Announcing a new project: Bottom-Up NEBourhoods
We are pleased to share our involvement in a new Horizon Europe project: Bottom-Up NEB! Started in July 2026, the Bottom-Up NEBourhoods project is a transformative initiative designed to empower grassroots social entrepreneurs to drive systemic change at the neighbourhood level. By moving away from traditional top-down urban policies, the project implements four ambitious demonstration pilots in Helsinki (FI), Košice (SK), Ancona (IT), and The Hague (NL). Each pilot is rooted in the core values of the New European Bauhaus (NEB): Sustainability, Inclusion, and Beauty.
The project utilises a lump-sum funding model across eleven interconnected work packages to demonstrate how community-led initiatives in construction, mobility, and land use can create lasting local value beyond pure profit maximisation.
The AC3 Methodology
Central to the project is the AC3 Framework, which stands for Assisted Co-Design, Co-Implementation, and Co-Assessment. This framework ensures a bottom-up participatory approach by treating each pilot site as an Urban Living Lab (ULL). The methodology begins with narrative-based research to capture the “lived experiences” of residents, then moves into co-design labs and, eventually, full implementation. This systematic yet flexible process is designed to build trust, foster social cohesion, and ensure that urban transformation is equitable and reflective of local diversity.
Our role
Coordinated by Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) in a consortium of 18 partners, the Institute for Urban Excellence (iUE) plays a leadership role as the Methodology Co-Lead for Work Package 3 (WP3): Co-Design Framework and Capacity Building. Acting as a dynamic knowledge broker between academia and communities, iUE is responsible for several key project functions:
– Designing the AC3 Framework: iUE, in collaboration with The Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS), will develop the foundational guide and toolkit that serve as the “glue” ensuring all four pilot sites follow a consistent participatory logic.
– Capacity Building: iUE will lead the central “Training-of-Facilitators” workshops, equipping local site representatives with the design thinking and engagement skills necessary to manage inclusive community processes.
– Ongoing Implementation Support: Throughout the first 18 months of the project, iUE will provide ad-hoc methodological support to pilot teams, assisting with stakeholder mapping and troubleshooting challenges during the setup of local Living Labs.
Expected Impact
By the project’s conclusion after 3 years, the Bottom-Up NEBourhoods project aims to have incubated at least four new social enterprises and trained over 200 residents in NEB principles. The project will produce a NEB Co-Creation Toolkit for Cities and a Social Enterprise Business Blueprint, providing a scientifically validated model for cities across Europe to replicate. iUE’s contributions to the AC3 Framework ensure that these outcomes are not just technical successes but are deeply rooted in the well-being and agency of the communities they serve.
We are very excited for the work ahead!