'La Fabrique de Gonesse" is the first project of the Roissy Pays de France Agglomerations' (FR) digital strategy. Launched in 2015, the programme uses digital technologies, mass communication, digital fabrication, repairing, networking and project management as an empowerment tool for tackling the problem of school dropouts, especially in deprived neighbourhoods. It combines flexible teaching with peer-to-peer methods, based on an innovative pedagogic method. After three cycles, the remobilisation rate is 90%. 70% of trainees return to the education system, and 20% access their first job opportunity within 6 months of completing the programme. 

Gonesse is an integral part of Roissy Pays de France Agglomeration, composed of 42 cities. Social and urban issues are directly linked to this project. Since 2016, the rate of people living in deprived neighbourhoods has risen to almost 40%.

Roissy Pays de France is aware that poverty and exclusion must be tackled. Therefore, Roissy Pays de France set up a pluriannual strategy (2014-2020), an integrated and territorial investment based on digital development, to reinforce the social cohesion of its territory. The regional programme of EU funds constitutes a financial framework for this strategy and its projects. It aims at structuring the digital sector based on economic potential and the research capacities of the University of Cergy-Pontoise.

The aim is to help the creation of entrepreneurship and digital activities, enhance the digital skills of firms and inhabitants, and reinforce social and cultural development.

The project makes a junction between several issues: helping young people through innovative technologies. It offers a local, bottom-up, constructive approach to digital challenges, as close as possible to peoples' issues. Local authorities put innovation at the heart of this project and propose to build on it. This concrete and highly innovative project shows how, thanks to new technologies, social innovation could help youth pepping up, but also territorial development on a larger scale.

Located in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, La Fabrique Numérique de Gonesse promotes sustainability by creating a bridge between teenagers exposed to school failure and the local government through the use of digital techniques that encourage agility and a cooperative and collaborative peer-to-peer approach.

La Fabrique Numerique de Gonesse is exemplary of a fully integrated, participative approach that creates a circle of value based on professional mobilisation and empowerment that is highly effective for young people exposed to school failure.

An agile educational initiative, which helps develop autonomy and digital awareness among the local population and stakeholders through educational interactions led by the trainees in a “learning by teaching” peer-to-peer approach.

An innovative approach of public action and governance that engages young people with academic and/or professional difficulties in the delivery of missions of general interest, in a spirit of local collaborative development and innovation. An R&D awareness and literacy action relevant in the field of territorial development, and the digital transition in the public sector. Strong horizontal and vertical integration are combined and promoted in this project, as shown above.

The participatory approach is a core aspect of La Fabrique Numerique de Gonesse:

• At grassroots level: autonomy of trainees is strongly encouraged. Self-organisation of training time as well as frontline responsibility of the young trainees as “project managers”, interacting with NGOs and local government services through productions and/or services. Peer-to-peer learning by teaching initiatives are organised on a regular basis, missioning trainees as educators, i.e. to promote digital awareness among children ages 7 to 13, towards the audience of local public libraries or through technical support provided to the local TV team;
• At territorial level: empowerment of local NGOs and public actions through digital communication projects led by the trainees (posters, logos, websites, flyers, etc.). Providing participatory tools and solutions for programmes of public and general interest (interactive test-game on justice and rights, participatory cartography, co-designed solutions for disabled people, website design and development for the local resource centre for education, monumental sticker design for the inauguration of the new hospital, etc.);
• At governance level: development of a trainees/alumni association to promote self-government. Individual tracking of the young trainees before, during and after their studies at La Fabrique Numerique, through various partnerships with specialised local structures and programmes in the educational, professional insertion and orientation field.

Results and outcomes concerning 3 trainee classes from November 2015 to April 2017: at the end of programme, the remobilisation rate represents 90%.

Outputs of target groups:

• 70% return to education, 55% digital sector, 45% other than digital sector;
• 20% access their first job opportunity 6 months after the end of programme, 65% find a job related to the digital sector, 35% to an unrelated sector, and 10% leaving the programme.

Results after finishing the programme (trainee class 1 and 2, 6 months after the end of programme, and results of trainee class 3):

• For the period 2015-2017, the programme trained 33 youths: multimedia broadcaster (8), education assistant for mobile uses (7), communication officer (4), video production officer (2), website developer (1), digital forger (5), teacher TIC (5), social network manager (13), 2D/3D graphic designer (5), web graphic designer (9), mass media graphic designer (10), web integration (10), digital facilitator (17), 3D modelling (3), digital assistant (5), webmaster (5), fab-manager assistant (4);
• Professional opportunities during the programme: training (29), alternate training: 0;
• Projects for local governments or firms: 33;
• Professional situation at the end of the programme: training extended (14), new training (4), return to education in the digital sector (14), general education (10), permanent job contract (3), temporary job contract (4), independent (2).

This project is transferable to other cities. It supports the politics towards young people living in deprived neighbourhoods, and all actions aiming at the innovative remobilisation of youth.

It could be transferable to all cities facing the problem of school dropout, social exclusion, discrimination, immigration issues, high unemployment and poverty in a global meaning.

The projects' innovative action is not based on theoretic knowledge, but on project management, innovative methodology and pedagogy. Many workshops are included on topics such as personal skills, self-confidence, citizen involvement etc.

In 2016, the City of Ostrava (CZ) developed a Strategic Development Plan for 2017-2023. The uniqueness of this process lays in communication and involving citizens under a new, unified brand “fajnOVA”, meaning “fine Ostrava” in Czech. Having a plan made for and by the citizens, ensures that the city vision lives in people's minds, not just on paper. It also ensures a sustainable long-term vision that should be less exposed to political change. In addition to the 250 experts from various fields of urban development, 20,000 residents and visitors of Ostrava have been actively involved. This is by far a unique citizens’ involvement in public decision-making that the Czech Republic has ever seen.

Our good practice describes an effective method of integrated and participative approach, in the preparation of the City Strategic Plan as an example of sustainable development city planning. For some cities, it can be an inspiration, for others a baseline that can be developed.

The main benefit is the expectation of a permanently fulfilling vision of the city over a long-term period (until 2023 or 2030), which should be independent from political changes and the four-year election period. Moreover, having a high quality Strategic Plan enables more conceptual urban planning within the city in various fields of development, which makes it easier to choose, realise and communicate the best projects for the city.

Broader participation and engagement of key stakeholders and citizens have gained greater importance in the entire process.

