aquí – Creating condition for change
About this good practice
aquí is the result of in-depth research and a range of participatory workshops carried out in collaboration with the neighbourhood platform Eixample Respira. Located in the Poblenou neighbourhood, the installation included modular street furniture made from sustainable materials, such as wooden benches and hammocks made from fishing nets.
The practice addresses challenges in sustainable urban development, rising inequalities, and exclusionary public spaces. Conventional urban planning often neglects local perspectives, resulting in spaces that fail to meet community needs. In Barcelona, this project explores a bottom-up approach to public space design, ensuring transformations align with local visions.
It employs Situated Research, Spatial Strategies, Place Making, and Commoning. Participatory action research and stakeholder analysis identified local resources, challenges, and opportunities. Ideation workshops engaged residents in shaping their environment. Co-creation workshops fostered a shared vision for transforming their street, integrating diverse perspectives to ensure collective ownership.
Stakeholders: Barcelona City Council, neighbourhood associations, and social economy organizations.
Beneficiaries: Local residents, the wider urban community, and sustainability advocates.
By integrating co-creative methodologies, aquí ensures inclusive urban transformations that are not only aesthetic and functional but also foster community resilience and sense of belonging
Expert opinion
Resources needed
The budget for a bottom-up spatial transformation project varies between €15,000 and €100,000, depending on duration (3-24 months) and scale.
● Average annual resources needed: €300,000
● Income source: 80% public – 20% private
Evidence of success
● Climate Land Trust Barcelona: project that engaged 61 participants from 11 different countries, introducing 5 new activities in co-design, co-construction, and community learning.
● ACCTING: project fostered behavioral change by engaging 64 participants (65% women) across 28 entities, including 20 social justice and 18 climate justice organizations. It successfully established a gender+ perspective in cycling, organized women-only bike rides, and collaborated with vulnerable communities.
Potential for learning or transfer
This practice offers a replicable model for bottom-up urban climate adaptation, emphasizing community guardianship, participatory urban design, and climate resilience. The Climate Land Trust framework provides legal, financial, and social strategies to secure and regenerate underutilized spaces for climate adaptation. Key success factors include strong local partnerships, inclusive governance, and adaptive land-use models.
The approach has been tested in Barcelona and is being explored for scalability in Berlin, Porto, and Lisbon. Challenges for transfer include legal constraints on land tenure, funding limitations, and administrative hurdles. However, adaptable legal mechanisms, such as temporary licenses and civic management agreements, can facilitate implementation in other regions. By integrating community-led climate adaptation strategies, this model supports a sustainable and socially just urban transition across European cities
Further information
Images
Documents
241107_Àgora_LCP.pptx_.pdf
Website
Good practice owner
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