From participation to self-sufficiency: Designing democratic, climate-ready communities

This panel will explore NEB best practices that empower under-represented groups, showing how democratic participation and local, decentralised models can transform the way neighbourhoods are planned, built, and managed. Community-led energy systems, circular micro-economies, cooperative housing, and shared infrastructures can enhance climate adaptation and reduce dependence on centralised structures, translating EU values of equality, inclusion, and representation into concrete design and governance processes.

Speakers: 

• Dalila Dias - Coordinator at Aldeias Historicas de Portugal
• Seungho Park-Lee - Design Researcher and Associate Professor at UNIST
• Iris Van den Abbeel - Programme Director Urban Renewal Service of Ghent
• Finn Wiliams - City Architect of Malmö