Urban Regeneration & Neighbourhoods

As European cities grapple with spatial obsolescence and climate change, neighbourhood-scale regeneration offers a pathway to revitalise declining areas while fostering complete, walkable communities. Central to this is the fifteen-minute city concept, which advocates for daily needs to be met within a short walk or cycle, alongside mixed-use development and green infrastructure. Yet, physical renewal must not compromise social equity. Aligned with the European Union's focus on a just transition, contemporary planning demands robust anti-displacement strategies to protect residents from gentrification and renovictions. By prioritising participatory planning and the adaptive reuse of vacant buildings, regeneration can transform underused spaces into genuine community assets, ensuring the benefits of neighbourhood transformation are shared by everyone.

Below, you will find resources exploring these dynamics, ranging from research on avoiding renovictions and the affordability of Germany's large housing estates to studies on community-driven adaptive reuse and office-to-housing conversions. The page highlights pioneering organisations such as Actors of Urban Change and Architectuurwijzer, alongside concrete examples of inclusive renewal like Can Batlló and Bikes and Rails. You can also discover upcoming opportunities to debate these themes at gatherings including the EURA 2026 Annual Conference, the DUT Conference, and the polis Convention Düsseldorf. Explore the materials to learn how co-operative housing models and community-led participation are actively reshaping the built fabric of our cities for the common good.