The portfolio of participating stakeholders was very wide. The goal was to get together people from different fields of urban and sustainable development in working groups, a steering committee or in individual interviews on topics such as city development and infrastructure, growth and city government, people and communities, environment and resources, vision and image, architecture and urbanism, implementation, connected city or metropolitan city (e.g. representatives of National Heritage Institute, Confederation of Industry of Czech Republic, Zoo, Hospital, Library, Regional Development Agency, city clubs, SMEs, investors, Cultural and Education Centre, Agency for Social Inclusion, Science & Technology Park, Labour Office of Czech Republic, universities, high schools, basic schools, Institute for Community developer, Parish, IT companies, Automotive Cluster, Regional Employment Pact, architects, Czech Environmental Inspectorate, Health Institute, Institute for Global Change Research, NGOs, architects, environmental experts, industrial factories, city council and assembly members, city district mayors, mayor from cities in agglomeration, regional governor, Government Office, Member of European Parliament, etc.). All their thoughts and statements were written down during the sessions, and used in the text of the Strategic document.

The new Strategic Plan is not a “document put in a drawer”, but involves many experts and citizens of Ostrava. Work started with creating a communication and participation plan, and setting the goal of involving 5,000 citizens of Ostrava. At the end of 2016, more than 20,000 people were involved, which is exceptional within the Czech Republic, maybe within Central Europe as a whole.

The planning process was coordinated by the steering committee of City Council members, as well as other experts and inspirational leaders. The same pattern was used in working groups focused on specific fields (the involvement of political opponents turned out to be very useful).

The Plan was created with contributions from more than 20 000 people, both citizens and visitors to Ostrava. 6 800 people completed a questionnaire giving their opinions on Ostrava, 8 000 people put 32 000 comments into emotional maps in streets and participated in debates, 1 200 people put 15 300 comments into the online emotional map, 250 experts were involved in working groups or interviews, 500 people sent us their ideas for projects and suggestions for the Strategic plan, and more than 3 250 people are member of the Facebook community.

During the creation of the Strategic Plan, we published project proposals online. Anyone can send us ideas for projects in Ostrava until 2023, when the most strategic ideas will be implemented.

Created as a communication tool for the preparation and implementation phases of the strategic plan, the "fajnOVA" brand combines two key elements: “fajn”, a local dialect word meaning “fine” and pronounced like the English word “fine", and OVA, a commonly used abbreviation of the city name. Today, the "fajnOVa" brand has a positive image and is understood as a communication and participation tool informing about new projects and city plans, as well as a participation platform where citizens can get involved in public life and supporting communities. The brand helps changing the negative perception of public administration in the Czech Republic.

During the process, we managed to involve 20 000 citizens, which is a remarkable achievement for a Czech city. Another exception was the active participation of the mayor, who was not only formally head of the whole process, but personally and proactively led most of the working groups. The 2016 City Council partly reallocated the city budget for the realisation of future strategic projects. Nowadays, we are invited to many experts and public meetings to present our good practice. Our experience from the participative process is reproduced by other Czech cities, and we share it through regular departmental meetings on strategic development.

It is crucial for cities to have their own development strategies, or city plans, and help local stakeholders and decision makers to implement strategies that will contribute to the city's future economy, sustainability and overall health, hence citizens' wellbeing and happiness.

City planning can be done differently. The participatory approach chosen by the city of Ostrava proved successful, with broad reach and popularity among citizens, and with high expectations from everyone involved in its development, mainly in sustaining and implementing the Plan.

The entire preparation process of the plan has been collaboratively carried out by the City Council, staff, external consultants, residents, visitors and local businesses. A number of various communication and participation tools have been used, and participants were invited to comment on the draft before the plan was wrapped up to its final form, and approved by the City Council.

As every bigger city has strategic development documents and plans, we believe that since Ostrava has been an inspiration for many Czech cities in want of incorporating a participative process in the City Strategic Plan preparation, we might take the chance and foster our good practice beyond our borders.

The Arts District of Soho in Málaga (ES) has become the city's new art and urban culture reference area. A 2010 citizens' initiative was the starting point to this urban regeneration process. The Arts District is located between the harbour and the old town, which faced depopulation and misuses of public spaces, two growing issues for the inhabitants. 
The project was led hand-in-hand with neighbours, artists and business holders, on a strong participative basis. Soho has come to shape its new identity, boosting and diversifying the local economy, allowing the development of all arts thanks to cultural events, and by offering more public space for citizen use. 

1. A promotional programme. This involves actions for disseminating the Soho Arts District project. Part of these activities relate to branding such as a contest for the logotype, a campaign called “In the core of Málaga, Soho beats”, a gastronomic route, etc., while others relate to social media marketing, intending to spread the Soho Arts District idea to visitors and tourists through a web page and social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.). There has also been a wide range of cultural events such as music performances, theatre, workshops, concerts and exhibitions, aiming at attracting as many spectators as possible - neighbours and inhabitants of other districts as well as visitors, with the involvement of the neighbourhood’s cultural managers.
2. An urban design adaptation programme. Related to mobility and accessibility, works have been carried out to give priority to pedestrians and disabled people. New street lights with an innovative design and LED-technology have been installed in order to enhance security and save energy, and make the area more friendly and usable. Other ongoing actions are gardening, street furniture, new pavements, etc.
3. A programme for attracting activities and consolidating existing ones.

• Online Real Estate Listing, with available offices and commercial spaces;
• Commercial file, Businesses Bank of Ideas;
• Grants and subsidies for implementing or renovating businesses.

Regarding development, the Soho Project is a paradigmatic case of co-design and close collaboration between different stakeholders of the city. The sustainable and integrated approach is reflected in the Master Plan, which unites the different sides and phases of the project, and provides the basis of the public and private participation methodology. Social and economic actions in an integrated way define the key guideline of the plan. Local stakeholders, neighbours and institutions have worked together on common targets and actions such as:

• The implementation of innovative business ideas (e.g. the Bank of Ideas), intended to engage newcomer entrepreneurs and keep the existing ones;
• A multitude of events with the common thread of art and culture, e.g. an urban art display with the involvement of local and international artists (MAUS programme), in order to give shape to and showcase the identity of the Arts District. In the process of design and execution of the enhancement of public spaces, sustainability focused on environment has also been taken into account and carried out with the participation of neighbours and local agents on the Technical Boards. This process resulted in the use of space in an inclusive manner, a huge increase of pedestrian areas, universal design criteria and energy-saving measures like the installation of LED street lighting.

