SPICE

SPICE - Sustainable Public spaces through Inclusive Community Engagement

Launched in June 2025, "Sustainable Public spaces through Inclusive Community Engagement (SPICE)" is a Horizon Europe project that aims to develop a participatory co-creation model, aligned with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principles, for (re)shaping neighborhoods. 
The specific objectives of SPICE are to develop, test, and validate innovative community engagement approaches to establish an evidence-based framework, also known as the SPICE toolkit, for the co-design, co-creation, and maintenance of public spaces across four European neigborhoods in diffeent cities: Thessaloniki (Greece), Cuba (Portugal), Rovaniemi (Finland), and Bielsko-Biala (Poland).
By fostering interdisciplinary synergies and inclusive participation, leveraging advanced digital tools, and promoting circular and regenerative construction practices, SPICE hopes to address critical societal challenges, enhance social cohesion, and highlight core EU values such as democratic participation, cultural and linguistic diversity, and social inclusion.

IRIDRA is one of the key partners in the SPICE project and the lead partner of "Work Package 5 -Demonstration of the new participatory approach". 
IRIDRA's main role in the project is to translate the SPICE toolkit (a digital participatory tool, backed with analog co-design and co-creation methodologies) into four customized action plans for the Demo Cases. IRIDRA will also assist the Demo Cases in co-designing and co-creating NEB-aligned Nature-Based Solution interventions, and coordinate the implementation of the SPICE toolkit. 
This tool will later be incorporated into IRIDRA’s consulting services, offering municipalities and urban developers an advanced, participatory approach to planning and designing sustainable and inclusive urban spaces. By leveraging this tool, IRIDRA will strengthen its market position and expand its scope of services in urban regeneration projects.

The project is coordinated by the Centre for Research and Technology–Hellas (CERTH) and involves numerous international partners, including The Business and Cultural Development Centre (KEPA), Draxis Research Ventures (DReVen), Codesign Toscana (CdT), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Nantes (ENSAN), Impact Hub GmbH (IHNet), the Association Européenne des Agences de Développement (EURADA), the Regional Development Agency in Bielsko-Biala (ARRSA), Make it Better (miB), Arctic Factory (AF), the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Rovaseudun Markkinakiinteistöt Oy (RoMa) and the Municipality of Cuba (CMC).

The project, funded under the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme (call HORIZON-MISS-2024-NEB-01), will start in June 2025 and end in May 2028, for a total duration of 36 months, with a total budget of €4,375,763.75, of which €3,999,882.88 is contributed by the European Commission, including €292,730.38 allocated to Iridra.

More info about the project: spice-he.eu