Landscape Democracy Labs: Co-Creating Inclusive and Transformative Governance through Living Landscapes

This project establishes a new generation of “Landscape Democracy Labs” that transform how communities, institutions, and public authorities co-create and govern their environments. Building on the Learning Landscapes (LeLa) methodology, the project positions landscape not only as a physical space but as a shared platform for democratic participation, learning, and societal transformation.

While many current approaches focus on designing spaces or implementing technical solutions, there is a critical gap in how citizens, experts, and decision-makers collaborate meaningfully in shaping their environments. This project addresses that gap by developing and scaling participatory, transdisciplinary, and action-oriented governance models rooted in real landscapes.

The core of the project is the creation of Landscape Democracy Labs across multiple European regions (urban, peri-urban, and rural), functioning as: living labs for co-creation and experimentation, learning environments linking universities with communities, and governance platforms enabling inclusive decision-making. These labs will implement iterative cycles of: co-creation and collaborative visioning, experimentation through pilot interventions, and evaluation through social and environmental impact.

The project integrates methods such as participatory action research, democratic charrettes, landscape forums, and community-based mapping to ensure that diverse voices—including underrepresented groups—are actively involved in shaping local futures. A key innovation lies in connecting education, governance, and spatial transformation into a single operational framework. Universities act as facilitators and knowledge mediators, while municipalities, NGOs, and citizens become co-authors of change.

The project also develops: a transferable methodological framework for landscape democracy, a toolkit for municipalities and universities, and a replicable model of Public–Private–People partnerships (PPPP) for inclusive territorial governance.

By shifting from top-down planning to co-created landscape governance, the project contributes to strengthening democratic processes, social cohesion, and long-term resilience across European territories.