Shaping spaces of sociability: Social infrastructure and the gentle transformation of Budapest’s Népszínház Street
I’m walking down Budapest’s Népszínház Street. Leaving behind Blaha Lujza Square, one of the city’s major public transportation hubs, I’m entering Józsefváros, a district that
Exploring FRIEDA 23: a media and arts space in the city centre of Rostock
FRIEDA 23 is a venue for art and media production. Located in Rostock, Northern Germany, it was opened as a result of the cooperation of various institutes in the city
Revolutionary social centre in an occupied prison – Ex OPG in Naples
Ex OPG Occupato Je so’ pazzo (Neapolitan for “I am crazy”) is a former criminal asylum. The building was saved from abandonment and returned to its neighbourhood (and the city)
Agri-urbanism with social integration in Paris – Ferme du Rail
How can a complicated, abandoned parcel of land in a dense urban tissue gain new life through gardening and housing? Ferme du Rail is an agri-urban space in the 19th
Protecting common assets from privatisation: Poveglia per Tutti in Venice
Poveglia per Tutti is an association whose aim is to reclaim Poveglia, one of the many islands scattered across the Venetian lagoon, and make it a public place for the
The Art of Traveling Light: Tourism with a Positive Impact
The extractive nature of mass tourism is made possible by tourist behaviour, missing regulations and lacking alternatives. There has been very little work done to make tourism more responsible, sustainable
The Bip/Zip strategy – empowering local communities in priority districts of Lisbon
Based on the experience developed over the past ten years in Lisbon, the Bip/Zip program is currently at the basis of the URBACT Transfer Network Com.Unity.Lab which aims at sharing
Polis Athens: citizen-led urban regeneration through pop-up activities
Polis is a platform developed by Martha Giannakopoulou and her studio, If- untitled, to enhances collaboration between architects and the Municipality of Athens. It aims to support civic engagement into
Welcommon Hostel: sustainable tourism and social-cultural activities for the promotion of social innovation
The Welcommon Hostel is a responsible hostel using tourism revenues to invest in social activities. First converted from a hospital into a refugee shelter, the building located in Exarchia is
Tackling urban poverty in Bari
The City of Bari joined the Com.Unity.Lab Urbact network to be inspired by the Bip/Zip program to improve its local strategy. In this interview Vitandrea Marzano from the City of
HALLO: going beyond real estate speculation to create community spaces in Hamburg
The HALLO: collective aims to reactivate not publicly accessible spaces in the city of Hamburg. The collective organizes a yearly summer festival, HALLO: Festspiele, and it is developing a strategy
Masia Can Calopa: Cooperative Vineyard Plantation in Catalonia
The cooperative L’Olivera manages agriculture projects with social impact in the countryside outside Barcelona. Last autumn we visited Masia Can Calopa, where L’Olivera has cultivated a vineyard plantation and which
Social Solidarity Economy in Barcelona: The Ecos Cooperative
Ecos is a cooperative of cooperatives which works to support the growth of single cooperatives and to promote inter-cooperatives projects in Barcelona. In this article, we share what we learned