The project itself started as a citizens’ initiative. The implementation of the Soho project arises from the elaboration of a Master Plan, which provides the basis of the public and private participation proceedings. This framework is linked to a strategic planning process, where joint decisions regarding promotional actions, urban design, art interventions and activity consolidation are made.

The process sums up needs and concerns of all represented groups in the neighbourhood. Within the participation process, two bodies were created for the representation of citizens and institutional stakeholders involved in the work teams: the Soho Art District Assembly, and the Technical Work Boards. Since then, 20 meetings have taken place. The Assembly was open to neighbours keen on joining the process. This has been a dynamic and effectively participative body which included citizen’s participation.

It has addressed their proposals to the Technical Work Committees City Council and was represented in the Technical Work Committees by staff from different departments, such as the Urban Planning Department, Urban Environment Observatory, Energy Agency, Culture Department, Training and Employment Agency and Welfare Department Beneficiaries.

Citizens have also taken part in the process. For example, the “In the core of Málaga, Soho beats” branding campaign presented neighbours and business holders in the district, who shared their experience and acknowledged the benefits of settling in the area.

The district has now successfully brought about its self-identity, by the innovative businesses settled, the fancy bars and restaurants and the casual aura of its pedestrian streets. More than 150 enterprises have settled in the area in the last 7 years, and more than 20 have moved to a new space. More than 20 new culture-related enterprises have been created (50 new jobs), plus 12 existing ones which are profiting from the new environment. Some of the previously existing businesses now connect their main activity to cultural ones. Bars and restaurants are getting a social-cultural touch: more than 12 enhance their usual business with activities such as art exhibitions, theatre, music performances, cooking courses, etc.

The Alfonso Canales square has been secured for the public. Located at the edge of the neighbourhood facing the harbour, it used to be a dark space full of high bushes that gave a sense of insecurity. The intervention opened up the space and added paths, inviting people to enter the Soho. Nowadays, people walk through the gardens and get across the Soho towards the old town.

Over 12,000 m2 of streets have now pedestrian use, 766 m2 are provided with ecologic pavements in the garden area, plus 1,008 m2 of newly planted areas (364 specimen plants). The new cityscape, the increased mobility for pedestrians, bicycles and disabled people, the improvement of security and arising of activity, are evidence of this project's success.

We think that this practice is interesting for other cities. Many have to face similar challenges, such as misuse or depopulation of central areas suffering from out-of-date or lacking activity. There is actually a background of transferability in the development of the Soho project, shown in the Morocco-Spain Cross-Border programme framework.

A technical datasheet was created for collecting data, in order to identify and compare possible Arts Districts. This datasheet was filled in by our Moroccan partners who were invited to point out possible actuation areas. Based on this information, a report on Arts Districts for Moroccan cities was made, including the study and analysis of the proposed areas in regard of social, economic, inheritance-related and cultural indicators. For example, the report concluded that the Florido district in the city of Alhucemas was the most suitable to become an Arts District.

As long as the Soho project relies on the principles of Integrated Sustainable Urban Development, it is plainly transferable, but its tools and procedures used in the process can also be useful: the collaboration of all stakeholders involved, the focus on the self-identity, the grants and advice provided, etc. Furthermore, Soho is an award-winning project:

• 1st Spanish city in the Google Art Virtual Gallery;
• Creative Spanish Cup;
• Gold cultural event in Event Plus Prizes 2014;
• Agripina Prize best cultural event 2014;
• 2nd prize in the Auralia Awards for the lighting system.

The City of Pazin (HR) has been actively involving citizens in the process of adopting the city budget since 2014. This town of around 8 600 inhabitants experienced frustration and mistrust when the small municipal budget couldn't meet all expectations. Now citizens send proposals of communal actions which should be carried out the following year. After analysis by city officials, public hearings are held in each district. Citizens vote on how the allocated budget should be spent. In three years, 370 proposals were submitted, and 80 have been approved - without any amendment by the city council. The budget allocated this way has also increased. The method can be applied in varying scales and territories.

The process of participatory budgeting allows direct participation of citizens in the decision-making on city budget funds. Citizens submit their proposals of the most necessary communal actions, after which city officials present it on public hearings in local boards. Local citizens vote on the presented proposals. Communal action(s) with the most votes within a predetermined budget are included in the city budget proposal. In addition, city representatives present citizens the most important determinants of the city budget and the budget process by which citizens are well informed, familiar with the limits of the city budget and have more realistic expectations.

That also increases their satisfaction and confidence in the work of the city administration. Within the public debates in local boards, there is a time scheduled to open discussion, questions and dialogue between the representatives of the city of Pazin and its citizens. In this way, citizens get firsthand information and answers. The multiple benefits of including citizens: budget and budget process information, involvement in decision-making and active participation in the political process which leads to an improving relationship between the city and its citizens, promoting transparency and responsibility, strengthening the public trust in the institutions and their representatives, increasing the level of political culture, a fairer distribution of financial resources and the reduction of social inequality.

The project contributes to the economical and efficient spending of available financial resources, by investing in the real needs of the citizens. The implementation of communal actions raises the quality of life and work in local communities, which indirectly results in economic development, employment increase and reduction of poverty.

Regardless of their social and political status, all citizens can send in their proposals of communal actions, participate in public debates, vote for the most necessary communal action and express their opinions and suggestions. The implementation of chosen communal actions certainly requires interventions in the environment. The city of Pazin as a local government must comply with all legal requirements, and it has to follow the principles of the economic and environmental sustainability in the implementation of communal interventions, thereby reducing the risk of environmental degradation. The participatory approach is ensured by the inclusion of the National Civil Society Organization GONG, the local civil society organisation “Naša djeca Pazin”, with the support of the following associates: National Public Scientific Institute, the Institute of Public Finance and National Community of Cities – Cities association. Moderation and guidance of public hearings are left to the civil society organisation SMART Rijeka as an impartial participant in the project. Technical assistance is provided by the representatives of local boards.

Right from the beginning of this project, public hearings in local boards gathered as much as 548 citizens. The evidence of the cooperation of all mentioned organisations can be found on the website of the project, where a lot of information about the project, photos, minutes from public hearings and much more, is published.

