Citizen Participation & Vocational Education for Urban Transition

Citizen participation is embedded in BVNG’s DNA. Ark Metropolis (2010–2013), a model for citizen engagement in urban development, directly inspired the founding of BVNG in 2013. Today, we continue this work by developing participatory tools and educational models that link urban greening, circular economy, and energy transition with vocational education and training (VET).

Our approach ensures that citizens, apprentices, SMEs, and municipalities are not passive recipients of urban transformation, but active co-creators. This strengthens social acceptance, inclusiveness, and long-term sustainability of change.

Within DUT projects, BVNG can contribute by:

• Co-creation and engagement methods for urban transitions.

• VET curricula that integrate green skills, circular economy, and energy transition.

• Tools for embedding skills development into urban demonstrators.

• European and African networks for transnational exchange and scaling.