Silvia Urra-Uriarte

Managing historic districts requires accurate footfall forecasting, yet they often rely on sparse, low-cost sensor networks. We present an operational footfall-intelligence architecture deployed in Laredo's historic center (Spain) using 13 sensors under the EU REGEN project. The system combines a context-enriched tabular engine (Random Forest: RMSE 5.53, R² 0.87) for interpretable single-step nowcasting with a graph neural network (T-GCN: MAE 6.17 at 1 h) to capture spatial flow redistribution and mitigate noise. Integrated into a 3D urban digital twin, this hybrid coupling of contextual machine learning with spatio-temporal graphs yields actionable intelligence for constrained heritage management.

Urban regeneration increasingly relies on collaborative approaches to address complex spatial and social challenges. While co-design and participatory practices are widely promoted as mechanisms for generating collective creativity, less attention has been paid to the institutional arrangements required to sustain such creativity and translate it into implementable urban interventions. This article addresses this gap by examining how collective creativity can be institutionalised within long-term neighbourhood regeneration processes. Drawing on an Action Case methodology, the study analyses the implementation of a Collective Creativity Governance Model in the Santa Ana neighbourhood (Ermua, Spain), developed within the European drOp project. The model combines a multi-arena governance architecture composed of a Coordination Structure, an Executive Commission, and an Extended Commission, together with boundary-spanning roles and an iterative process of Engagement, Co-Creation, Structure Testing, and Evaluation. The findings show that differentiated governance arenas can coordinate participation, support collective learning, and translate citizen-generated ideas into urban regeneration actions. However, the study also reveals important institutional frictions associated with administrative silos, procedural rigidity, and accountability requirements. Boundary-spanning actors emerged as critical enablers of collaboration while simultaneously constituting a structural vulnerability due to role ambiguity and organisational pressure. The article concludes that sustaining collective creativity requires governance arrangements capable of supporting boundary-spanning functions, overcoming institutional fragmentation, and embedding collaborative routines within everyday municipal practice. These findings contribute to current debates on collaborative governance and neighbourhood regeneration by advancing understanding of how collective creativity becomes institutionalised over time

A Neighbourhood Regeneration Office (NRO) is one of the core approaches developed in REGEN project (REGENeration of neighbourhoods towards a low-carbon, inclusive and affordable built environment) co-financed by the Horizon Europe programme (Built4People Partnership). It is being deployed in four demonstration sites: Beckerich (Luxembourg), Dublin (Ireland), Milan (Italy) and Laredo (Spain). The NROs are meant to be the cornerstone of REGEN’s enactment of lasting behavioural change, but what exactly are they? The main objective of this brief report is to summarize an attempt to conceptualise NRO as an innovative type of physical urban space dedicated to urban regeneration. The has involved extensive research of both literature and practices of related models of One-Stop Shops and ‘third places’. It was followed by collaborative discussions between technical and scientific partners. The resulting insights were subsequently reviewed and refined in consultation with the four demo sites. These sessions allowed to propose the key activities of the NROs, ultimately leading to a practical and tailored operational framework for their implementation within and beyond the REGEN project. Our preliminary results suggest that Neighbourhood Regeneration Offices combine two key functions: 1) support to boost rehabilitation and 2) community-building. By merging these two concepts, NROs aim to provide both practical tools and social interaction opportunities, creating a unique model for urban regeneration. They serve as a bridge between technical support and community engagement, making neighbourhood transformation a shared, accessible, and sustainable in the long-term. The proposed definition of an NRO proposed in this brief report is complemented by the description of NRO’s value proposition and key activities. Presentation of NRO’s clear alignment with the New European Bauhaus principles further contributes to proposing NRO as an attractive and replicable model for urban regeneration in Europe.

Local economic development (LED) strategies at the district level—such as sub-city or neighbourhood initiatives—play a crucial role in fostering sustainable and inclusive urban growth. This study explores the critical factors influencing LED and urban regeneration at the district scale, emphasising the integration of sustainability, digital technologies, inclusivity, energy efficiency, community engagement, and innovation into strategic planning. To prioritise these CFs, a tailored survey was distributed among a group of 13 city experts from European cities, involved in research projects focused on district-level quality-of-life enhancements through building retrofits, urban space interventions, energy community promotion, and technological deployment. By focusing on the district level, this research highlights the importance of tailoring strategies to local contexts and leveraging the unique characteristics of each neighbourhood. The findings reveal the need for local governments to enhance the capacity of administrative staff to engage citizens and direct external support for development projects. The normative recommendations derived from this study are specifically grounded in district-level research and practice, ensuring their applicability to sub-city areas. This paper concludes that a context-specific and collaborative approach is essential for achieving equitable and sustainable economic development at the district level.