Since the beginning of this project, citizens have submitted a total of 370 municipal actions. Public hearings in local boards gathered 548 citizens who voted and decided on a total amount of 1,100,000.00 HRK (147 000 €), choosing 80 small communal actions in approximate value given at the disposal. After the vote, the Mayor of Pazin sent a budget proposal for the following year, including small communal actions, to the City Council of Pazin, its representative body. In three years of implementation of this project, the City Council didn't amend the small communal actions that were carried out during 2015 and 2016. Actions voted in 2016 will be implemented in 2017. Parallel to the implementation of the project, a website was created to inform and educate citizens about the budget and the project. The site is regularly updated, in order to maintain the achieved degree of the budget transparency. The project was covered by numerous media, thus raising the interest of the public and other cities and institutions, and presented on many seminars in Croatia where it received an award for the good practice.

Like the city of Pazin, other European cities might face similar problems. The limited budgetary resources, the large number of requests for infrastructure interventions and the impossibility of implementation of necessary communal actions cause frustration and dissatisfaction amongst the citizens. In addition, most citizens believe that the budget is a purely political procedure which they can't influence. This project gives all citizens the opportunity to participate in establishing a budget, thus allowing an important educational component. Direct contact with citizens creates confidence in the work of the city administration. In a similar way, other cities can reach out to its citizens. Due to proposals in public hearings, our citizens are satisfied with this unique practice. Every citizen has the possibility of direct participation in establishing the city budget, therefore allowing the city administration to identify problems and acknowledging suggestions. This city budget project suits the needs of citizens. Within the project, public discussions are held where citizens can ask questions and get answers from city administration. Finally, there is a vote for proposed communal actions.

‘Smart city’ programmes are often developed and driven by the few and don’t always take into account the majority of people who live, work and collaboratively make the city. The Bristol Approach to Citizen Sensing is a new way of working that puts communities at the heart of innovation, ensuring that new technologies are developed to meet people’s needs and tackle the issues they care about, rather than being imposed on them by ‘big tech’ companies in a ‘top-down’ process. The approach enables the development of a ‘city commons’, where resources, tools, expertise and technologies are shared and used for the common good. The 6-step framework is itself a ‘commons’ tool that other organisations and groups can learn from, implement and iterate. Over 700 people were involved in more than 45 events during the pilot project. Three sets of prototype citizen sensing tools were designed and tested: tackling damp homes, food waste and mental health.

As a mode of good practice The Bristol Approach to Citizen Sensing framework offers cities new solutions for:

• Discovering new problems and evidencing scale;
• Providing inclusive participatory ways to tackle relevant city issues;
• Increasing skills and empowering communities;
• Developing open resources;
• Creating opportunities for new business models and enterprises.

On a granular level, the framework supports communities to work in more interdisciplinary ways to co-create specific solutions to their chosen issues or problems, resulting in new open commons-based resources that are created by and of benefit to citizens.

For example, in the pilot project people who suffered from damp and mould in their homes came together with universities (humanities and engineering), businesses such as ARUP, hackers, open data specialists, city council representatives from housing, parks, building control and health, plus artists, architects, investors and housing associations to participate in a programme of practical workshops, “Hack Days”, making sessions and regular meetings.

The group developed a ‘Damp-busting’ system which included: frog-shaped temperature and humidity sensors, digital interfaces to make sense of data, mapping tools to visualise the scale of the problem and community-trained volunteers to support actionable change using citizen-generated data as evidence.

The Bristol Approach to Citizen Sensing helps to tackle social exclusion, poverty and environmental problems by empowering disadvantaged communities with opportunities to develop new knowledge, digital skills, open source tools and innovative strategies for interdisciplinary methodologies for co-design. Through a common based approach, this practice enables people from all backgrounds and disciplines to meaningfully engage in citizen sensing activities that help co-create new digital tools and open data sets that can provide evidence for long-term policy change.

At the heart of the framework is the principle of the commons, which is inherently participatory. ‘Commoning’ is an action that involves the sharing of resources and the collective agreement of how they will be used for the Solutions Workshop held as part of the project demonstrated the potential of The Approach to impact city services, infrastructure and new models of community action and business development.

It relies on collaboration between business, local authorities, research institutions and the community to solve problems that affect citizens and areas and carry a financial cost for the city. A participatory approach is built in from the development phase and carried on through implementation.

City stakeholders are mapped and brought onboard at the beginning, engaged through a series of workshops and involved in contributing to the co-designed solution.

A commons principle applied throughout is ‘low floor/high ceiling’, which ensures there are no barriers to taking part (‘a low floor’) but that everyone can be challenged to the best of their abilities (‘a high ceiling’). Varying incentives, rewards and processes of onboarding at different points are also built into the practice.

In e.g. our pilot ‘Dampbusting’ project councillors, technologists, artists, families, housing campaign groups, energy companies, charities, health professionals, data analysts were engaged in the participatory process: all bringing different skills and input.

Through the first pilot project, more than 700 people 13-80 years old were engaged in more than 45 events and workshops.

The following differences were made:

• Participants gained increased digital literacy, new digital skills and data awareness;
• Participants were more aware of their behaviour and more open to the idea of sharing data and making change;
• New networks between residents, academia, local authority and business were formed.

We gathered feedback on how to integrate technologies and successfully co-design, e.g.:

“Very thought provoking on many levels”,

“It was interesting to explore with others”,

“I liked all the input related to the technology design”,

“What’s occurred to me is that, for these things to catch on, there needs to be an emotional engagement with the technology and what it can do and how it engages with one’s community. There’s not going to be an engagement with a black box in the corner. There needs to be an aesthetic and a feel and a relationship.” (Caleb Parkin, Lead Artist.)

People felt that they were able to identify their needs that affected their lives and create solutions, leading to a greater feeling of empowerment.

Three sets of prototype citizen sensing tools were devised, designed, deployed and tested: tackling damp homes, food waste and mental health.

A framework that can be shared with other cities has been developed, and through the ENoLL, REPLICATE project and other international partnerships new ways of approaching smart city developments are being implemented.

The Bristol Approach to Citizen Sensing framework was designed to be translated to any context. Different cities experience challenges that are unique to them, and the open nature of the framework means that it could be easily used by other cities to address their challenges.

For example, Taylor’s University, Malaysia, are partnering with KWMC as part of the Smart Mobility Cities project. They participated in a sharing good practice workshop with KWMC and commented on how valuable it was to have a methodology to use that genuinely positioned a participatory approach at its heart.

The Bristol Approach effectively draws in people working on similar projects, especially in research/tech and city policy, which allows for wider skills sharing and potential for future collaborations. The Bristol Approach gathers an emergent community who is supported to develop and share the necessary skills, and responds to rewards and incentives, to co-design, deploy and sustain ad hoc sensing networks that build up a new city commons, adding a layer of infrastructural value to the territory and providing opportunities for its inhabitants and local SMEs.

