Placemaking Week Europe 2025, held from September 23rd to 26th in Reggio Emilia, Italy, brought together a vibrant array of innovative minds (more than 400) dedicated to sustainable urban development and the transformative power of placemaking. This year’s event shone a spotlight on the role of collaboration, diversity, and creativity in reshaping our built environments to be more inclusive and forward-thinking. Against the backdrop of historic venues like the Reggiane Parco Innovazione and the Chiostri di San Pietro, the conference crafted a rich tapestry of plenaries, workshops, and informal gatherings, each building bridges between the inspirations of the past and the possibilities of the future.
Our Workshop: Shaping the Future of Urban Policymaking
Our contribution to the conference was a workshop titled Crafting Inclusive Urban Policies through Community-Data-Driven Placemaking, held on September 26th. The session aimed to engage participants in developing actionable policies rooted in community insights.
Hosted at Catomes Tôt, this unique venue provided an intimate setting for participants to exchange ideas and explore policymaking from the ground up. With bright, open spaces, collaborative table arrangements, and gallery walls, the venue perfectly encapsulated the spirit of co-creation that defined our session.
Workshop Activities: Our workshop began by introducing the participants—21 experts, 11 women and 10 men, who hailed from places like Australia, Canada, Poland, USA, Colombia and beyond—to the context of Lancaster District and the impact of our previous Placemaking with Young Adults (PYA1.0) initiatives. We shared a short film as well as our placemaking framework, setting the stage for an engaging hands-on exercise.
Participants were divided into two small groups and began engaging with a set of cards containing over 300 quotes from prior workshops with young adults in Lancaster. This ‘raw data’ formed the basis of our exploration, encouraging them to categorise quotes according to our placemaking framework for further analysis.
Participant Insights: As participants engaged with the material, many insightful and thought-provoking conversations emerged. One participant remarked, “The challenge is not just to tell and listen but to transform those insights into sustainable meaning,” emphasising the significance of collaborative interpretation. Another asked if the analysis activity should only involve planners and policymakers. Our team maintained that involving young people allows for a more nuanced understanding of their quotes and prevents misinterpretation.
Crafting Policies: Using the policy making concept sheet, the groups conceptualised potential urban policies for Lancaster District, integrating key quotes and aspirations unearthed through the workshop. These emerging policy themes will play a crucial role as we further refine and incorporate them into Lancaster’s Local Plan Review.
Conclusion: Our workshop concluded with a lively Q&A session, affirming the value of these community-engaged methodologies in shaping urban planning. Participants recognised the transformative potential of bridging participatory events with actionable planning, reflecting a shared commitment to a more resilient and inclusive urban environment.
Placemaking Week Europe has always been a cornerstone of ideas and innovations, and this year was no different. As we look towards the future, the insights and connections forged at this year’s event in Reggio Emilia will undoubtedly continue to inspire creative and inclusive urban policies across Europe and beyond.
Final Thoughts: As one of our participant’s astutely noted, “Together we can reimagine the places that we live in and take the steps necessary to make those ideas become a reality.” This encapsulates the optimism and energy that Placemaking Week Europe 2025 has inspired in all of us.
Join the Journey: Our participation in PWE2026 has influenced the development of our IAA new project: Empower & Transform through Placemaking. Engagement doesn’t stop here! Follow our ongoing journey and collaborations.
Check out our interactive storyboard here
Mirian Calvo