AIT coordinates European research project to develop innovative street furniture solutions
How can public spaces across Europe become more sustainable, inclusive and attractive? This is the central question addressed by the new EU research project CANVAS, coordinated by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. Launched in September 2026, the Horizon Europe project aims to transform and reimagine public spaces by prototyping and demonstrating innovative street furniture solutions. The focus is on combining environmental sustainability, accessibility, safety and design excellence with the needs of local communities. By coordinating CANVAS, AIT makes an important contribution to the sustainable development of public infrastructure in Europe, bridging innovative research approaches with practical solutions for climate-resilient, inclusive and vibrant public spaces.
Street furniture as a driver of sustainable and liveable cities
Across Europe, cities and communities face similar challenges: infrastructural decay, unequal access to or lack of essential public amenities, and safety concerns arising from insufficient lighting or hazardous spatial conditions. Urban furniture, including benches, lighting and other fixtures of public space, is often treated as a purely functional, industrial product in public procurement. Aspects such as climate adaptation, local needs and cultural identity frequently receive insufficient attention.
This is where CANVAS comes in. The project aims to rethink street furniture as an essential element of sustainable and inclusive urban development. Guided by the principles of the New European Bauhaus, CANVAS will develop innovative design approaches that combine environmental, social and cultural requirements.
“Design practices and public procurement should harness the potential of urban furniture as a driver of sustainability, local value creation, inclusion and cultural identity. CANVAS aims to accelerate the transformation of European public spaces by co-creating a new European quality standard for street furniture that bridges design excellence, community participation and environmental performance,” explains Gudrun Haindlmaier, CANVAS project coordinator at the AIT Center for Innovation Systems and Policy.
Eight European pilot sites to demonstrate innovative solutions
Across eight pilot sites in diverse European regions, CANVAS will prototype and demonstrate sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient street furniture solutions under real-world conditions. The pilot sites are located in Ajdovščina (Slovenia), İzmir (Türkiye), Longford County (Ireland), Reșița (Romania), Reykjavík (Iceland), Upper Austria, and Wolin and Wrocław (Poland).
The project will implement 21 solutions and seven novel resilient and low-maintenance design models. These will include modular and adaptive street furniture, circular materials, nature-based shading and planting, and design solutions rooted in local heritage. The solutions aim to improve comfort, safety and accessibility year-round while respecting local cultural identities.
A key element of CANVAS is the active involvement of local communities. Municipalities, local NGOs, creative and business actors will collaborate with research and innovation partners to identify site-specific challenges and co-create innovative solutions. Artistic elements, design contests and digital tools for decision-making and co-design will support these participatory processes.
New standards for design and public procurement
Beyond implementation at the pilot sites, CANVAS will develop an actionable framework and toolkit to guide municipalities and regional stakeholders across all stages of the public procurement process. This will cover everything from co-creating design concepts and selecting sustainable materials to integrating climate adaptation features and ensuring long-term maintenance.
A comprehensive monitoring framework will assess the impact of the implemented solutions. The lessons learned will feed into recommendations for urban policy and public procurement, as well as replication roadmaps to support the uptake of successful approaches in other European regions.
In addition, “CANVAS on Tour” will build on lessons from the pilot sites and translate them into a physical intervention in public space in Upper Austria. In the long term, CANVAS aims to establish a new European quality benchmark for street furniture, transforming shared spaces into vibrant, equitable and climate-resilient public places that foster social interaction, inclusion and a sense of belonging.
About the CANVAS project
CANVAS – Street Furniture as a Canvas: Beauty, Inclusion and Sustainability in Public Space is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101308703 and coordinated by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. The consortium brings together 18 partner organisations from eleven countries. The project started in September 2026 and will run for four years, with a total budget of approximately EUR 5.11 million.
The kick-off meeting will take place from 14 to 16 October 2026 at DOCK, an architectural highlight for knowledge transfer at the Danube Canal in Vienna. Alongside the international project partners, representatives of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) will also attend the kick-off event.