In 80 years, Bilbao has transformed itself from an obsolete industrial city into a knowledge-based economic centre. Investments in infrastructure have successfully rejuvenated the city and resulted in better social cohesion. A wide range of single interventions in the fields of the environment (the clean-up of the Nervion river), mobility (the underground's construction) and culture (the building of the Guggenheim Museum) have been integrated into a coherent vision. The implementation of these projects was possible thanks to a combination of different mechanisms: a perspective on urban development that goes beyond the city's limits, a multisector governance involving both the public and private actors, and an inclusive public participation. 

Bilbao's urban evolution is the result of a wide range of single interventions integrated into a common, agreed and coherent city vision. Some interventions stand out for being not only emblematic, but for acting as catalysts in the development process. a) Environmental restoration of the heavily polluted waters of the Nervion river and estuary. b) Elimination of railway barriers and obsolete associated infrastructures, releasing public space for multiple uses c) Improvement of mobility and accessibility by means of the construction of the underground, the tram and new bridges. d) Massive regeneration of urban public space and social housing development in the river banks in Abando- Ibarra, with the construction of the Guggenheim museum as an outstanding landmark. The implementation of those projects was possible thanks to the combination of different mechanisms: a) A supra-municipal perspective of urban development, i.e. consideration of the interventions in the context of Bilbao's metropolitan functional area b) Multisector (horizontal) and multilevel (vertical) governance approach with different formulas and ad hoc public-public and public-private partnerships in place. c) Public administrations at all levels participating and contributing with a land property, resulting from abandoned infrastructures and industrial uses. d) Truly inclusive and open public participation, facilitated by external professionals in the context of the Plan for Urban Zoning.

Bilbao's urban evolution has built upon the principles of sustainability, resilience, inclusive urban development and regeneration. Bilbao has used a holistic and integrated approach in order to cope with its social challenges (poverty reduction, social exclusion), its environmental problems and the loss of competitiveness in the context of a deep economic decline. The transformation strategy relies on one hand on the horizontal integration of interventions that combine physical, economic, social, environmental and climate resilience dimensions, and on the other hand vertical integration with a multi-stakeholder cooperation at all levels of government and local players (local administration, civil society, private sector, etc.), between different levels of governance (local, regional national, EU), and finally territorial integration of interventions in the functional urban area represented in the Bilbao Metropolitan Area. The city strategy aims at contributing to the objectives of the EU Operative Program of Sustainable Growth: OT2: Smart City approach in the field of mobility and lighting. OT4: Boosting the transition to a low carbon economy OT6: Rehabilitation of urban areas, and greening of urban spaces towards flood risk reduction OT9: Development of cultural, social and entrepreneur activities in old and disused industrial facilities OT11: Developing institutional capacity, and promoting efficiency in public administration.

Since the post-industrial transformation governance, the lessons learned materialised in a mature, robust, transparent and truly social participatory and inclusive planning process. Open public participation facilitated by external professionals has been incorporated by the municipality in the context of the Plan for Urban Zoning, as a key component of the continuous urban regeneration and transformation process. The progress of the new General Plan of Urban Zoning is open to participation, allowing a redefinition of the city model for the next years. Many participation processes have been carried out, and were nourished with contributions and suggestions concerning the articulation of the city transformation strategy. Bilbao offers a multisector and multilevel governance approach with different formulas in place, depending on the needs of each project and intervention.

A) Public-public partnership: in the early 1990s, Bilbao Ria 2000, an ad hoc public company, was created for the land management and urban regeneration operations in metropolitan Bilbao. It represented an effective framework to align government, business and the community towards a shared vision for the city.

B) Public-private partnership. For a project such as the Zorrotzaurre Peninsula, an alternative model was created, namely the Commission Management.

The experience of Bilbao as a comprehensive city project, incrementally executed through more than 25 urban projects over 30 years and still ongoing, has achieved a profound transformation of the city. Bilbao has significantly improved its environment and quality of life, strengthened its social cohesiveness and cultural vibrancy and also increased its economic competitiveness. Strong GDP growth: from € 6 695m in 1980 to € 66.208m in 2009. Industrial strength: Creation and/or consolidation of Advanced Technology Centres such as Tecnalia and IK4. Investment in R+D: 2.1% of the GDP, exceeding the EU average Good Governance: zero debt. Tourist evolution: from 24.302 visitors in 1994 to 734.215 in 2012. More than a 50% increase in visitor numbers between 1997-2012, linked to the city's cultural services and attractiveness.

The good practice offered by Bilbao provides evidence of the effective performance of single interventions implemented over the years, which interrelate among them towards the construction of a common and agreed vision of the city. Bilbao has faced, and faces today, the urban challenges common in other cities across Europe (i.e. improving environmental quality and climate resilience, social cohesion and inclusion, economic prosperity and quality of life in general terms). However, the most interesting aspect of Bilbao's good practice is that it also offers an urban development pathway with key elements that have been proved successful towards sustainable, territorially coherent, socially accepted, resilient, long-term and still ongoing transformation. Those key elements are:

• An integrated and holistic approach to achieve economic, social and physical transformations;
• A multi-stakeholder management approach: considering ad hoc formulas attending different needs at different moments in the process;
• A feasible financial operation: public landowners releasing land in central areas of the city, investing in construction and/or housing. Capital gains obtained are invested in regeneration of former industrial areas;
• A robust, truly participative and sustainable public policy framework. In this context, the Plan for Urban Zoning assures, consolidates and allows a common, long-term and coherent vision for the future in the city.

For the last 7 years, Torrent’s (ES) commitment to produce the city’s Diversity Plan has made changes that many other local European authorities thought impossible. The city of Torrent used a step-by-step approach, accepting that there are no quick-fixes or short term solutions, to face problems related to Roma segregation. The city has improved inclusiveness and security on all its territories through the physical regeneration of Xenillet, a previously segregated and almost derelict neighbourhood, by the sustained delivery of social and economic programmes focused on its excluded population. Xenillet is now a district of average standing in the city where the quality of life of many inhabitants, as well as housing, training and working, has improved. Most children attend school regularly and permanently, and a local Roma association has been created.

We realised that change takes time, and that a local step-by step approach can bring long-term and sustainable change. This ongoing process in our city will continue for many more years, but a number of important achievements have already been made:

• Remodelling one of Torrent’s main thoroughfares to link the district to the city;
• Social and educational programmes, to connect and support local families;
• Educational workshops for children and adolescents, to foster teamwork and respect for others and for their district;
• Grants for the renovation of local houses and buildings;
• New technologies in the schools: interactive whiteboards in all classrooms, computer access and training for pupils;
• Training and employment workshops in plumbing, bricklaying, electricity, hairdressing, social care, painting, and youth and child development;
• Installation of a pedestrian footbridge to allow 200 local children to walk to school;
• Rehabilitation of the district’s Social Centre and the creation of new programmes of activities and education;
• Construction of a kindergarten for 102 small children aged 0 to 3 from local poor families;
• Grants to grow local commercial activity and for development of new and existing businesses;
• Landscaping of a local ravine by students of the Training and Employment Workshops;
• Workshops on environmental sensitivity and local awareness raising actions.

The good practice in Torrent was founded on URBACT principles. From 2009–2013, Torrent was part of Roma-Net which ran in parallel to an URBAN programme implementing physical regeneration in the Xenillet district of the city. The city approved a Diversity Management Plan which ensured commitment to Roma integration and improvement of local services for Xenillet, delivering an integrated and participative approach. Poverty and exclusion of a segregated community were tackled, alongside the physical regeneration of the area to connect it with the city and improve local infrastructure and living conditions. The process was inclusive, involving key stakeholders such as the local community in the decision-making and the delivery of new and improved local services. With the support of the municipality, local organisations continue to deliver these services. The Xenillet district has since improved its capacity to employ locally and to provide services tailored to meet community needs such as the kindergarten. These organisations were, and still are, a key part in the ongoing process of change.

Between 2009 and 2015, the Roma community and other local residents of the Xenillet district have been actively involved in its regeneration and improvement process. Some took an active part in the local decision-making process, others were part of the community consultation process between the URBAN management team and the community, and many were recipients of new local services and training programmes. Many local families received grants to make physical improvements to their properties. Recent political changes in Torrent have reignited the city’s commitment to Roma inclusion, and its will to continue the social and economic improvements that are still needed for families living in the Xenillet district. A new local stakeholder group has been commissioned to update the city’s Diversity Management Plan, and to review and deliver any improvements necessary to local services. A local association has been formed, linking local families to the city on political and administrative levels, that will be a key member of the stakeholder group, and an essential part in the continued improvement of the Xenillet district.

Today, the Xenillet district is better connected to the rest of the city of Torrent, and its image is improving. Its inhabitants feel more secure, and residents from other parts of the city are less afraid to enter the area. There are more connections between Roma and non-Roma residents. Many local residents have increased their work related skills, and many more are in employment, or self-employed. The district is now linked to the local school by a footbridge. The vast majority of children attend primary school, and pupils increasingly stay for a longer period of years. A complete urban renovation has totally changed Xenillet's physical appearance, and improved the local infrastructure. Its integration into the city is improving not only the quality of life for Xenillet residents, where many inhabitants are Roma, but for all of Torrents' inhabitants.

Our good practice could be interesting for other European cites in several ways. The concept of a step-by-step approach is transferable, as well as the EC “stop and think” approach. We are combining physical, social and economic actions, and using the overarching Diversity Management Plan with a multi-party agreement. However, this set of comprehensive and inclusive local actions needs to be adapted to fit different local situations.

Taking into consideration the diversity of its citizens and the diferent social and ethinical minorities on its territory, Agueda (PT) developed a partcipative budget process. It amounts to 500 000 € of the Agueda's yearly public spending. The process runs across all the activities of the  Municipality, embedded in the administrative modernisation and bottom-up approach. So far, it permitted Agueda ranking 3rd in the Municipal Transparency Index and 2nd in the Smart City Index. Since 2015, when the initative was launched, 601 projects were submitted, more than 80 000 people voted and 30 projects selected. 

The PB-Águeda is in its third edition, revealing itself as a process covering the local government’s entire range of activity. The PB Committee (CAT) is made up of all the heads of Divisions and separate Technical Units, and a member of the Municipal Assembly, under the coordination of the mayor. Each edition of PB-Águeda comprises two cycles, with a duration of one year: the cycle of budget definition and the cycle of budget execution. The propositions received (from the Internet or participatory sessions) are scanned and entered in the computer application. This process can be done at home by the proponent, using the web services available (site or APP-based).
However, we intend this process to be educational with continuous improvement, therefore meetings are held with the proponents to discuss their proposals and weekly CAT meetings take place. We use a methodology of “action-reflection-action”.

The satisfaction was evaluated using a questionnaire, submitted to the participants in the Participatory and Voting Sessions.

It is important to highlight that the reflection made by both elected officials and technical staff is based on the canvassing of the population.

The propositions not admitted, in both plenary meetings and final voting, become part of a “Bank of Ideas” which feeds a selection or recovery of 5 ideas while drafting the yearly Plan and Budget, either because of their municipal interest or because the number of votes was too close to that of the winning propositions.

“Being Smart” is the challenge of the new millennium. People are at the core of everything: technology meets the needs of citizens and they get the habit of easily accessing many things.

We want people to feel that they live in a human, inclusive, socially, technologically and economically active city, but also that they can follow and engage with the local administration by submitting proposals, which are prioritised and voted upon in order to identify the investments that need to be included in the yearly Plan and Budget.

The emerging path of Águeda as a “Human Smart City” means that the local authority provides a set of technological solutions, allowing an exact knowledge of the requests. Citizens can check the online dashboard of the local budget and follow the meeting of the Municipal Assembly through ÁguedaTV, with chat for comments. Águeda is thus a smart city, and it has the ability to develop, create and respond to the needs of its citizens. it is important for them to feel that they are an integral part of the city.

An assessment of the impacts of the two years of PB-Águeda leads us to conclude that citizens are concerned with these topics: the environment, tourism, sports, urbanism and education. It is important to highlight that approximately 80% of the projects were not initially part of the options of the municipal board for 2013-2017.

We collected figures showing the implication of the citizens:

• Propositions presented through the Internet: 21 (2015) and 12 (2016);
• Participatory sessions: 11 (2015) and 11 (2016);
• Propositions in the participatory sessions: 276 (2015) and 292 (2016);
• Participants in the participatory sessions: 435 (2015) and 495 (2016);
• Winning projects after voting: 17 (2015) and 13 (2016);
• Registrations in the Participatory Platform: 3,048 (2015) and 5,131 (2016);
• Visit by about 24 municipalities and a Scottish delegation to learn about PB-Águeda;
• 12 public presentations on the PB-Águeda methodology in national seminars and workshops, e.g. the Iberoamerican Summit of Participatory Democracy; • PB-Águeda was surveyed by the Secretary of State of Administrative Modernisation for input on the methodology of the National PB.

