Full Title of the Project:
Places for Community Revitalization with Rural Focus

Project Overview:

Many rural settlements along the Danube, particularly in disadvantaged areas, lack sufficient community spaces. This issue results from ongoing demographic and economic decline, leading residents to rely on nearby urban centers for social and community activities. Consequently, rural communities face:

• Reduced community engagement
• Diminished social cohesion
• Limited tourism attractiveness
• Deepened socio-spatial inequalities

Such conditions create persistent “rural apathy,” making revitalization efforts challenging and limiting opportunities to showcase local heritage.

Multicultural villages along the Danube face additional complexities, as cultural differences often magnify existing challenges, hinder development, and provoke nationalist sentiments. While multiculturalism is frequently perceived as a barrier, it represents significant untapped potential, especially when rural communities are closely linked to urban areas serving as cultural hubs.

The PlaceCRAFT project aims to develop a sustainable socio-economic model for rural placemaking that leverages cultural heritage and tourism, specifically targeting multicultural villages near urban centers along the Danube.

Its main goals are:

• Creating or revitalizing community spaces in rural multicultural settlements
• Enhancing territorial connectivity and community cohesion
• Increasing tourism attractiveness by highlighting local heritage through contemporary approaches

The project involves:

Objectives:

• Implement participatory processes to actively involve locals from five selected villages in Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria.
• Develop pilot projects using participatory design, artistic research, and community programming methodologies to valorize local cultural heritage.
• Establish a collaborative regional model with support from local municipalities, institutions, entrepreneurs, and associations.

Implementation Steps:

Step 1: Knowledge Transfer and Capacity Building

• Launch an open call for proposals to identify and disseminate good practices in the Danube region.
• Set up local learning hubs to equip stakeholders with innovative tools for cultural co-creation and management.
• Promote tangible and intangible heritage, making it more accessible for locals and tourists.

Step 2: On-site Pilot Project Implementation

• Execute action plans developed collaboratively during Step 1.
• Physically enhance heritage sites while fostering intangible benefits such as improved community cooperation, increased sense of ownership, and integrated approaches to heritage, community-building, and tourism development.

The project emphasizes the integration of cultural heritage with contemporary art, aiming to make heritage assets relevant and engaging to modern audiences. Contemporary art will serve as a bridge, revitalizing local heritage for both residents and visitors.

Long-term Sustainability and Economic Impact:

• Establish co-management systems involving local decision-makers, community members, businesses, and regional institutions.
• Integrate regenerated heritage sites into regional tourism through a service design approach.

Outcomes and Dissemination:

• Develop an innovative co-creation model adaptable to diverse rural communities.
• Create site-specific strategy packages for sustainable place management.
• Compile lessons learned into a “Handbook of Rural Placemaking” for broader dissemination.
• Foster regional and inter-regional adoption and promotion of the model, building capacity within local communities, municipalities, and tourism-related institutions.

Project Partners:

• Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre (Hungary) – Lead Partner
• Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary)
• DANUrB International Association (Hungary)
• Nansen Dialogue Center Osijek (Croatia)
• Placemaking Western Balkans (Serbia)
• Politehnica University of Timişoara (Romania)
• Euroland Banat Association (Romania)
• National Tourism Cluster “Bulgarian Guide” (Bulgaria)
• Regional Agency for Socio-Economic Development – Banat Ltd (Serbia)
• International “Elias Canetti” Society (Bulgaria)
• Baranja Development Agency of the City of Beli Manastir (Croatia)
• Foundation for Contemporary Art and Media (Serbia)

Participating Countries: Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania