Urbasofia

Last week, our colleague Irina Alexandra Panait represented URBASOFIA at the Danube Festival in Ulm & Neu-Ulm, Germany — as part of our ongoing work as partner in ELEVATE, the Interreg Danube project on Age-Friendly Cities.

The programme offered a rare, hands-on look at age-friendly policy in practice: visits to the Generationentreff, the University of the Third Age at Ulm University, and an intergenerational housing project, alongside sessions on fall prevention and digital tools helping older adults stay independent at home. Three days of real-world inspiration for what we work on every day.

At the "Democracy Needs Everyone" conference on July 10th, Irina moderated Table 19: Democracy and Age — a roundtable on why social security is inseparable from democratic participation, and why older citizens belong at the centre of civic life, not at its margins.
Irina also presented the ELEVATE model during the afternoon working group session, showcasing how our transnational partnership is turning the age-friendly city concept into concrete tools, policies and practices across the Danube region.

We're proud to have URBASOFIA's voice in these conversations — and to be part of a network where research, local governance and civil society genuinely talk to each other.

Last week, our colleague Irina Alexandra Panait represented Urbasofia at the Danube Festival in Ulm & Neu-Ulm, Germany — as part of our ongoing work as partner in Elevate project, the Danube Region Programme project on Age-Friendly Cities.

The programme offered a rare, hands-on look at age-friendly policy in practice: visits to the Generationentreff, the University of the Third Age at Ulm University, and an intergenerational housing project, alongside sessions on fall prevention and digital tools helping older adults stay independent at home. Three days of real-world inspiration for what we work on every day.

At the "Democracy Needs Everyone" conference on July 10th, Irina moderated Table 19: Democracy and Age — a roundtable on why social security is inseparable from democratic participation, and why older citizens belong at the centre of civic life, not at its margins.

Irina also presented the ELEVATE model during the afternoon working group session, showcasing how our transnational partnership is turning the age-friendly city concept into concrete tools, policies and practices across the Danube region.

We're proud to have URBASOFIA's voice in these conversations — and to be part of a network where research, local governance and civil society genuinely talk to each other.

On June 21, 2026, Urbasofia represented the CityWalk project 2.0 project and Fair Mobility project at the national level during the New Urban Habits Festival, organized by UrbanizeHub in Bucharest. The festival brought together professionals from national and local public administrations, as well as experts in urban planning, architecture, sociology, and other related fields.

As part of the festival, URBASOFIA hosted the "Behaviour-Change Lab", an interactive workshop dedicated to behavioural change and sustainable urban mobility, building on the experience and outcomes of the projects CityWalk2.0 and Fair Mobility.

The exercise encouraged participants to better understand the diverse mobility needs of different user groups and highlighted the importance of integrating behavioural change into the transition towards sustainable mobility. By combining storytelling with practical problem-solving, the workshop invited participants to develop concrete, people-centred solutions for changing travel behaviour.

We were pleased to be joined by the CityWalk 2.0 project team from Satu Mare, who presented their pilot action, shared their experience as one of the project's pilot cities.

Let’s keep walking! 🚶‍♀️🌍

From planning to implementation: CAST Project pilots take the next step in Chișinău

Urbasofia is taking part in the 5th CAST Steering Committee Meeting in Chișinău as leader of Specific Objective 2 (SO2), advancing resilient communities through participatory design and accessible culture.

During the CAST First Year Review, our colleague Miruna Draghia highlighted the project’s transition from planning to action. She showcased the framework we have developed to help pilots turn initial concepts into structured, realistic implementation roadmaps.

On the second day, URBASOFIA facilitated the Implementation Roadmap Workshop – From Cultural Resources Mapping to Pilot Implementation, supporting partners in defining concrete actions, stakeholders, accessibility measures, responsibilities and timelines.

Across 10 countries, 11 CAST pilots are now preparing to activate local cultural resources, improve access to culture, co-create inclusive tourism experiences and test community-led solutions.

From industrial heritage and beekeeping culture to naïve art, museums, castles, neighbourhood spaces, craftsmanship and rural tourism, all pilots share one ambition:

to make culture more accessible, inclusive and capable of strengthening communities and local economies.

Throughout the event, we were joined by our associated strategic partner, the Romanian Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, represented by Ms Irina COZMA, National Coordinator for EUSDR Priority Area 3. Her contribution highlighted opportunities for synergies, capitalisation and cooperation across projects supported under PA3 and beyond.

The roadmaps are set. Now, we test how cultural heritage can become a practical driver for community resilience and sustainable development. Stay tuned! 💡

A warm thank you to CAST Lead Partner Zavod Iskriva, iskrišče za razvoj lokalnih potencialov Institute and Asociatia Nationala pentru Turism Receptor si Intern (ANTRIM) for the warm welcome, excellent hosting and impeccable organisation of the meeting.

Alexandra Zlotea

Urban transformation becomes meaningful when ideas are tested in real places, together with the people who use them.

Between 8-10 June, within the URBREATH Horizon Europe Project, the urban furniture designed for the four pilot sites in Cluj-Napoca (Sahia, Nădășel, Timișului and Bărc III) was implemented on site, together with the Primăria Cluj-Napoca and the Rustic Construct from Maramureș.

This intervention builds on a longer URBREATH process in Cluj-Napoca, combining co-design, student involvement, planting activities and on-site testing. Urbasofia coordinated the work with USAMV Cluj-Napoca students and developed the final urban furniture design based on site-specific observations and community needs. The implemented elements bring together simple benches, modular seating, multifunctional platforms, planter boxes, circular activity modules and a landscape-viewing frame, complemented by soft rope fencing that helps structure the sites. Dedicated dog-friendly areas were also defined, where specific play furniture for pets will be added.

What became visible from the first moments of implementation was the immediate local response. Children, adults, older residents and even pets began using the new installations almost instantly, showing how small-scale interventions can generate tangible local impact when they respond to real needs and everyday behaviours.

For URBREATH, this implementation is one stage in a broader European process focused on nature-based solutions, climate-responsive urban regeneration and community-oriented public space. In Cluj-Napoca, the four pilot sites continue to function as living testing grounds for exploring how greener, more inclusive and more liveable urban environments can be created through collaboration, local knowledge and on-site experimentation.

Special thanks to Primăria Cluj-Napoca, the Rustic Construct from Maramureș, USAMV Cluj-Napoca, and all local actors involved in bringing this stage to life.

🌳 At the World Urban Forum 2026, and WOODCIRCLES explored how timber is reshaping sustainable cities thanks to their partner Urbasofia.

Real examples from Berlin - modular timber schools and the Schumacher Quartier - prove that wood construction can deliver climate-friendly, affordable, resilient housing at scale.

Transformation across Europe requires collaboration across public authorities, developers, researchers, and communities. That's what TIMBERHAUS is building.

Read more: https://timberhaus.eu/news-events/timberhaus-at-wuf13-rethinking-how-we-build-cities-through-sustainable-and-circular-wood-construction/

Ce se întâmplă când pui la aceeași masă un lider local, un dezvoltator privat, un fond de investiții și un ONG și le ceri să finanțeze împreună regenerarea unei zone degradate?

Discutăm pe 21 iunie de la 15:00–16:00, la workshopul Green Investment Simulation Game: Who Governs the Transformation?

Prin intermediul unui joc de simulare, participanții își asumă roluri din ecosistemul unei investiții verzi și negociază un pachet de finanțare pentru un sit degradat real din Cluj-Napoca sau București. Instrumentele pe masă sunt cele cu care lucrăm în practică (ERDF, BEI, blended finance, PPP, fonduri de impact), iar miza este să înțelegem ce mecanisme de guvernanță fac posibil (sau imposibil) un astfel de acord.

Workshopul pornește de la modelul multi-nivel dezvoltat în proiectul NONA - New Governance for New Spaces și se adresează urbaniștilor, arhitecților, reprezentanților administrației publice, actorilor din sectorul privat și financiar, studenților și tuturor celor interesați de guvernanță urbană și finanțare verde.

Înscrieri: https://tinyurl.com/ye25ccfd

On 27-28 May, the Timberhaus consortium gathered in Baia Mare, Romania, for the M18 General Assembly, organised by the Municipiul Baia Mare in a region with a strong and visible connection to wood, craftsmanship and local building traditions.

Urbasofia was represented by Madalina Rusen, Domenico Pellitteri and Daria Dutu, who contributed to the discussions on the challenges, opportunities and enabling conditions for the climate-smart use of wood in construction.

The team presented progress on market potential assessment, regulatory and policy mapping, EU best practices and future recommendations, while also highlighting the finalisation of the study on local cultural traditions, crafts and design languages in the partner cities. The presentations also reported on the successful completion of the first round of local summits across the three partner cities, emphasizing the role of place-based dialogue in fostering the climate-smart use of wood in construction.

A special highlight of the meeting was the visit to Maramureș, where partners had the opportunity to experience the region’s wooden churches, traditional architecture and craftsmanship. This offered a strong reminder that timber construction is not only a technical or climate-related topic, but also a cultural and territorial resource.

Many thanks to the Municipality of Baia Mare for hosting the General Assembly, and to all partners for the valuable exchanges, collaboration and continued work toward more sustainable, inclusive and locally grounded timber construction pathways.