Citizen participation plays a critical role in the transformation towards citizen-centered smart cities, ensuring resilience, inclusivity, and responsiveness to community needs. Smart cities, while often associated with technological infrastructures and digital tools, also adopt a human-cepntered perspective that emphasizes the social and participatory dimensions of smart urban development. Engaging residents in these initiatives not only facilitates the acquisition of valuable insights but also strengthens the foundation for equitable urban development. However, the participatory process often encounters significant barriers that hinder its effectiveness, posing challenges to the creation of truly inclusive and citizen-centered smart cities. This paper analyzes the participatory processes and outcomes of two case studies, URBANAGE and drOp, both of which follow a Human-Centered Design approach and have implemented targeted actions to address participation challenges. This article explains the methodologies and processes followed in these projects and identifies key lessons learnt from their experiences and examining the impact of participatory processes on project outcomes. Lastly, it proposes practical guidelines to enhance the effectiveness of citizen involvement in future smart city initiatives. Despite their focus on different citizen groups and objectives, both case studies faced similar obstacles in fostering meaningful participation and awareness.

The demographic change calls for the creation of age-friendly environments that result from the collaboration between several fields. Previous initiatives fostering age-friendly environments often had less-than-desired impact or reach due to financial and bureaucratic constraints. Additionally, territory-specific standards and needs hinder the replication of good practices. Based on a mixed-methods approach combining a narrative review of knowledge models followed by expert consultation, we propose a framework to maximise the sustainability of Smart Healthy Age-friendly Environment (SHAFE) initiatives by connecting local ecosystems and stakeholders, including underrepresented entities, and thus promote sustainable business models, to ensure the replicability, scalability, and sustainability – the Transnational Local-sphere Model. This social innovation framework goes beyond previously established helix frameworks, by incorporating fresh ideas on democratic policy making, transnational spanning, and inter-ecosystem collaboration, as well as emphasising the role of institutions, stakeholders, networks, and principles. The collaboration and competition between the different stakeholders ensure a value-driven, cost-effective, and inclusive intervention, maximising impact. The Transnational Local-Sphere Model can also be applied in the development of other social innovation initiatives that benefit a usercentred multi-stakeholder inter-ecosystem approach.

People responsible for shaping the future of cities often seek valuable tools to assist in their decision-making processes. Using objective, quantified, and analysed data proves highly beneficial when determining where to focus interventions at the city level. Various urban indexes have been established to measure different aspects of urban life, ranging from sustainability to liveability. These indexes encompass multiple dimensions of a city, including mobility and walkability, among others. The age-friendly cities initiative developed indicators for assessing the age-friendliness of cities. Some researchers further refined these indicators to focus on urban planning competencies. Building on this foundation, this article aims to present an Age-Friendly Neighbourhood Index (AFNI) validated by a panel of experts using the Delphi method. This index can serve as a valuable tool for urban planners when they need to prioritise interventions to enhance age-friendliness at neighbourhood scale. The article also outlines the necessary data and measurement techniques for these indicators. The AFNI has been applied to a real case study in the city of Santander (Spain). This application assesses the age-friendliness of various neighbourhoods in Santander, demonstrating the challenges in acquiring sub-local quality data and emphasising the need for data-driven urban management.

In this article we propose a novel approach for mobility analysis by isochrone overlapping to aid urban planners in the decision-making processes of walkable cities for all citizens. This approach focuses on the pedestrian mobility of older citizens but can accommodate different accessibility requirements to quantify the mobility of users. As will be seen, the proposed approach offers great insight for the X-minute city concept and chronourbanism as it unveils new data exploitation that enhances spatially aware analysis and optimization. The reduction in computation complexity of simulation has been quantified and tested. A streamlined workflow is proposed for the evaluation of indicators related to accessible walking and also the identification of the best locations for new services.