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Cities across Europe face a shared challenge: how to make renovation projects not just about buildings but about empowering communities. The Santa Ana neighbourhood, a pilot site for the EU-funded project drOp, provides a compelling example of how co-governance can achieve this. In a webinar dedicated to sharing insights from the project, we explored how this model could inspire other European cities to integrate citizens’ voices into their development strategies.

At the heart of the co-governance approach are three key pillars: deep community engagement, actionable initiatives, and adaptable structures. The journey in Santa Ana began with a thorough analysis of the neighbourhood’s stakeholders. Once potential participants were identified, a multi-phase engagement process unfolded. Residents, local organizations, and other stakeholders came together to co-create a vision for their community.

This engagement phase was composed of a carefully structured series of sessions designed to build trust and shared understanding. Initial meetings clarified the project’s goals and boundaries, setting realistic expectations. Follow-up sessions focused on enhancing listening skills, brainstorming future scenarios, and providing training for co-creation and decision-making. Inclusivity was a constant challenge, highlighting the importance of accessibility and the need to attract diverse participants across age, culture, and professional backgrounds.

The model then moved into action with a series of seven initiatives tailored to Santa Ana. These included forming a Local Task Force. One notable early success was a tactical urbanism project, reimagining public spaces to improve quality of life and community interaction.

Lessons learned

The webinar emphasized that while the co-governance model is adaptable, its success depends on careful planning and execution. Cities looking to implement similar initiatives should consider these takeaways:

1. Inclusive Engagement: Ensuring that all voices are heard requires targeted communication and diverse participation strategies. Inclusivity must be prioritized from the start.
2. Clear Processes: A structured framework, like the one used in drOp, provides clarity while remaining flexible enough to adapt to local needs.
3. Expectation Management: Transparent communication is crucial to align stakeholders’ hopes with project realities.
4. Continuous Communication: Multiple channels, including word of mouth and neighborhood offices, are needed to keep everyone informed throughout the process.
5. Capacity Building: Offering training for participation and decision-making can empower citizens to take an active role in shaping their communities.

The Santa Ana experience shows that renovation projects can go far beyond infrastructure. By fostering collaboration, building trust, and empowering citizens, cities across Europe can transform neighbourhoods into thriving, inclusive communities. For municipalities and housing professionals, the drOp model offers an inspiring roadmap for integrating co-governance into their strategies.

Rewatch the webinar here.

The three cities of the drOp project—Ermua, Elva, and Matera—recently travelled to Milan, with Materahub as a guide, seeking inspiration for their urban regeneration journeys. What did they find? Fantastic examples of how to engage communities and support residents in improving their homes.

First, the group visited our sister project, ProLight, and toured one of their six demonstration districts: the Urbana New Living development. This 137-unit, predominantly social housing district in Milan is a ProLight showcase managed by Planetidea. It integrates smart technologies and energy-efficient solutions to promote sustainable living and strengthen community engagement. Residents participate in co-creation via Planet Smart City’s “Citizen Lab,” discussing local services and sustainable practices. The Planet App further supports residents by providing booking services, fostering neighborly exchanges, and offering insights into energy consumption and carbon footprints. With photovoltaic panels and an A+ energy label, the district also explores renewable energy use.

On the theme of community living, we visited the Borgo Intergenerazionale Greco (BiG) initiative, a project near Milan designed to support young people, mothers with children seeking independence, and elderly residents seeking to maintain autonomy. Once a small town outside Milan, the area has been revitalized with new buildings and the restoration of a 15th-century ‘cassina,’ a historic structure owned by the municipality. Coordinated by the Abicittà cooperative, BiG also runs social programs for the community, including creative uses of local infrastructure, such as converting rail line bridges into a sports centre.

Since culture and art are pillars of the drOp Integrated Renovation Methodology, we also explored the Museo d’Arte Paolo Pini, located in a former asylum. This project began in the 1980s as an effort to reduce patient isolation by inviting artists to create murals and artwork inside and outside the buildings, blending art with the space’s history and Milan’s artistic legacy. The museum, now holding over 150 artworks, uses art therapy to break stereotypes and connect the facility to the wider community. Supported by NGO Arca Onlus, the museum continues to serve as a bridge between art, healing, and inclusion.

On the internal front, the drOp project has reached its third milestone: prioritizing actions in the intervention and implementation phase. In Ermua, citizen engagement and co-governance are actively being tested. The local structure includes the Municipality and project team, with the Executive Commission consisting of citizen organizations, NGOs, and representatives from the local culture and creative industries. This process includes engaging residents, co-creating actions, testing them in practice, and evaluating the results. One key takeaway: citizen engagement takes time, patience, and trust-building to ensure that residents’ voices are truly heard by decision-makers.

Finally, local economic development in Ermua has made significant strides. The Municipality, assisted by the drOp team, has developed training programs, including a digital skills module that will be rolled out in the coming months, addressing local needs and gaps in expertise.

What is Next?

While Ermua is preparing to test the developing IRM, Elva and Matera are focused on replicating it. During the last year of the project, drOp partners will continue to align their efforts with the Affordable Housing Initiative, which shares the goal of making homes more accessible, sustainable, and inclusive across Europe. By applying the lessons learned in Ermua, Elva, and Matera, drOp aims to further contribute to this broader European movement, fostering social inclusion, economic growth, and energy efficiency in housing.

This was the third meeting for these residents and part of a longer process aimed at understanding the development opportunities of the neighborhood and creating a vision and action plan to support them. In the previous two workshops, the community conducted a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and discussed trends and possible developments that could affect the area, which became the basis for the creation of four future scenarios.

