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Urban Doers Community

The Urban Doers Community brings together urban innovators who are testing new ideas to transform neighbourhoods and urban spaces. It supports those working at the hyperlocal level who are often excluded from mainstream research and innovation funding, helping them connect, share experiences, and translate locally tested activities to other contexts.
Group picture of the first 20 initiatives of the Urban Doers Community.

Who is an urban doer?

Grassroots and neighbourhood initiatives, micro-enterprises, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, civil society organisations, designers, and other creative actors.

Often characterised by a high do-it-yourself ethos and strong community basis, these initiatives engage in the implementation of small-scale, experimental approaches that address specific urban challenges within a confined, everyday-life context.

Urban Doers Community pilot

The first edition of the Urban Doers Community was launched in 2023. With over 190 submissions from 24 countries, this pilot call demonstrated a significant interest from urban niche innovators eager to engage with European research and innovation programming. During a year, 20 selected initiatives came together to exchange experiences, build networks, and amplify their impact.

Urban Doers Initiatives

Urban Doers

WiseEuropa

Facing Transport and Energy Poverty
Frank Bold Society
Urban Doers

Frank Bold

Shared Energy Management of the Tolštejn voluntary association of municipalities
Urban Doers

SUSDESIGN

Design Circular: Waste Reconsidered
Urban Doers

Elav Tänav

Sustainable Mobility Interventions for Schools in Tallinn, Estonia
Urban Doers Policy Recommendations

Policy Paper: Bridging urban niche innovation and European ambitions

The Urban Doers Community has co-developed 12 policy recommendations with insights into how localised, community-driven approaches can and support European ambitions for sustainable, inclusive urban transitions. 

Read it

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Interviews with 4 urban doers.

How do local initiatives support citizens and municipalities to drive change in cities?

Get inspired by four urban doers sharing how they are advancing circularity, empowering communities, shaping mobility plans, and rethinking energy systems.

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Urban Lunch Talk #32 Highlights

Urban Lunch Talk: Urban Doers - Local Initiatives Driving Cities Transformation

In this Urban Lunch Talk, two of the urban doers’ initiatives engage in a discussion with representatives from NetZeroCities and the European Commission on how the transformative potential of local initiatives can be leveraged.