
Budapest’s First Repair Café: Where Sustainability Meets Community-Building
Repair Café Budapest is Hungary’s first and only repair café, offering a collaborative space where broken household items—like toasters, bicycles, and sewing machines—are brought back

Fighting Energy Poverty: Solidarity Energy Community in East Naples
The Solidarity Energy Community of East Naples in San Giovanni a Teduccio is pioneering a transformative approach to renewable energy that combines hands-on education with sustainable practices. Launched during the

The social costs of energy transition and the opportunities of energy communities
Energy transition offers major structural changes to energy supply and consumption in our energy system in order to limit climate change. Especially after the breakout of the war in Ukraine,

Gdańsk Participatory Budgeting: a model for enhancing civic engagement
The Gdańsk participatory budgeting initiative, inaugurated in 2011, exemplifies a transformative approach to civic participation in urban development. This program allocates a specific portion of the city’s annual budget, approximately

Citizens’ participation and co-creation experiences in environmental issues
Over the past years an increasing attention towards environmental justice is gaining more public attention through media, activism and civic participation. The PUJ project in Prato, Italy, has explored many

The case against owning: sharing equipment at the Fritidsbanken leisure library
We all have used book libraries but what about a leisure library that allows you to try new sports by sharing outdoor equipment that you would otherwise only use a

Laboratori di Quartiere Bologna: Co-designing city policies through neighbourhood labs
The Laboratori di Quartiere (Neighbourhood labs) is a shared governance model promoted by the Municipality of Bologna, with the coordination of Fondazione Innovazione Urbana and in collaboration with the neighbourhoods.

Building new communities through culture and technology: the case of Budapest’s Bartók Cultural Quarter
In the Bartók Cultural Quarter of Budapest’s Újbuda district – characterised by universities, cultural institutions, art galleries, tech companies, and restaurants – an important experimental project has been taking place

Helsinki Youth Council: Amplifying young voices in local governance
Established in 2013, the Helsinki Youth Council serves as a platform bridging young voices with local governance. Initially formed through collaborative efforts, it prioritised inclusive representation, addressing diverse youth concerns. Over the

Barcelona’s Citizen Climate Assembly: civic engagement in decision-making
The Barcelona Climate Assembly, run by the city council, involved citizens in the decision-making process regarding climate change policies. The assembly was composed of randomly selected citizens who participated in

Barcelona’s pioneering efforts in fostering a sustainable and healthy food system
In the global pursuit of sustainable urban development, Barcelona has emerged as a pioneering city, leading the way in fostering a sustainable and healthy food system. This pursuit exemplifies the

Yourspace.Sutton community garden: Championing social inclusion
Yourspace.Sutton is more than a community garden. It provides workshops to kids, supports social therapeutic activities, and hosts local sustainable businesses in a horticultural environment. Tucked away in the back

Resistant and resilient: perspectives for independent culture in Hungary
Independent culture is a vital ingredient of Hungary’s cultural landscape. While Budapest remains a thriving metropolis with a strong independent scene and many smaller towns also cultivate their alternative cultural