June 9-12 saw the first edition of NEB FESTIVAL, the international event organized by New European Bauhaus: beautiful, sustainable, together, the European program dedicated to giving voice, visibility and resources to those dedicated to designing and implementing collective and participatory actions to improve cities and the quality of life of their inhabitants.

The event was declined into 4 sections:

• MOBILE FAIR in Brussels = exhibition in itinerant form in the main squares of the city center on environmentally sustainable mobile means (light mobility), such as bicycles and electric vehicles
• FIXED FAIR with fixed stands at the Brussels Maritime Races, an excellent example of sustainable reuse of industrial architectural heritage
• SITE SPECIFIC with simultaneous events in major European cities
• FORUMS (offline and online) with a calendar of meetings and debates to reflect together on the future of the built environment.

Our digital civic technologies FirstLife and CommonsHood participated both as exhibitors during the mobile fair and as guests at the site-specific event “A Day at Porta Palazzo” in Turin at the Porta Palazzo Central Market (Piazza della Repubblica), in collaboration with the City of Turin, Links Foundation and The Gate Porta Palazzo.

Being in Brussels allowed us to fully grasp the interdisciplinary and inclusive soul of the NEB movement and to lay the groundwork for future collaborations with many entities that, like our research group, are dedicated to the design and implementation of processes and tools to facilitate civic participation, to promote and facilitate co-design processes intended for communities in cities and territories, and to improve the production and preservation of common goods.

During the Turin event, we had the opportunity to consolidate relationships and collaborations with some of the realities that work in the urban landscape and with whom we share the urgency of continuing to build together a city capable of responding to contemporary needs for sustainability, inclusion and beauty, starting from the awareness that active citizenship and a forward-looking political vision are the sine qua non conditions for giving concreteness to the future of the spaces and ways in which we live.

Almost a year ago, at the launch of the NEB program, artist Olafur Eliasson said, “The change of perspective happens when to the question: who is the audience? we manage to answer, Oh, it’s me, it’s also me, not just me!” And we can say that this shift in perspective is happening and that NEB has the strength to bring together the proposals and actions of individuals to give birth to a movement that will truly be a promoter of a reconversion of the way we think about the future and live in the present, that will be a megaphone to demand change, inspire policy and give voice to ALL voices. As Carlos Moreno made clear during his speech, we no longer have time to hope for things to change, we must demand it. We, for our part, will continue unceasingly to improve our civic technologies as a tool that can offer a digital world that does not replace the physical world, but on the contrary can make it more sustainable, beautiful and inclusive.

To learn about the projects featured at the fair and listen again to the forum speeches visit: NEB Platform or the gE.CO Map where we have mapped some of the most significant realities present in Brussels.