Urban Regeneration and Participation: URWAN hosts a GLA (Green Living Areas) Community Exchange Workshop in Florence

On 15 June 2026, IRIDRA and SVIMED –  EuroMediterranean Center for the Sustainable Development hosted the workshop “Urban Regeneration and Participation: exchange of experiences among GLA Community projects” at The Social Hub in Florence. The event brought together approximately 20 participants from research institutions, regional authorities, municipalities, and EU-funded projects to share experiences – and honestly reflect on the challenges — of participatory processes in urban regeneration.

The day was structured as a peer learning space, not a showcase of successes. Facilitated by a Certified Professional Facilitator, Paolo Martinez (Futour), participants presented concrete cases of community engagement and co-design, focusing on what worked, what didn’t, and why. In the afternoon session, working groups elaborated shared solutions and practical recommendations for improving the effectiveness of participatory approaches in territorial projects.

URWAN’s contribution centred on the five Start Park co-design processes carried out in Cuba (PT), Rome (IT), Ptuj (SI), Ferla (IT), and Sarajevo (BA). Other projects participating in the exchange included

The day’s discussions converged on four key messages for more effective participatory processes: the need for radical transparency from the outset about what can and cannot be decided; the importance of integrating technical and economic expertise directly into co-design workshops, rather than applying feasibility filters only after the fact; the recognition that facilitation is a professional competency, requiring specific skills in method selection and group dynamics management; and the value of a thorough listening and context analysis phase before any workshop takes place. Participants also stressed the risk of the “engage and abandon” dynamic — where communities engage but see no tangible follow-through — as the single greatest threat to long-term trust in participatory governance.