Donagh Horgan

Edited on 10/07/2025

Donagh Horgan

  • Netherlands

  • English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Bosnian
Availability :
Available for Ad-hoc expertise missions

Validated Expert info

Expert can perform Ad-hoc expertise missions at network and programme level in relation to:

  1. The design and delivery of (transnational) exchange and learning activities 
  2. Thematic expertise: Social innovation
  3. Methods and tools for integrated and participatory approaches:
    >Integrated and participatory design of strategies/ action plans
    >Sustaining engagement of stakeholders and translating strategies/ action plans in concrete steps 

Summary

Dr Donagh Horgan is an academic and practitioner in the area of regenerative placemaking and socio-spatial transformation. Trained as an architect and service designer, he is an expert on social innovation and resilience in the built environment - working with communities in the European neighbourhood and around the world.

An academic-practitioner in regenerative placemaking and socio-spatial transformation, he presently leads a living lab looking at sustainable transitions through the lens of urban equity and tourism. He is adept at coaching and translation (and speaks up to eight European languages including Irish and some Serbo-Croatian). His practice supports cities in the European globally on co-creation with diverse communities, coaching on innovation for cities and local governments. Outside of these activities he works on challenge-based learning and capacity building on programmes for ENoLL, UNDP, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the European Commission.

Alongside leading participatory research on a number of EU projects - FUTURE, SMARTDEST and others for Horizon Europe, Erasmus+ and DUT. He was involved in the establishment of the Social Innovation Hub in Ballymun, IE helping to support community engagement and flourishing. He continues to work with municipalities on service redesign. 

In sum, Donagh brings together diverse knowledge on sustainable urban development, actively working with local governments around the world through collaboration and capacity building. He is an URBACT Ad-hoc expert on SM.all urban mobility project, working with the city of Strasbourg, a leading force in driving urban mobility solutions. Together we recently facilitated pioneering co-creation workshops with young people in the city to nudge behaviours for cycling among hard-to-reach younger female citizens. He is presently a thematic expert on Sustainable Tourism for the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator programme with countries in the Western Balkans.

Areas of expertise include participatory co-design and facilitation; architecture and urban planning; sustainable tourism development; regenerative placemaking; and public service innovation - towards improved quality of life and environments.