A place to be-come

The ambition of the project partners is to develop an urban regeneration strategy that allows for joint work on territorial and social development (at the crossroads of urban and social policies).

In contrast to urban regeneration based on "gentrification" and the exclusion of the poorest, the ambition is to actively involve the actual inhabitants in the development of their neighborhood and thereby contribute to their development and social inclusion.

The project is based on an "urban living lab" approach, bringing together researchers and field workers around a common site. The collaboration with these practitioners allows us to benefit from and directly integrate their knowledge and know-how in the design of an innovative participatory approach.

LEMA is in charge of work package 6 ('Planning the territory with and for citizens'), which aims to test new participatory methods. It is designed to integrate the needs and aspirations of citizens in the urban project and to take advantage of the potential for learning and social development associated with this participatory process.

In this empowerment approach, the participatory methods allow integrating the citizen points of view into the urban project. The strategy is co-designed with them and the associative intermediaries. In the longer term, it is planned to foster the creation of a shared space, a "citizen laboratory" housed in the heart of the neighborhood. The form and objectives of this new community space are to be co-constructed with the citizens and associative actors who would be interested in continuing the urban experimentation and networking approach designed during the project.

The project ‘A place to be-come’ is financed through the EU Urban Innovation Actions programme. The partners of the project are the City of Seraing, AREBS, Seraing CPAS, University of Liège, Natagora, Letsgocity, and Psycholab.

Supervisors: Prof. Jacques Teller, Dr. Christine Ruelle, Ph.D.

Researchers: Mohamed El Boujjoufi & Bertrand Riquet

Project start date:  September 2019

Duration of the project: 36 months

Official website: http://www.arebs.be/projets-pilotes/uia-a-place-to-be-come/