Project description
Co-creating inclusive and sustainable public spaces
Climate change, social exclusion, energy poverty, and ageing populations are key challenges in Europe today. The EU-funded UTOPIZE project will implement a participatory framework that actively involves communities in the design and governance of public spaces in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. Grounded in the concept of UTOPIA as a dynamic process of community engagement, UTOPIA Labs will enable citizens to collaborate and transform their neighbourhoods using digital tools like extended reality (XR) and geographic information systems (GIS). The project aligns with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principles, focusing on minorities and the marginalised. It will feature a twinning programme initiative to ensure adaptability across Italy, Portugal, and Sweden, integrating nature-based solutions (NBS) and sustainable materials.
Objective
The UTOPIZE project is a response to the pressing urban, ecological, and social challenges reshaping Europe, driven by climate change, social exclusion, energy poverty, aging populations, and other complex issues. Aligned with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principles of sustainability, inclusivity, and aesthetics, UTOPIZE proposes a participatory framework that involves communities in the co-design and governance of public spaces across urban, peri-urban, and rural environments.
The project is structured around the concept of UTOPIA, not as a static ideal but as an evolving process of community engagement. Through UTOPIA Labs, citizens co-create and transform their neighbourhoods, utilizing digital tools like Extended Reality (XR) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to enhance real-time urban planning and decision-making. These labs foster inclusivity by involving marginalized communities such as ethnic minorities, low-income populations, people with disabilities, and others at risk of exclusion.
UTOPIZE's approach is deeply participatory, involving communities at every stage from local activation events to co-design workshops. The project operates across three demonstrator countries—Portugal, Italy, and Sweden—before expanding to six additional countries through a Twinning Program, ensuring scalability and adaptability. UTOPIZE aims to create resilient, sustainable, and culturally relevant public spaces that strengthen social cohesion and reflect the local identity and history of each neighbourhood.
The project also integrates Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and sustainable materials into the design and transformation of public spaces, contributing to environmental resilience and climate neutrality goals. By bringing together experts from multiple disciplines—architecture, engineering, social sciences, and the arts—UTOPIZE ensures a holistic and transdisciplinary approach to urban transformation.
UTOPIZE’s comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences sociology governance
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences physical geography cartography geographic information systems
- social sciences sociology social issues social inequalities
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software applications virtual reality
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.2 - Culture, creativity and inclusive society
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HORIZON.2.1 - Health
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HORIZON.2.4 - Digital, Industry and Space
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HORIZON.2.3 - Civil Security for Society
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HORIZON.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MISS-2024-NEB-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3030-175 COIMBRA
Portugal
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.