Inclusive City

Inclusive City rethinks placemaking and the 15-minute city through the lens of social inclusion and diversity.

It is a three year research-oriented project within the Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) partnership, which takes a critical look at the gaps in our placemaking practices and will develop a set of tools, methods, and policies to support the inclusive use of public spaces. 

The project runs from January 2024 to December 2026.

Through the project, Inclusive City partners will organize ‘Urban Living Labs’ in Budapest, Oslo, Rome, Rotterdam, and Vienna to experiment with and apply solutions to the potential negative impacts of placemaking and urban development.  Each ‘urban living lab’ pilot involves local stakeholders, communities, and target groups to address local challenges.

Map of the five Inclusive City Urban Living Labs

Natural State is leading the Oslo Urban Living Lab for the project along with our partners Fragment Architecture, NTNU, and SINTEF.

The Oslo urban living lab operates within a theory of change that aims to support extra vulnerable public space users and urban ‘nature’ as target groups, by: activating unused or inaccessible spaces; Enabling social interactions between diverse groups; and Enabling the social basis for affiliation.

Through our ‘Neighbourhood Academy for an Inclusive City’ model, we aim to build more just and resilient neighbourhoods. 

Kim Weger presenting at Placemaking Week Europe, September 2024