About
About us: Kalnciema Quarter is a Riga-based placemaking organisation and the developer and manager of two revitalised multifunctional heritage sites: Kalnciema Quarter and Āgenskalns Market. For more than 15 years, historic urban spaces have been transformed into vibrant food, cultural, and community hubs.
Kalnciema Quarter is a restored ensemble of 19th-century wooden houses operating as an open platform for local food and crafts markets, cultural programming, creative entrepreneurship, and inclusive community life.
Āgenskalns Market, a 100-year-old Functional Art Nouveau historic marketplace, was regenerated and reopened in 2022 through a participatory process involving the neighbourhood community. Today, it functions as a dynamic food, health, culture, and community engagement hub with a strong stakeholder network, exemplifying the “living lab” approach.
Together, both sites demonstrate adaptive reuse of heritage architecture and operate as living laboratories.
Experience in EU projects:
FOODCITYBOOST (2024–2028) – Horizon Europe
IN-HABIT (2020–2025) – Horizon 2020
SUSPLACE (2015–2019) – Horizon 2020 (Marie Curie Actions)
SUPURBFOOD (2012–2015) – Horizon project
Why partner with us:
-
Proven experience in heritage revitalization and long-term site management
-
Strong local stakeholder networks and community engagement
-
Expertise in participatory governance and co-creation
-
Integrated approach linking food, culture, health, sustainability, and community wellbeing
-
Operational spaces that function as real-life implementation and testing grounds
Circular and regenerative approaches for the built environment
NEB-2026-01-REGEN-01: Sustainable, inclusive, affordable and beautiful solutions for thermal comfort in buildingsNEB-2026-01-REGEN-02: Advancing sustainable maintenance and repair measures for existing buildingsNEB-2026-01-REGEN-03: Innovative solutions for the sustainable and beautiful use of vertical space
Connecting the green transformation, social inclusion and local democracy
NEB-2026-01-PARTICIPATION-02: Innovative approaches for the spatial design of neighbourhoodsNEB-2026-01-PARTICIPATION-03: Understanding inhabitant’s experiences of neighbourhoods to support their health and well-being
Innovative funding and new business models for the transformation of neighbourhoods
NEB-2026-01-BUSINESS-03: Approaches to reuse vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces