- August 30, 2024
YouRban is a pioneering initiative that fosters a vibrant urban ecosystem dedicated to the recycling and upcycling of materials, with a focus on reinforced polymers from local sources.
The main objective of the project is to activate an urban ecosystem of citizens, artists, designers, architects, and small-scale producers as FabLabs and artisans’ laboratories (Urban Factories), in building a sustainable and inclusive system, beautiful for eyes, minds and souls and encouraging dialogue across cultures, disciplines, professions, talents, genders, and ages.
It aligns with the New European Bauhaus and the Green Deal, aiming for a balance of aesthetics, environment, sustainability, and inclusion through innovative design and manufacturing. From an environmental perspective, it aims to reduce waste and transportation impacts, lower CO2 emissions, and reduce reliance on critical raw materials. Economically, it opens up market opportunities for European manufacturers, ensuring the project’s sustainability and lasting impact on the city beyond its conclusion.
A local, flexible and modular production system will be promoted and generated in two European cities, both linked to the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities: Milan and Barcelona. The two pilots will experiment on the co-creation of new objects and experiences through a neighborhood participatory approach supported by collaborative digital tools and a specifically designed truck. In fact, the process of demanufacturing and reprocessing reinforced polymers will be supported by locally providing examples and experiences through a 10-day event around a mobile plant on board of the truck, that will be placed in the pilot cities. During the event, citizens will be involved to provide needs and challenges, artists will be engaged through artistic residences to provide solutions inspired by art and culture and able to go beyond functionality, Urban Factories will be encouraged to participate thanks to a Cascade Funding mechanism.
Lessons learnt will be collected along the project, to fix research results and define a replication strategy. The results described in the success stories will demonstrate future potential industrial uptake.