The implementation of PB-Águeda was accompanied by a sociological study, which allowed us to know the reality of the municipality, at the level of:

• The profile of participants, thereby allowing us to have a knowledge of the habits of participation in terms of age, gender, level of education and involvement in the associative movement;
• The profile of the population (we have been confronted with a Roma community of a significant size who didn’t know how to read and write, a reality that was unknown in the indicators of the national census);
• Skills in information and communication technologies;
• Knowledge of the real needs of the population, even those not fitting the regulations of PB-Águeda, made it possible to include them immediately in other support programmes from the local authority;
• The process of PB-Águeda is worked across all the municipal services, which implies that all employees have the same degree of knowledge in the implementation and execution of projects;
• The theorisation of the practice of the processes of participatory budgeting, based on the local experience and the action of benchmarking with 7 national experiences, where the same evaluation criteria are applied. It is important to highlight that PB-Águeda was awarded the prize for Best Participative Practice in the context of the award of the Network of Participative Municipalities (RAP) with an international judges panel.

PB-Águeda assumes itself as a good practice whose replication would benefit other European cities. The mixed model (both online and face-to-face interactions) and the methodology for the consensus tables, with the support of a team of 47 moderators (employees of the municipality, who voluntarily work for the project after working hours), make this participatory budget process inclusive to people in terms of writing skills, digital literacy, accessibility to the participatory sessions, as well as to the conciliation of family life with the exercise of active citizenship.

In the last edition, we found that 68% of the people in the sessions were participating for the first time, which means that the process is attracting more and more new participants. The experience of the PB-Águeda can be replicated in areas of low population density, given the mutual trust and closeness that has been established with the citizens throughout the process. The implementation of this process in other municipalities would have to be rooted in a participatory budget model that would reflect the institutional identity and policies followed by the elected Municipal Board.

Local collaboration is the key in this model, put forward by the Municipality of Aalborg (DK). The concerned two Aalborg neighbourhoods are situated outside the area of dynamic urban development growth, both had severe reputation and identity problems, and they were not seen as attractive residential areas. The rethinking process has shown their potential much clearer. Strategic plans focused on visions and action plans, including investments and partnerships, are main outputs of the practice. This has been developed through a ’rethinking’ process, including both physical environments, local network and cohesion, as well as storytelling and identity. Local and political ownership and partnerships, with trustful relations between the municipality, local stakeholders and investors, have been developed. This has brought security for investors, which is very important for the sustainable regeneration process.

In Skalborg, the solution was the renewal of land use and strategic plans focused on visions and action, with cohesion and much better internal connections. This was reinforced by an important communication effort.

In Tornhøj, the solutions have been structural changes, by opening up closed enclaves and by connecting different built-up areas, people and functions with new mobility solutions. The different investor partners have committed themselves to work for the common vision.

Both neighbourhoods were built up in the golden age of the welfare state to provide separation of functions, good housing and an equal supply of public service for everybody. Now, they seem worn and out-dated, as the society and its dominating values have changed. The main goal for both areas has been developing unique urban neighbourhoods that provide quality everyday life for people. The new plans focus not only on potential areas for new housing densification, with new types of housing which are needed, but also on a potential for businesses, which can be integrated with housing in local centres. The process has been focused on communication and dialogue to create trustful relations and partnerships. Temporary activities, used strategically, have created very concrete and visible successes, and common identity in the area.

In Tornhøj, the process started with a competition focusing on sustainable urban living. It developed a strategy for feasibility and new mobility to connect the neighbourhood and increase public transport, creating a ‘main street’ as the backbone for various users - pedestrians, cyclists and a new public driverless bus -, and an attractive urban space which includes not only housing, but also public institutions and other workplaces. Tornhøj is a socially vulnerable neighbourhood, and it has been crucial to rethink the area for the existing citizens in order to provide them with a sense of community and belonging, along with an invitation of new segment groups.

In Skalborg, the project was also about improving the physical surroundings for its inhabitants' everyday life. An important part of the vision is to create a local centre for the whole neighbourhood, with a spread of service functions including grocery shops and attractive meeting places.

The approach has been integrated and participative. The holistic approach is altogether the key point in the model. Horizontal integration has been the point in the cross-disciplinary work, not the least between different public sectors. Vertical integration is used in the dialogue between local school children and other groups of citizens, at different levels of government and politicians. Territorial integration is present when the vision process touches the role of the neighbourhood in the city and city region.

In Tornhøj, citizen involvement took place by workshops, guided walks with selected focus group workshops with representatives of the civic association, a local community office etc. A game was accomplished where consensus was made on activities in the urban spaces etc. Several temporary activities were carried out, which triggered involvement and good attention to the project.

In Skalborg, communication plays a central role. The civic association, the social housing association and the local institutions play an important role as the community's cornerstones. Many citizens attended the introductory meetings and workshops. Key persons and the civic association were directly involved, and the executive committee in the local civic association was an active partner in the ongoing process.

The temporary activities have been involving people in the neighbourhoods. In Skalborg, a dark and unpleasant pedestrian tunnel under the main road Hobrovej, which is a huge barrier splitting the area in two, was painted by hundreds of schoolchildren under the guidance of a professional street artist.

The opening of this fantastically coloured tunnel was a big event which brought together children, parents and the area neighbours. The result is a much more inviting passageway. Even if the barrier problem is not solved yet, awareness of the traffic and solutions for safer ways especially for school children has come on the agenda.

Listed below are the most important projects to be realised in Tornhøj:

• A narrow pedestrian tunnel is transformed into a broad path under a bridge. This project is closely connected to a new urban space;
• A new café will open in an existing building, facing the new “main street”;
• A new, driverless bus connection along the new main road (a pilot project with varied funding);
• A new public care home for people suffering from dementia;
• New grocery shops, cafés and different types of housing (including rental and ownership, as well as housing for elderly, young and families). The neighbourhood regeneration around Tornhøj into a new and sustainable suburb centre is in full swing. The renewal is both physical, social/functional and mental, as new stories about the area are changing its identity. The Skalborg project is some years “behind” the project in Tornhøj, but many goals have been reached so far, due to the strategic plan which gives security for investors. New collaborations, and a positive energy about the neighbourhood, did arise.
• Two housing projects under development: two very visible corners in the city that will become landmarks;
• The decoration of the tunnel under Hobrovej, which had a large impact and created big media coverage;
• The project of a new local centre is starting up now.

