NEB.CONNECT - creative cities in marginal areas

forthcoming

NEB.CONNECT is designed to reconnect Europe’s rural and inner areas with inclusive, participatory, and emotionally grounded approaches to territorial development. Drawing on the values of the New European Bauhaus (sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics) the project brings together partners from Italy, Germany, Spain, and Croatia to co-develop and pilot the RURAL Model: an innovative, flexible methodology for using culture as a tool for local regeneration. Through capacity-building events, community-based cultural labs, and pilot actions, NEB.CONNECT will empower rural stakeholders—including youth, cultural operators, educators, and public institutions—to co-create meaningful responses to demographic decline, social fragmentation, and disconnection from place. The project will blend tools such as emotional storytelling, co-creation workshops, participatory mapping, and site-specific artistic practices to foster emotional sustainability, reinforce intergenerational exchange, and unlock local creative potential. Key deliverables include the RURAL Handbook of Best Practices, the RURAL Web Radio, and the RURAL Model itself, designed for transferability across EU contexts. All outputs will be open access, multilingual, and disseminated through local and European networks.