iUE AT THE SPARKLE CALENZANO SCHOOL: PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE AND CO-CREATION PROCESSES

Between May 5th and 6th 2026, the SPARKLE School “When Circular Economy Meets Local Climate Strategies” brought together around 40 local and regional leaders from across Europe to explore how circular economy principles can support climate resilience, resource-wise urban regeneration, and more socially just local economies. iUE’s project manager Samir Amin was part of this capacity building event, hosted in Calenzano (Italy), and led the session “Co-creating more inclusive and fair planning through participatory approaches: an overview of participatory methodologies with a focus on Storytelling.”

Samir Amin presented key principles and practical methodologies for designing inclusive, meaningful, and impactful participatory governance and co-creation processes that support circular economy solutions. His session explored how government officials and policy practitioners can better understand their local context, and the necessary thought processes to design responsive and impactful participatory processes. He also introduced five participatory strategies with strong potential to support the identification and implementation of circular economy initiatives, highlighting their relevance for more equitable and sustainable urban development.
 
Samir’s session also included an interactive activity where participants worked on fictional urban scenarios shaped by residents’ stories, demonstrating how lived experiences can challenge conventional planning assumptions and reshape approaches to urban governance and design.

On the second day, Samir facilitated a working table focused on envisioning how participatory approaches could help realise a circular future for the regeneration of Calenzano.

The SPARKLE School in Calenzano highlighted both the growing momentum and the ongoing challenges surrounding the circular economy in Europe. It was encouraging to see how engaged participants were in exploring innovative, inclusive, and locally grounded approaches, as well as the wide range of practical solutions already being implemented across different European contexts. At the same time, the discussions made clear that there is still significant work to do in defining what circularity truly means — particularly in challenging its social boundaries, broadening what we recognise as circular practice, and making these approaches more accessible and relevant to diverse communities.

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