We think that the model could be interesting for many other European cities with similar neighbourhoods.

First of all, the overall goal of creating synergy using existing, limited resources and attracting interest from investors will be shared by many cities.

The use of a commitment process, focusing on special identities and storytelling in each neighbourhood, is involving citizens and pays attention to development possibilities. The model and methods employed can be inspiring for cities that also face safety and urban structure issues, negative storytelling and social exclusion in certain neighbourhoods.

The model can be adjusted to different urban situations or actors, to their resources and those of the municipality.

Some good advice on "how to":

• Get hold of possible investors and initiate a dialogue;
• An “opening picture” can be a method for dialogue about the future;
• Register and involve, interview key partners and local associations;
• Identify cooperation will in the neighbourhood, and bring people together;
• Communicate broadly, and in many different ways;
• Discuss the identity and future of the neighbourhood;
• Use a small amount of money on temporary activities;
• Arrange events and short-term activities, which generates new and positive stories about the community.

The renewal and revitalisation of Planina neighbourhood in Kranj (SI) implemented a sustainable urban strategy and brought new life to a degraded residential urban neighbourhood, according to the needs and ideas of its residents. The project focuses on integrated solutions to reduce environmental, transport and economic problems, issues of urban poverty, social exclusion and segregation, with the aim of strengthening social cohesion. It enables a comprehensive, participatory and integrated attitude of all stakeholders, bringing together the expertise and experience of the actors involved. It supports the economical use of (public) land and the transition towards rational use of energy while encouraging the cooperation between the city and the state. The project is concrete, transferable and proven in practice.

The project represents an effective tool for the implementation of measures planned by the sustainable urban strategy for Kranj. For this purpose, we have developed various tools for gathering information about the residents’ needs and wishes, as well as various methods of working with the residents through project-based learning. We have given them some space and time for an in-depth consideration of the quality of living conditions in their neighbourhood. They had the chance to get to know the status of ownership for individual areas of the neighbourhood, as well as become familiar with the notion of the general good. They could learn about the competencies and responsibilities of stakeholders and actors in their neighbourhood. A positive effect of this was that the residents know now who they can turn to when they have a certain question or problem.

We have established close cooperation between the residents and the municipal authorities, public services, non-governmental organisations and other important actors in the neighbourhood or in the municipality. We have provided small sums of financial support to carry out a planned project, so that the residents could have an experience of working together in planning and implementing the improvements that they wish to make. This is how they could directly address concrete challenges and contribute to a better quality of life in the neighbourhood.

The project supports the efficiency of urban governance and the implementation of sustainable urban strategies, offering citizens and relevant stakeholders (municipal and government bodies, economy, professional public, civil society, etc.) a comprehensive, integrated, innovative and participatory approach to tackling complex urban problems.

It contains various polycentric development policies of the municipality (social, economic, environmental policies, policies of spatial planning and infrastructure, housing, educational policies, etc.) that are aimed at identifying the challenges with the goal of finding appropriate solutions for the renewal and revitalisation of degraded urban areas, in line with the values and principles of a sustainable urban life: stimulating economic growth and the creation of new jobs, improving the quality of life for citizens/residents while reducing the environmental footprint, and taking effective measures for reducing urban poverty and social exclusion.

Several groups of people were able to benefit from the results of the participatory approach: residents of different age groups participated in planning and assumed active roles and responsibility for the development of their neighbourhood.

The sense of connectedness is increasing and there is less vandalism as public surfaces are becoming more attractive and are used more frequently by the residents. Greater optimism and a positive attitude toward an improved quality of life in the neighbourhood can be noticed in posts on social networks and in conversations with the residents.

There is an increase in the number of various activities and events in the neighbourhood, organised by the residents and different organisations. The neighbourhood is becoming more and more interesting for establishing business initiatives and its public image is improving.

Cooperation among residents, experts and several organisations was established on the national and international levels. We examined the project together with different representatives of the professional public and they confirmed that it is innovative and that it takes into account the principles and the value of sustainable urban development.

We have set an example of good practice that is becoming more and more recognizable on the national level and with which the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning wishes to encourage the renewal and revitalisation of degraded residential neighbourhoods in other towns.

The most relevant result of the project is the comprehensive plan for community programmes of neighbourhood renewal and regeneration that was made together with the residents, the experts and the stakeholders. It includes a clear timetable and a financing plan for the implementation, as well as a plan for future development.

We have developed various innovative and integrated methods of project work, aimed at the active participation of the residents, introducing them to several municipal offices, to experts in the field of urban renewal and to other stakeholders. We informed other Slovenian municipalities facing similar challenges and the interested public of our project and invited them to work together with us. We established a dialogue with several national ministries aiming at the establishment of guidelines at future tenders for co-financing the renewal and regeneration of degraded urban centres.

Since January 2016, there have been six working groups of residents, fifteen public events on the larger and on the smaller scale, attended by about 1 650 residents and taking place on nine different public surfaces and locations in the neighbourhood. Our partners were five municipal council offices, nine public services on municipal and national levels, four local communities, four kindergartens, three elementary schools, one retirement home and one local secondary school, ten NGOs, five experts in different fields and one local company for the management of apartment buildings and several private companies.

The project provides an answer to the question that planners often ask themselves: how to start and above all, how to include the residents and other stakeholders into the process? It is focused on the interests and needs of the residents, local organisations, the professional and interested public that are active in the neighbourhood and in the wider region. It is interesting because it builds upon a comprehensive, participatory and integrated attitude of all stakeholders and so brings together the expertise and experience of the actors involved.

The project is a complementary combination of two principles of cooperation, the “top-down” approach (from the decision-makers to the residents) and the “bottom-up” approach (from the residents to the decision-makers). Its innovative methods of work make it possible to include residents of different age groups with different needs and wishes. It does not look for solutions only within the neighbourhood or municipality, but it is open to the outside world, to share and test the experience of other comparable good practices. In this sense, the project is capable of self-reflection and open for development. It is also proven in practice, concrete and transferable, considering that it is necessary to adapt it to a wide variety of characteristics of an environment or a specific area in which it will be implemented.