Awakening sleeping beauties – Integrating Nature Based Solutions with New European Bauhaus values for sustainable, inclusive and resilient societies
Sleeping Beauty is a project funded by the European Commission that seeks to awaken the hidden potential of overlooked and neglected public spaces, transforming them into vibrant, nature-inspired places that foster community, well-being, and urban resilience.
Coordinated by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Sleeping Beauty brings together 21 organisations from 9 European countries, all united by a shared ambition: to breathe new life into underused and forgotten places, our so-called “sleeping beauties.” The project focuses on six pilot sites across Europe: Riga (LV), Wroclaw (PL), Fröseke (SE), Bolzano (IT), Kozani (EL), and Collegno (IT). These sites span a range of settings, from rural to urban, and face challenges such as urban heat islands, depopulation, lack of green spaces, and light pollution.
Each site will be transformed into a beautiful, multifunctional living space through the integration of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and New European Bauhaus (NEB) values, placing sustainability, inclusion, and aesthetics at the heart of the design.
To shape these transformations, the project follows six guiding principles: Regenerate, Re-value, Re-use, Re-connect, Re-organise, and Replicate. These principles drive the development of creative, co-designed solutions that boost biodiversity, well-being, and inclusiveness, while ensuring equitable access to high-quality public space and lasting positive impact across Europe.
Start: 06/2025
End: 05/2029
Funded by: European Commission
Contact: Gudrun Haindlmaier
Keywords: Nature based solutions, New European Bauhaus, Co-creation, Inclusive, Sustainability, Aesthetics, Urban Planning, Public Spaces
Website: www.sleepingbeauty-project.eu https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-beauty-eu-project/
