NEB Murcia Region Festival: reconnecting nature and sense of belonging from local level

Under the title “Reconnecting nature and the sense of belonging from the local level”, UrbACTivistas will promote a programme of activities in different municipalities across the Region of Murcia as part of the New European Bauhaus Festival. The activities, developed by the entities that are part of the local chapter, will bring the NEB values — sustainability, inclusion and beauty — closer to citizens through participatory experiences linked to the territory, architecture, heritage, culture and community life.

The programme will begin on 10 June in Santomera with “La Biblioteca Casa del Huerto, where ideas grow”, a participatory activity linked to the future Casa del Huerto Library. Under the motto “Imagine, Participate, Inhabit”, the activity will invite local associations, children and citizens to share ideas to collectively imagine this new space, combining the sowing of proposals with the sowing of plants as a symbol of the project’s growth.

On the same day, COAMU will organize “NEB Architecture: guided visit to VRIO, sustainability and inclusion”, an open event at the VRIO headquarters in Molina de Segura. Through a guided visit to the building, participants will learn about its sustainable architecture strategies, spatial wellbeing and urban integration, bringing contemporary architecture closer to diverse audiences from an accessible, educational and participatory perspective.

From 10 to 13 June, the Technical University of Cartagena will host “UPCT x New European Bauhaus: building Europe from the classroom”, an exhibition of works developed by students in subjects linked to the NEB values. The exhibition will show how sustainability, inclusion and beauty can be integrated into university learning and into the creation of new architectural, urban and creative proposals.

On 11 June, Jumilla City Council will hold “Cinema + NEB: from storytelling to action”, an activity at the San Juan Market that will include the screening of the film El 47 in the new NEB climate shelter. The proposal will use audiovisual language as a starting point to reflect on community, urban transformation and collective action.

On 12 June, Murcia City Council and CREACIA will develop “NEB Murcia Río: El Vivillo returns”, an open event at the Manterola Footbridge and the surrounding area of the Meander of El Vivillo. The activity will combine ecological restoration, art, culture and citizen participation to reconnect people with the river and the vegetable garden, highlighting the recovery of this space from a contemporary, accessible and community-based perspective.

On 13 June, Lorquí City Council will organize “Citizen reappropriation of a third landscape”, an artistic and collective intervention in the green area with Land Art in the Saladar I Industrial Estate. The activity will transform a residual space next to the industrial estate into a shared experience linked to art, landscape and community, inviting citizens to temporarily inhabit a previously forgotten place and give it new meaning through care and belonging.

Also on 13 June, Cartagena City Council and EuroVértice will hold “Our Neighborhood Essence” in La Concepción neighborhood. The day will be open to residents of all ages and will include sports activities, community workshops, a second-hand fair, a Human Library, children’s activities, music, art and meeting spaces. The activity will highlight neighborhood life, creativity, community participation and the shared use of public space.

For their part, Blanca City Council and EuroVértice will promote the activity “Corro Espartero” on 6 and 13 June in Plaza del Teatro, Blanca. This proposal will focus on recovering and showcasing traditional esparto craftsmanship as intangible cultural heritage of the municipality, creating a participatory and intergenerational space around an artisanal knowledge deeply rooted in local identity.

Taken together, these activities show how the New European Bauhaus can take shape in very diverse local contexts, activating everyday spaces, strengthening community ties and promoting new ways of connecting citizens, nature, heritage and the built environment.