After examining the future from different perspectives, the October 2nd workshop focused on formulating a specific vision and setting a development plan in motion. Through collective discussions, the group reached the consensus that the neighborhood should evolve in an integrated and well-thought-out manner. The residents expressed their desire for a beautiful, well-maintained, and safe urban environment filled with renovated buildings and opportunities for community activities. Sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions were also highly valued.

By the end of the workshop, an action plan was set in place to achieve the neighborhood’s development goals. The final strategy for the Nooruse neighborhood, in collaboration with the local community, will be completed by the end of the year.

We are excited to announce the opening of the new Santa Ana Neighbourhood Office in Ermua, Spain, as part of the drOp project. This new office will act as a central hub for social and cultural initiatives in the neighbourhood. It will also provide key information about drOp project activities, along with offering administrative support, technical guidance, and legal advice on building renovation aids and energy communities.

While the office will be open to residents three days a week, the community can reach out anytime via email or phone for assistance.

The inauguration event, held on the 3rd of October, brought together Santa Ana residents, giving them the opportunity to learn about the project’s progress over the past two years. Attendees were also encouraged to actively engage with the drOp project by sharing their ideas and suggestions at the office. The Mayor of Ermua, Beatriz Gámiz, attended the event and reaffirmed the municipality’s strong commitment to the project and the ongoing revitalization of the Santa Ana neighbourhood.

The celebration also marked a moment of appreciation for residents’ contributions so far, and was followed by a shared meal, creating a welcoming environment to celebrate the drOp project’s recent recogmition at the Greencities’ Smart City competition in Málaga.

This new office will also play the role of a catalyst for deeper citizen participation. The drOp project is built on the principles of co-creation, aiming to involve residents in shaping the future of their community. With this initiative, Ermua and its citizens are actively contributing to the European Commission’s broader vision of transforming urban spaces and fostering sustainable, thriving neighbourhoods.

We encourage people from across the region and beyond to follow the project’s progress, as it aims to create a model for district-level renovation that can inspire other communities throughout Europe.

Ermua’s drOp project has been awarded for its innovation in the smart cities framework at the Greencities & S-Moving, Urban Intelligence and Smart Mobility 2024 meeting.

This congress brought together representatives from 75 cities and municipalities and 2,500 professionals from 200 service companies for two days at the FYCMA in Malaga, to present the latest innovations in urban facilities. The event closed with the presentation of awards for the first call for Smart City Awards and the third edition of Open Call for Start-ups. In these calls, the cities of Ermua and Valencia were recognised first, and the startup Mothium second. Both awards recognise talent and innovation in the field of smart cities and the value of entrepreneurship and creative capacity to address the challenges of the urban agenda.

Read the original article in full here. (Spanish)

Last month, residents and representatives from Elva and Tartu housing associations participated in a joint study trip to Rakvere, organised by the drOp, oPEN Lab and BuildEST projects.

Rakvere is renowned for its successful apartment building renovation projects and innovative urban planning. It offers many great examples for housing associations in South Estonia that are in the early stages of planning their renovations.

The local guide for the trip was Andres Jaadla, Chairman of the Board of the Estonian Union of Cooperative Housing Associations (EKÜL), a drOp partner. He presented an overview of Rakvere’s renovation trends in recent years, new planning initiatives, and how EKÜL supports housing associations on their renovation journeys.

The group visited several renovated apartment buildings on Lennuki and Seminari streets, which provided interesting examples of both renovation techniques and landscaping solutions. A particular highlight for participants was the Kungla 5 housing association, whose surroundings, transformed into a lush city garden with the help of a professional gardener, had even won a presidential award. Led by a representative of the local housing association, participants were also given an inside tour of one of the renovated apartment buildings, allowing them to see the interior technical solutions and exchange experiences on renovation topics.

The study trip concluded with a visit to Rakvere Vallimägi, where Andres Jaadla discussed the Vallimägi renovation project, the landscaping efforts, and future plans for the area. Participants shared that the trip gave them plenty of ideas, inspiration, and confidence to advance their own apartment building renovation projects.

Dear reader,

Welcome to the summer newsletter edition of the drOp project!🌞

As we start soaking up the sun and enjoying the longer days, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the progress and exciting developments in our peer cities, Ermua, Matera, and Elva.

Throughout these last months leading to the midpoint of the drOp project, the commitment of these three cities to co-creation with citizens has been a fundamental approach in developing tailored solutions and empowering residents to be active participants in the decision-making processes of their neighbourhoods.

Ermua has been dedicated to engaging citizens in the regeneration of Santa Ana neighbourhood, by giving the local residents the opportunity to sign up for projects and actively participate in their implementation. The focus of these projects is on urban renewal, fostering community unity, and developing e-health solutions.

Meanwhile, in Matera, the process of co-governance has resulted in the development of Sedimentazioni. This initiative, launched by Materahub and the Municipality of Matera, aims to lead the way in nurturing civic engagement and collaborative problem-solving.

Turning our attention to Elva, our peer city has made significant strides in analysing and developing a future regeneration strategy for the Nooruse neighbourhood. The “Beautiful home” contest has been launched, inviting residents to decorate their balconies to strengthen the sense of community and improve the living environment.

As we continue our journey to create inclusive and smart neighbourhoods, we invite you to stay tuned and get involved. We look forward to showing you the positive impact of these co-governance and co-creation efforts on the drOp community.

If you want more information, follow us on our social media channels and visit our website!

Marta Lekue

Coordinator of drOp project.

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