European cities are constantly evolving by adjusting to new circumstances, such as socio-economic shift, new political agendas, new technological trends, public health concerns and the most challenging of all, climate change.
Over the last decades, the pace of change in urban Europe has been far more rapid than at any time in its recent history. Our urban areas, previously seen as a conglomerate of societal troubles, are now acknowledged as assets for transformative change.
Urban regeneration presents unique opportunities to revitalise underprivileged areas and turn them into vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable neighbourhoods where people want to live and put down roots. The process is not without criticism as urban interventions can sometimes bring about adverse consequences such as social exclusion and gentrification.
Urban regeneration is a place-based process, where effective strategies and actions are shaped by specific local context, strengths and weaknesses, and successful projects do share some key commonalities. However, there is a lack of large-scale and exportable experiments to provide sufficient evidence on the success factors and barriers.
WeGenerate is an Innovation Action designed to fully address the topic HORIZON-CL5-2022-D4-02-02 ‘Solutions for the sustainable, resilient, inclusive and accessible regeneration of neighbourhoods enabling low carbon footprint lifestyles and businesses (Built4People)’.
The project seeks to infuse the elements of people and co-creation in the urban regeneration processes. It fully embraces the paradigm shift from building for the people to building with the people. We – cities, citizens, communities, businesses, researchers, and practitioners – take ownership of the urban regeneration processes and co-create together sustainable, resilient, people-centric, inclusive, accessible, and beautiful neighbourhoods.
The project is about the stories of four neighbourhoods and their communities located in different parts of Europe. Although they are at different stages of development and are facing different challenges but they share the same vision of positive change. WeGenerate will help them to reinvent themselves and in the process find new values and opportunities.
The overarching goal of the project is to tackle the following four challenges:
Challenge 1:
What are the right ingredients and recipes for sustainable and inclusive urban regeneration that can create long-lasting positive impacts within the neighbourhoods and beyond?
Challenge 2:
How to fully synthesise local needs for urban regeneration with national, EU and global decarbonisation agenda to ensure the creation of sustainable and resilient neighbourhoods that foster low carbon footprint lifestyles?
Challenge 3:
How to empower communities to take ownership of the urban regeneration process and co-create people-centre and affordable neighbourhoods that boost physical and social well- being as well as economic prosperity?
Challenge 4:
How to turn the success stories of individual urban regeneration projects to a strategic framework that facilitates scaling up and catalyses long-term systemic change?
This will be made through accomplishing the main objectives below:
1. Create an ‘Urban WeGeneration Model’ setting out a common methodological approach to guide sustainable and inclusive urban regeneration processes
2. Bolster the implementation of integrated climate-neutral transformation within the urban regeneration process
3. Mainstream participatory planning practice in the urban regeneration process by engaging all relevant stakeholders
4. Catalyse systemic change by scaling up innovations and stimulating structural reform
No. |
Title |
Date |
D1.2 |
Project Management Handbook |
December 2023 |
D1.3 |
Quality Assurance Plan |
January 2024 |
D1.4 |
Data Management Plan |
January 2024 |
D2.1 |
Social Innovation Cookbook |
February 2024 |
D2.2 |
WeGenerate Solution Booklet |
July 2027 |
D3.1 |
Urban WeGenerate Action Plan and Implementation Roadmap - Cesena |
January 2025 |
D3.2 |
Storytelling of Urban WeGenerate Pathway - Cesena |
July 2027 |
D3.3 |
Long-Term Sustainability Plan - Cesena |
September 2027 |
D4.1 |
Urban WeGenerate Action Plan and Implementation Roadmap - Cascais |
January 2025 |
D4.2 |
Storytelling of Urban WeGenerate Pathway - Cascais |
July 2027 |
D4.3 |
Long-Term Sustainability Plan - Cascais |
September 2027 |
D5.1 |
Urban WeGenerate Action Plan and Implementation Roadmap - Bucharest |
January 2025 |
D5.2 |
Storytelling of Urban WeGenerate Pathway - Bucharest |
July 2027 |
D5.3 |
Long-Term Sustainability Plan - Bucharest |
September 2027 |
D6.1 |
Urban WeGenerate Action Plan and Implementation Roadmap - Tampere |
January 2025 |
D6.2 |
Storytelling of Urban WeGenerate Pathway - Tampere |
July 2027 |
D6.3 |
Long-Term Sustainability Plan - Tampere |
September 2027 |
D7.1 |
WeGenerate Impact Model for Sustainable Inclusive Neighbourhood (Initial) |
July 2024 |
D7.2 |
Standardised Data Measurement and Processing Protocol |
July 2024 |
D7.3 |
Report on the Cross-Demo Baseline Comparison |
November 2024 |
D7.4 |
WeGenerate Impact Model for Sustainable Inclusive Neighbourhood (Final) |
August 2027 |
D7.5 |
Overall Project and Cross-Demo Impact Assessment |
September 2027 |
D8.1 |
Replication Roadmaps for the 5 Fellow Cities |
October 2026 |
D8.3 |
Urban WeGenerate Guidance Package |
September 2027 |
D9.1 |
January 2024 |
|
D9.2 |
Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication Plan |
April 2024 |
D9.3 |
D9.3.1 Policy Paper D9.3.2 Policy Paper D9.3.3 Policy Paper D9.3.4 Policy Paper D9.3.5 Policy Paper |
April 2025 November 2025 June 2026 January 2027 July 2027 |
D9.4 |
D9.4.1 Thematic Case Study D9.4.2 Thematic Case Study D9.4.3 Thematic Case Study D9.4.4 Thematic Case Study |
May 2025 January 2026 October 2026 July 2027 |