Under the Creative Europe Programme the call for submissions of cities and regions “Good practices on high quality architecture and built environment”, has opened.

Eurocities and the Architects’ Council of Europe were recently selected by the European Commission to implement a peer-learning programme on high-quality architecture in cities and regions, under the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Building on the recommendations of the European Member States Expert Group on highquality architecture and built environment for everyone, this peer-learning scheme will facilitate exchanges among the European Union’s cities, regions, Member States and relevant stakeholders on processes and good practices.

Peer-learning activities will demonstrate that building and planning for everyone improves cohesion, attractiveness and the sustainability of our cities and regions. This will be done through:

• a catalogue of 30 good practices from across the European Union, emphasising impacts and transferability from one local context to others;
•  12 onsite peer-learning visits in European cities and regions (EU 27) taking place in 2024, allowing participants to learn from each other and from experts.

Peer-learning visits are aimed at 20 policymakers and city practitioners (at political/decision-making and technical levels from city, rural or regional administrations), urban planners and architects, civil society organisations, NGOs, cultural initiatives/projects, local/regional organisations, thematic associations.

This call concerns any architectural or built environment example that your city/region has implemented, that takes into account at least one of the following:

• Context – no ‘one size fits all’,
• Diversity – connecting people through the built environment,
• sense of place- focus on spatial coherence and/or
• beauty – aesthetic, spatial and emotional impacts.

For more information and detailed description of the above topics  please consult the background note (see attached).

The consortium’s team of experts will review the received practices and select good practices for the catalogue based on:

• Strategic vision for high-quality architecture and built environment, including regeneration, revitalisation and adaptive-reuse of existing buildings
• Relevance regarding EU policy developments in the field of architecture and sustainable built environment, including the New European Bauhaus initiative
• Innovative aspects
• Engagement with communities and people
• Potential for replicability
• High impacts and results
• Thematic balance
• Geographical balance and spatial dimension

Eligible applicants:

This call is open to local and regional administrations of all sizes (rural areas, medium size cities, large and capital cities, regions) from the 27 European Union countries. In some cases, the questionnaire can be filled in “on behalf of” a local/regional administration, for example by a university, an architect, or a local/regional stakeholder. In this case, please provide a written endorsement by a representative of the local/regional administration at the origin of the practice.

The applicants should submit the online form with a description of a practice in their area.

30 practices will be selected for publication and promotion. From these selected cities and regions, 12 will get the opportunity to host a peer-learning visit, allowing participants to learn from each other and from experts.

Deadline: The deadline for the submission of proposals is 11 August 2023, 23h59 (Brussels time).

More information is available at the following links:Creative Europe website (Call for good practices – Peer-learning activities on high-quality architecture and built environment for everyone at national, regional, and local level). The background note (attached), can be also downloaded from the EUSurvey service – Cities and regions: call for submissions. 

If you have any question about this call and the peer-learning programme, you can contact: clementine.daubeuf@eurocities.eu.