer reviews and partners exchange and learning were provided to share inspiration and support from one city to another.
Reading all plans there are common approaches that follow the project dimensions of People, Architecture, History and People. What emerged is that treating dissonant heritage, despite typology, scale and location, could be addressed using the ARCHETHICS multiperspective approach. This is a demonstration of a well working approach focused on dissonant heritage that could be shared with other cities outside the network. See the presentation summarising all Integrated Action Plans
Initiatives for dissonant heritage through Architecture, History, People and Ethics dimensions
Architecture - The dissonant heritage has been considered a common good. From a place to hide, submerged or stigmatized, to a place for people where it is possible encountering other people to remembrance but also future-making. Dissonant architectures need to be managed through plans, ARCHETHICS cities made an effort to identify as key actions the delivery of management, tourism and conservation plans.
History - All ARCHETHICS Integrated Action Plans include activities to promote inclusive storytelling, enhancing the importance of all stories where memories and family stories have the same importance of official history. Gendering dissonance has been the approach promoted by ARCHETHICS to collect diverse stories, including in the narrative of complex histories the stories of unvoiceless people, like women and marginalised communities. To collect those stories, ARCHETHICS cities designed actions of story-making and storytelling collected through intergenerational workshops, memories labs and people’ meetings that find in digital archives, illustrated digital maps or “memoteca” a place to be showcased.
People - Local citizens and target groups are in the heart of ARCHETHICS Integrated Action Plans. Participative initiatives that provide space for young people, students, pupils and also all citizens are prompted by all ARCHETHICS Integrated Action Plans. The testing actions, done during the project implementation, have shown how people desire to be involved in a project like ARCHETHICs, where people's stories are listened and novel connections with city heritage and citizens are boosted. Sociality in dissonant heritage places are promoted as well as novel approaches to visit heritage sites through slow tourism, digital interactive tools, events and common walks.
Ethics - Values of democracy, solidarity and collaboration are embraced by all ARCHETHICS cities. Opening opportunities to collect common values are forecasted by all partners like respect, integrity and freedom. Dissonant heritage allows the possibility to reflect on values and ethics and the actions of Integrated Action Plans open further opportunities of discussion and follow-ups.
Recognise the value of complexity to foster democracy
The work with the ARCHETHICS Network has been deep and emotional. It touched the connections between the material and immaterial elements present in our heritage. Family and personal memories intersected historical facts and physical objects like architecture, monuments and public spaces.
ARCHETHICS journey gave the opportunity for cities and local communities involved to reflect how hard it was to arrive at a democratic society. Our cities, our public places still reflect traumatic past showing in the urban landscape many presences of the difficult history of Europe to come towards a democratic present.
ARCHETHICS has shown how the complexity is a value to be rediscovered and explored in a world that tends to simplify and polarise (perspectives, languages, connections, opinions); it has demonstrated that the imperfection carved into the streets and buildings of our cities is an indelible mark that stands out as the sum of diversity (cultural, political, gender, personal and collective beliefs).
ARCHETHICS has proved how navigating complexity collectively is challenging, but it's precisely the democratic exercise we must continue to practice.
For more information:
Final Network product
Integrated Action Plan report
