HERITAGE REGENERATION LABS (HRL) - PARTICIPATION-01 and -03

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) calls for transformative approaches that integrate sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion. Across Southern and Eastern Europe, many small and medium urban areas are facing:

• depopulation and social fragmentation

• underused cultural heritage assets

• limited participation of women in territorial innovation ecosystems

• low integration of digital tools in community-led regeneration

At the same time, women entrepreneurs and cultural actors represent an underutilised force for place-based transformation.

HERITAGE REGENERATION LABS (HRL) proposes to activate local heritage sites as living laboratories where AI-enabled participatory design, female leadership and community co-creation generate new regenerative models aligned with NEB values.

The project contributes to:

• European Green Deal

• Digital Transition

• Gender Equality Strategy

• Social Inclusion & Territorial Cohesion

2. Overall Objective

To design, pilot and validate a replicable NEB-aligned territorial regeneration model based on:

• AI-supported participatory planning

• Women-led social entrepreneurship

• Cultural heritage reactivation

• Community co-design processes

3. Specific Objectives

1. Develop an AI-assisted toolkit for community-based regeneration.

2. Establish 4 Heritage Regeneration Labs in different European territories.

3. Train 80 women (entrepreneurs, cultural operators, community leaders) in regenerative design and AI-supported planning.

4. Prototype at least 8 micro-regeneration interventions (temporary installations, circular reuse solutions, digital storytelling environments, etc.).

5. Produce a NEB Replication Framework for municipalities and SMEs.

4. Innovation Dimension

The project integrates three innovative layers:

1️⃣ Digital Innovation

• Ethical AI tools to support co-design simulations

• Digital twins for heritage reactivation scenarios

• Generative AI for participatory storytelling and design concepts

2️⃣ Social Innovation

• Women as territorial transformation agents

• Hybrid governance models (public–community–SME collaboration)

• Co-creation methodologies integrating creative and digital skills

3️⃣ Environmental Innovation

• Circular materials for micro-interventions

• Low-impact adaptive reuse strategies

• Climate-resilient micro-design solutions

5. Target Groups

• Women entrepreneurs in cultural and creative sectors

• Municipalities managing heritage assets

• SMEs in green and digital innovation

• Youth and community members

• Local policy makers

6. Main Work Packages (Indicative)

WP1 – Research & Mapping

• Territorial diagnostics

• Gender and innovation gap analysis

• Heritage potential mapping

WP2 – AI & Co-Design Toolkit Development

• Ethical AI framework

• Participatory digital tools

• Open-source regeneration platform

WP3 – Heritage Regeneration Labs Implementation

• 4 pilot territories

• Community workshops

• Prototyping and testing

WP4 – Capacity Building & Women Leadership Programme

• Training modules

• Mentoring pathways

• Entrepreneurial incubation support

WP5 – Impact, Evaluation & NEB Replication Model

• Social impact assessment

• Environmental indicators

• Policy recommendations

7. Expected Impact

✔ Increased women-led regenerative enterprises
✔ Reactivated heritage spaces through low-cost, sustainable interventions
✔ Strengthened local participation in spatial planning
✔ Transferable NEB regeneration model
✔ Digital tools aligned with AI Act ethical principles

8. Potential Pilot Territories (Example)

• Southern Spain (medium urban heritage area)

• Italy (historic small town)

• Belgium (post-industrial regeneration zone)

• Baltic region (adaptive reuse context)