Panorama

On the 30^th of September, Brussels hosted the Awards Ceremony of the 5^th edition of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Prizes and the NEB Boost for Small Municipalities in the framework of the NEB in Regions and Cities event. Architects, regional and national authorities, mayors, students, and community organisers gathered in USquare, the former site of Brussels Royal Barracks that morphing into a vibrant innovation hub, meeting place and mixed-use , in keep with the values of the new European Bauhaus.

The event was also the occasion for the members of the NEB Peer2Peer (P2P) Community to compare notes on how to place bottom-up community engagement at the heart of European projects. Besides the need to build a sustainable and beautiful Europe, the New European Bauhaus is based on the core belief that communities are the real experts when designing the places in which they want to live, and that building the future of Europe needs to be done together. 

This is why discussions were about how NEB values can turn into tangible places where people live, meet, and belong.

Rethinking Housing

Any contemporary discussion on how to build the future of Europe cannot tiptoe around the fact that access to affordable, quality housing is a growing challenge in many European cities. Across the continent, cities and regions are rediscovering the social dimension of architecture: turning derelict buildings into co-living hubs, transforming public spaces into cultural commons, and involving residents directly in urban regeneration.

An inspiring example is the SOFTacademy in Tallinn, Estonia. The project reimagines four apartment blocks as a participatory model for sustainable living. Residents co-design shared courtyards and community spaces, linking energy-efficient renovation with social connection. It shows how housing renewal can also rebuild a sense of belonging.

The goal is not only to house people, but to empower them—to create homes and “third places” where communities can thrive, learn, and co-create solutions to shared problems.

Ireland’s THRIVE: Heritage as a Catalyst for Renewal

One of the most striking examples (of NEB initiatives?) comes from Ireland. The Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme, better known as THRIVE, is a €120 million initiative co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Its aim is simple but transformative: to breathe new life into vacant or derelict heritage buildings by aligning local regeneration with NEB principles.

Through THRIVE, local authorities can fund integrated urban strategies or directly renovate heritage sites. In Wexford, the Gorey Market House is being reborn as a creative and community hub. In Cork, the Butter Exchange—a landmark of the city’s industrial past—is being repurposed into a space for cultural production and inclusion.

The process is as important as the outcome. THRIVE places citizens at the centre: schoolchildren design their “future neighbourhoods” through art workshops; minority and disability groups shape accessibility plans; elderly residents are consulted via mail surveys. The result is housing and public space as a shared achievement; proof that when communities co-create, they invest emotionally and intellectually as well as economically.

Learning Together

The spirit of shared learning that powers THRIVE is the same energy driving the NEB Peer2Peer (P2P) Community of Practice, coordinated by the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (Regio). Created to support the mainstreaming of NEB across Europe, this network brings together managing authorities, municipalities, experts, and local actors to troubleshoot challenges, celebrate solutions and overall mutual learning.

At its second large meeting in Brussels, participants explored citizen engagement and communication—core ingredients for making NEB values tangible. They identified common barriers: the complexity of EU language, limited local capacity, and citizens’ doubts about whether their voices truly count.

The solutions discussed were both creative and pragmatic:

• appointing local NEB ambassadors to bridge institutions and residents.
• introducing micro-grant schemes for citizen-led prototypes.
• using festivals and fairs as entry points for engagement.
• providing training in facilitation and participatory design.

In this way, the P2P network acts as Europe’s quiet innovation engine, turning lessons from one region into inspiration for another, fostering the free circulation of good ideas.

Beyond Bricks and Mortar

What distinguishes the New European Bauhaus (NEB) is its belief that physical and social infrastructure must evolve together. Its true ambition lies not in the number of buildings renovated, but in the relationships formed within them.

Many NEB projects create “third places”—shared spaces between home and work that nurture community life: a library turned art hub, a garden bridging generations, an old school reborn as a multicultural meeting spot. Such projects show how beauty and belonging reinforce one another—people feel safe where they feel part of something.

One vivid example is LEHM-BAU-KULTUR in Halle (Saale), where a former industrial monument is being transformed into a clay-building competence centre and third place. The non-profit Schwemme e.V. acquired the building and is repurposing parts of it for hands-on workshops in historic and modern clay construction, artistic experimentation, youth education, and community meetings. The project embodies NEB’s principles: sustainable construction with natural materials, inclusive education across ages and backgrounds, and a welcoming space where community connection is central.

The NEB also plays a vital role in the EU’s Just Transition, ensuring that communities in transition shape what “just” means for them. As Anja Šerc from Slovenia’s Zasavje Regional Development Agency puts it: “The New European Bauhaus adds the tiny bit of magic needed for any successful transition.” Inspired by NEB principles, Zasavje’s Just Transition Plan embraces circular economy models, fosters a sense of belonging, and prioritises people-centred places.

In Poland’s mining region of Silesia, which received €2 billion in Just Transition Funds, the challenge was convincing residents that change was even necessary. Mining defined local identity; shops, schools and hospitals revolved around it. To build trust, regional authorities met people informally—in cafés, libraries and cultural hubs—spaces that embodied transformation. Over months, they travelled 700 km, visited 13 towns, served 26 hectolitres of coffee, and baked 26 kilos of cookies. This dialogue grew into a TV series, Transformations from the Kitchen, where activists and chefs discussed regional change over local dishes—a grassroots approach straight from the NEB playbook.

By inviting citizens to co-design their surroundings, the NEB strengthens Europe’s democratic fabric. Participation becomes empowerment—and empowerment fosters care: for place, planet, and one another.

A Blueprint for a More Cohesive Europe

Launched by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2021, the New European Bauhaus (NEB) channels Europe’s creativity through three inseparable values: sustainability, inclusion, and beauty—understood not just as aesthetics, but as the lived quality of our homes, neighbourhoods, and shared spaces. The idea could not be timelier. Across the continent, societies face converging pressures: a worsening housing crisis, rising energy costs, demographic shifts, and the urgent need for unity in the face of transition. The NEB offers a way forward—building a culture of cooperation where sustainability is grounded in shared purpose.

Through initiatives like Peer2Peer Communities and Cohesion Policy 2021–2027, the NEB’s methods are being woven into mainstream regional investment, turning inspiration into implementation. Together, they outline a new European blueprint for inclusion and resilience—one that ensures the NEB’s ideals move beyond pilot projects to become everyday practice. The challenges ahead remain vast, but the direction is clear: toward a Europe where environmental ambition, empathy, design excellence, and civic trust reinforce one another, shaping not just spaces, but a more cohesive society.