Timespan: 01/11/2019 – 30/06/2022
* (project implementation extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic: from 31/10/2021 to 30/06/2022)
Donor: European Commission (Europe for Citizens – Network of Towns)
Applicant: Municipality of Arcugnano (Italy)
Partners: Parish Council of Beato – Lisbon (Portugal); Directorate for Culture, Youth and Sport of Peja Municipality (*Kosovo); Stichting Street Art Museum – Amsterdam (Netherlands); Municipality of Trebnje (Slovenia); Pargaujas novada pasvaldiba (Latvia); Municipality of Vlore (Albania); Municipality of Mioveni (Romania); AGENTURA PRO EVROPSKE PROJEKTY & MANAGEMENT SDRUZENI – Praha (Czech Republic); Municipality of Bydgoszcz (Poland); City of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina); kitev – Kultur im Turm – Oberhausen (Germany); City of Zajecar (Serbia); Municipality of Reggio Emilia (Italy); ALDA (France)
NOTE: Local Democracy Agency Mostar project associate to the City of Mostar
Description:
In the last years, the increase of migration fluxes made Europe more and more intercultural and multi-ethnic. As a consequence, cities changed their urbanization and profile, suburbs increased generating fragmentation and marginalization. Furthermore, the situation of crisis of the past years (f.e. financial crisis of 2008 or the refugee crisis), exacerbates this urban stratification and opposition between areas, producing stigmatization and socio-spatial exclusion. The project intends to create a network of towns with a common strategy to promote social inclusion and decrease marginalization by rehabilitation of depressed and abandoned areas of European cities through street art. The project involves participants from 14 countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, France, Italy, *Kosovo, Latvia, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Germany and the Netherlands.
Objectives:
Activities:
The project foresees 4 international events in 4 countries and 1 local path (3 phases) in each participating country. Project starts with an online meeting of the steering committee comprising of 1 representative from each partner during which the methodology, action plan and communication strategy will be agreed. A series of events will be developed according to the following scheme:
1. First International Event (Arcugnano – Italy): the project will be presented, and discussed with representatives of CSOs, LAs, artists. Partners will share the state of the art of their activities related to the topic of the project.
2. Local path – phase 1: together with citizens, partners will identify the target places for urban regeneration through street art in their communities. Opinions of the inhabitants will be collected through various tools, such as online surveys, forums, interviews, workshop etc.
3. Second International Event (Lisbon – Portugal): partners will share the results of the local path – phase 1. An art expert will take part in the discussion to advise the partners on the effective realization of murals. ALDA will deliver a capacity building workshop on the use of art to promote intercultural dialogue and social inclusion.
4. Local path – phase 2: each partner will collaborate with local actors (schools) and organize 1 awareness-raising workshop for students on social inclusion and the power of art for promoting it. The students will draw pictures on this topic, one of which will be chosen by citizens for implementation as a mural during local path – phase 3.
5. Third International Event (Peja – *Kosovo): partners will share the results of the 2nd phase of their local paths. Moreover, an art expert will deliver a workshop on using street art for urban regeneration, followed by creation of a mural in Peja by street art artists and the participants.
6. Local path – phase 3: the partners will choose, according to the results of phase 1 and 2 of the local path, at least 1 public space to paint. Murals will be realised in each country involving artists and local citizens (and students) to regenerate targeted areas and promote intercultural understanding and social inclusion.
7. Final int. event (Amsterdam – NL): CSOs, LAs, artists, citizens and partners will share the results of the implementation of the local and international events and murals.
All the events will employ various working methods and activities: group working sessions, workshops, discussion groups, presentations of local and international activities, etc. Close cooperation and knowledge-sharing among project partners will facilitate intercultural dialogue, bring a common project strategy and methodology for addressing the above-mentioned issues at both local and international level, ensuring coherence and comparability of the activities. The actions will also show the potential of abandoned and depressed areas to be connected and integrated to other parts of the cities, become more sustainable, peaceful, and respectable places to live.
Expected outcomes:
IMPLEMENTED ACTIVITIES
First International Event (Arcugnano/Italy)
Local Path I – Research (Questionnaire)
Second International Hybrid Event (Lisabon/Portugal)
Local Path II – Preparatory Meeting
Third International Hybrid Event (Peja/Kosovo*)
Local Path III – creation of the mural in the city of Mostar
Fourth (Final) Internatinal Event (Amsterdam/Netherlands)
VIDEO – Final Projects Event in Amsterdam