Building on the knowledge exchange and capacity-building activities carried out during the previous meetings in Ostrava and Koszalin, the network moved towards putting shared knowledge into practice through Testing Actions. These activities will allow partner cities to try out selected elements of Ostrava’s approach and explore how they can support local community-led initiatives in improving their neighbourhoods.
A key part of the programme was dedicated to the presentations and peer review of Testing Action proposals. Representatives from Koszalin (Poland), Niš (Serbia), Granollers (Spain), Bucharest District 6 (Romania), and Pescara (Italy) and Métropole Rouen Normandie (France) presented their plans and received in-depth feedback from their assigned Critical Friends. Apart from that, also Lead Partner, Lead Expert and other project partners contributed with their ideas for improvement and further out of the box suggestions. These fruitful discussions helped the cities identify areas for improvement, exchange ideas and learn from one another’s experiences.
“By adapting selected elements of Ostrava’s Tvoříme prostor programme to our local context, we will explore new ways to support community initiatives and involve residents in public spaces. The feedback and experience shared during this meeting helped us refine our approach and identify solutions that could bring lasting benefits to our city,” said Ivan Blagojević, Member of the City Council of the City of Niš.
The proposed Testing Actions reflect the different needs and challenges of each city. Niš plans to test an open-call mechanism to encourage community-led initiatives that bring underused public spaces to life, while Pescara aims to engage residents of the socially vulnerable Fontanelle neighbourhood in identifying priorities for small, low-cost improvements. Koszalin will test an integrated approach that helps residents turn ideas into practical projects and take part in their implementation. Granollers will explore ways to make public participation more inclusive and action-oriented, focusing on topics such as active ageing, climate resilience and public health. Métropole Rouen Normandie will work on building trust between residents and public authorities and encouraging communities to take a more active role in shaping public spaces. Bucharest District 6 will focus on improving shared spaces around residential buildings by involving residents in the design and implementation of small-scale interventions.
The work will contribute to the development of Transfer Plans for the partner cities, setting out how the selected elements of the Ostrava approach can be applied in their local contexts. Ostrava will also use the experience gained through the network to further develop its original practice.
The meeting also featured study visits showcasing public space initiatives in Niš, including integrated streets in the city centre and Park Cair, as well as the URBACT Pioneer Accelerator project. Participants also took a guided tour from the city centre to Niš Fortress and visited the Science Technology Park, gaining further insight into the city’s urban development.
The third Transnational Meeting marked an important milestone for the We Create Space network in preparing partner cities to put their Testing Actions into practice. The discussions and peer feedback helped refine their proposals and laid the groundwork for the next phase of the network: testing and adapting the Tvoříme prostor approach in different local contexts, with the aim of strengthening community-led initiatives and creating higher-quality public spaces in each of the partner cities.