Palermo Knowledge Exchange Workshop

The first transnational workshop of the InPlaLabs project partners was held in Palermo, Italy, hosted by the project partner Bond of Union, a social cooperative based in the city. The meeting marked an important milestone for the partnership, allowing all participating organisations to meet in person, exchange methodologies, and align their objectives towards a shared vision for the implementation of the project.

Bond of Union operates in the field of education and European cooperation, working at both local and international levels. The cooperative promotes participatory processes that foster social inclusion and active citizenship through the design and implementation of educational initiatives, training programmes, and collaborative projects. Its approach is grounded in the belief that learning and cooperation are key tools for empowering individuals and communities. Thanks to its experience and strong engagement with local stakeholders, Bond of Union provided an ideal setting for hosting this first transnational exchange.

The meeting lasted two days and included a combination of workshops, collaborative sessions, and local exploration activities. The agenda was designed to encourage mutual learning, facilitate the exchange of practices, and strengthen cooperation among partners.

Each organisation presented its experience, methodologies, and areas of expertise, enabling a rich and diverse dialogue among participants. Through interactive sessions and group discussions, the partners worked together to define a shared framework for the project, identifying common objectives, key priorities, and potential synergies among their respective activities.

An important component of the meeting was the engagement of local stakeholders. This took place through a networking event organised in collaboration with marememoriaviva, an eco-museum in Palermo that documents and communicates the history of the city’s northern coastline.

This activity provided an opportunity to connect the project’s objectives with local realities and to explore the role of cultural and community-based organisations in promoting education, sustainability, and social inclusion.

The event was attended by academics, professionals, practitioners, and university students, contributing to a multidisciplinary dialogue around the themes addressed by the project. The exchange of perspectives supported the co-development of a shared vision for the establishment of a multidisciplinary network that will facilitate future collaboration between the project consortium and local stakeholders.

The Palermo meeting marked a crucial step in building the foundations of the project, both in terms of internal cooperation among partners and external engagement with relevant stakeholders. The workshop demonstrated the consortium’s commitment to participatory approaches, knowledge exchange, and sustainable networking as key principles of its work.

The partners express their sincere appreciation to marememoriaviva and epyc_palermo (European Palermo Youth Centre) for their hospitality and active participation. Their contribution significantly enriched the meeting and strengthened the connection between the project and the local context of Palermo.

International Multiplier Event and Knowledge Co-Creation Workshop in Nicosia

November 2024 marked an important milestone in the development of the InPlaLabs project. During the second week of the month, project partners from Italy, Sweden, and Greece gathered in Nicosia, Cyprus, for the first International Multiplier Event and a series of Knowledge Co-Creation Workshops. The activities were hosted by the University of Cyprus, with the support of its research laboratory The Society and Urban Form (SURF), a multidisciplinary hub dedicated to studying how the built environment affects society and translating this knowledge into urban design and policy practice.

The first day of the gathering was dedicated to the 1st International Multiplier Event, organised by the University of Cyprus. The leading partner, the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), opened the session with an introduction to the project’s aims and structure, followed by presentations from the partners commonspace (Athens) and Urban Calculator (Gothenburg).

commonspace highlighted the importance of participatory methods in urban planning and presented an open-source Participatory Toolkit developed for the InPlaLabs network. The toolkit offers practical instruments designed to engage diverse stakeholders in decision-making processes and to support inclusive planning approaches.

Urban Calculator presented their quantitative study methods and showcased the Urban Calculator software, an innovative design-support tool for students and practitioners. The software enables users to test different planning and design scenarios dynamically, analysing how variations in street layouts or spatial configurations affect centrality, accessibility, density, and proximity. Through intuitive interfaces and data-driven visualisations, the tool helps bridge the gap between analysis and design, enabling more informed and evidence-based decisions.

The following two days were devoted to the Knowledge Co-Creation Workshops, during which all partners collaborated on the design of the project’s minicourses for students and professionals. Each minicourse was conceived as a modular learning unit combining theoretical input, practical exercises, and digital tools aimed at strengthening interdisciplinary education in spatial planning and urban design.

The event in Nicosia represented a significant step forward for the InPlaLabs network, reinforcing collaboration among universities, research groups, and professional organisations. Through shared learning and co-creation, the partners contributed to the development of a framework for integrated planning education that connects spatial analysis, participatory methods, and design practice.