Regenerative Approaches for Resilient Neighbourhood Economies

The Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Rotterdam is exploring opportunities for a DUT Call 2026 proposal building on the emerging REGENLIFE network, currently supported through the Dutch "Richting Europa" programme. The consortium brings together municipalities, universities, research organisations, innovation intermediaries and place-based practitioners across Europe.

Our ambition is to explore how concepts and practices from regenerative tourism can contribute to stronger neighbourhood economies and more resilient communities. While regenerative tourism has traditionally focused on creating positive impacts for destinations, communities and visitors, we believe its principles are equally relevant for nurturing local economies, strengthening social cohesion and supporting long-term neighbourhood wellbeing.

The project will investigate how local economic ecosystems can be supported through approaches such as community wealth building, local value circulation, place stewardship and collaborative governance. Particular attention will be given to the role of local entrepreneurs, anchor institutions, community-led initiatives and innovative business models in creating lasting value for residents and neighbourhoods.

Through a combination of living labs, research and practice-based experimentation, we aim to better understand how economic activity, including the visitor economy, can contribute to thriving neighbourhoods rather than extracting value from them.

The consortium already includes partners with expertise in regenerative development, tourism, placemaking, living labs, urban governance and community engagement. We are particularly interested in connecting with:

• Living lab partners willing to test and co-develop approaches in neighbourhood contexts;

• Researchers in business studies, entrepreneurship and local economic development;

• Experts in community wealth building and regenerative economics;

• Cities and public authorities interested in neighbourhood resilience and inclusive development;

• Organisations working on impact assessment and evaluation.

Together, we aim to develop practical insights, governance models and policy recommendations that connect regenerative tourism thinking with resilient neighbourhood economies and community wellbeing.

Keywords: regenerative tourism, neighbourhood economies, community wealth building, local value circulation, entrepreneurship, visitor economy, living labs, placemaking, urban governance, regenerative development.