Around ten Portuguese cities are promoting, between today and Saturday, satellite events integrated into the programming of the New European Bauhaus Festival, which is taking place in Brussels, with a focus on sustainable and inclusive housing issues.
Promoted by the European Commission, the New European Bauhaus Festival takes place under the theme “Life. Spaces. Buildings.” at Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels (Belgium), bringing together “creators, innovators and change-makers” from the various European Union countries to reflect on “how communities can work together to design homes and neighborhoods that are more sustainable, inclusive and resilient”.
Marked by a forum in which European leaders discuss with experts the construction of more inclusive and sustainable communities, and by a fair in which more than 80 projects developed in the various countries are presented, the event counts more than a hundred satellite initiatives taking place in the various member states, which in Portugal are distributed across several cities.
Faro, in the Algarve, and Matosinhos, in the north, are the two first cities to move forward with initiatives as early as today.
In Faro, until Friday, the “Al-Bauhays Dreams Academy” is held, which transforms university campuses into inclusive spaces for art and debates. In Matosinhos, the proposal is to transform Parque Real, with participants challenged to diagnose the space and to build a collective 3D model.
On the 12th and 13th, the environmental organisation Rio Neiva promotes, in Esposende, the Forum-Festival Águas Vivas, which brings together artistic, scientific, civic and cultural activities around water and aquatic landscapes.
In Viana do Castelo, the municipality organises, on Wednesday (the 10th), the conference “Viana STARTS: A Living Laboratory for the New European Bauhaus”, an initiative that marks the inauguration of the renovation of the old Municipal Slaughterhouse.
On the same day, Aracelis is held in the parish of São Marcos da Ataboeira, in the municipality of Castro Verde, linking this territory to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of La Peña in Andalusia, Spain, through pilgrimage routes.
In Coimbra, on Friday, the 12th, there is “Regional Dialogues for Nature and the Sense of Belonging”, a debate organized by the Local Chapter of Bauhaus in Coimbra and coordinated by the University of Coimbra. Over the course of one day, municipalities, research institutions, cultural organizations and regional partners reflect on “how the values of the New European Bauhaus can be translated into local practices, fostering collaboration and dialogue on reconnecting with nature, community involvement and a renewed sense of belonging”.
In addition to these in-person initiatives, three hybrid initiatives are promoted from Portugal.
In Lisbon, the workshop “New Ideas for Europe” is held, a collective exercise developed within the scope of the project Europe: Signals and Conflicts of a Common Culture, and Lusófona University presents a short film that “illustrates how sound, light, microclimates and daily practices help to interpret and transform urban environments, reflecting the values of the New European Bauhaus: sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics”.
Finally, the Municipality of Alcanena, in the Santarém district, presents the CoLiving Alcanena project which “aims to unite the local community to implement a cohabitation proposal that revitalizes the rural community, prioritizing natural heritage and people”.
The New European Bauhaus is a creative and transdisciplinary movement launched by the European Commission in 2020 to contribute to the transformation of communities based on three core values: sustainability, beauty and inclusion.
Every two years, members gather at the festival to share progress and showcase the best practices implemented in each of the countries.
