drOp is celebrating with the residents

The residents of Santa Ana have said goodbye to 2024 with a Christmas gathering in their Neighbourhood Office, enjoying a hot chocolate and an entertaining bingo game. This meeting, framed in the European drOp project, has served as a thank-you for the participation and involvement of the neighbours in the co-creation process, thus celebrating this year’s progress and encouraging them to continue participating in future initiatives of the project. The event has also been an occasion to promote interaction, debate and social cohesion among the residents of Santa Ana.

Outstanding actions of 2024

The end of 2024 has been marked by important initiatives of the drOp project:

Mapathon activity:
This participatory dynamic with the citizens of Santa Ana served to map the specific places in the neighbourhood with potential for improvement. The different teams toured the area identifying key points and sharing their perceptions and ideas, which allowed for an in-depth analysis of local needs.  This mapping was carried out through a geolocation mobile application designed by the drOp project for the occasion.

  • Energetic Communities workshop:
    With the help of experts on the subject, this informative session allowed the neighbours of Santa Ana to learn what are local energy communities as well as their different existing models. A study of Santa Ana’s solar potential has been carried out and work on energy sustainability, an essential pillar of the drOp project, will continue in 2025.
  • Transformation of an urban space:
    After being identified by residents as a place of interest during the Mapathon activity, a cul-de-sac (a street with no exit) intended for parking was temporarily transformed into a public square. Through tactical urbanism, a methodology that involves experimenting with simple changes in the public space to observe and learn from its use, elements of street furniture and decoration were installed. The opinions gathered from the neighbours will guide a final design in 2025, which will be carried out by an architecture studio.
  • Inauguration of the Neighbourhood Office:
    This space located in the centre of Santa Ana was opened as a point of attention and meeting for people living in the neighbourhood. The office provides technical and legal advice on existing public grants for the renovation of homes, advice on energy bills and information on the different participatory initiatives carried out in the drOp project.
  • Comprehensive Care Program:
    With the aim of improving the quality of life of the elderly, two free digital services have been offered to the residents of the neighbourhood. The first service consists of a functional mobility assessment that seeks to prevent fall risks. The second service offers an innovative system of automatic pill dispensers, designed to facilitate medication management, while providing greater security to both users and their families.

Hope and inspiration for the year to come

The drOp project will continue in 2025 with new actions and proposals to improve the quality of life in the Santa Ana neighbourhood. Among the planned initiatives are the painting of a mural that integrates concepts expressed by the residents, the installation of photovoltaic panels for the creation of an energy community, the development of a digital app for residents to report incidents in the neighbourhood directly to the municipality and new interventions in public spaces designed by different architecture studios. In addition, a capacity building set will be launched to promote the local economy.

From the Neighbourhood Office, we thank all people for their valuable collaboration this year and we hope to continue building a more inclusive and innovative environment together.

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What is drOp?

The drOp project, funded by the European Union, seeks to develop an integrated renovation methodology (IRM) that transforms social housing neighbourhoods into more advanced and inclusive communities, from a digital, social, energy and urban perspective. The project promotes social innovation and fosters the local economy through a people-centred approach, digital technologies, energy efficiency and the potential of cultural and creative industries.

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