Partnership Meeting in Timișoara

From 24 to 26 February 2026, our partnership gathered in the vibrant city of Timișoara for three inspiring and intensive days of collaboration, peer learning, and on-the-ground validation. Hosted at FABER – a dynamic cultural hub born from civic initiative and private investment – the meeting blended thematic and administrative sessions with immersive site visits, offering a living laboratory of place-based development driven by local communities.

Day 1

The first day focused on peer review and professional exchange. Partners presented their preliminary capacity-building results, mapping processes, and validation frameworks through visually engaging posters. Interactive discussions followed, allowing us to refine and challenge each other’s pilot ideas that will be implemented and tested later this year across partner locations.

FABRIC walkshop - validation in action

In the afternoon, we moved from theory to practice in the Fabric neighbourhood of Timișoara — a historically rich yet rarely visited district now entering a new phase of urban regeneration.

The FABRIC Walkshop served as a hands-on urban validation workshop. Equipped with pre- and post-evaluation questionnaires, the partnership assessed the pilot activities in real time while experiencing the neighbourhood through curated stops and local showcases.

Highlights from the Fabric neighbourhood:

FABER Tour
A powerful example of regeneration led by civic groups and entrepreneurs. Around 20 creative initiatives operate within its walls — from architects and designers to craftspeople, digital creators, and musicians — demonstrating how culture and entrepreneurship can reactivate urban spaces.

OilRight & WasteWear
Two remarkable social enterprises transforming waste into value. OilRight recycles used cooking oil from local restaurants into handmade candles, while WasteWear upcycles textiles into clothing and accessories. Both initiatives employ disadvantaged and marginalized individuals, including people with disabilities and young adults raised in orphanages, reinforcing social inclusion through meaningful employment.

Artouching
Artist workshops built around recycled materials and environmental awareness, showcasing how creativity can support sustainability.

Fabric Synagogue
The restoration of the 1899 synagogue, designed by renowned Hungarian architect Lipót Baumhorn, stands as a powerful symbol of cultural mapping and heritage-led regeneration.
The adaptive reuse of the synagogue aims to restore visibility to Jewish heritage in Western Romania and strengthen local social cohesion. Last year, our host partner implemented the SHIFT project — a temporary artistic intervention on the synagogue’s protective panels — drawing public attention to the monument’s value and catalysing community engagement toward its rehabilitation as a cultural and tourism landmark.

Ecoop – Ethical Craft Cooperative
The only new art cooperative founded locally since the early 2000s, run primarily by young artists. It promotes sustainable materials, ethical production methods, and community-based value creation.

Traian Square Entrepreneurs’ Community & PT4 House
A family-run initiative revitalising a historic building through a balanced mix of residential and commercial functions, restoring its architectural spirit and its role in the life of the square.

Rovinhud Foundation
A heartwarming example of social responsibility: fundraising through charity wine events and masterclasses to support children with disabilities.

The day demonstrated how regeneration can simultaneously address social inclusion, sustainability, cultural heritage, and economic vitality.

Despite gloomy skies and steady rain, the atmosphere among partners was bright, energetic, and full of anticipation.

Day 2

The second day combined governance with deeper thematic exploration. We held our 2nd Steering Committee meeting alongside structured sessions on management issues, SO1 coordination and upcoming tasks, SO2 coordination plans, methodology development and peer reviews.

The highlight of the day was a real-life validation session involving students studying tourism at E. Ungureanu High School in Timișoara. The young participants provided fresh insights and honest feedback on the urban pilot idea, reminding us how essential youth perspectives are in shaping inclusive and future-proof places.

The day concluded with an inspiring placemaking masterclass delivered by experts from two partner organisations. The session connected theory with our field experiences, reinforcing how participatory placemaking transforms spaces into meaningful places.

Day 3

Our final day shifted focus from urban to rural contexts with a field visit to Parța.

Through another immersive walkshop, the partnership participated in placemaking sessions, local showcases, and evaluation exercises, completing pre- and post-assessment questionnaires to measure impact and refine methodology.

Rural highlights included a visit to a local dairy farm, traditional bakery experience, tasting local food specialties, a visit to a local craft workshop, the Romanian Orthodox Church “Nativity of the Virgin Mary” and sightseeing at the reconstruction of a unique Neolithic Sanctuary.

This rural validation workshop demonstrated how community-driven development can thrive outside urban centres, rooted in tradition, craftsmanship, and local identity.

Over three days, we witnessed exemplary models of regeneration and community-led development in both urban and rural settings. We collaboratively validated the host partner’s pilot initiatives and deepened our shared methodological framework.

Most importantly, the meeting strengthened our partnership — professionally and personally. The exchange of expertise, the openness of discussions, and the immersive local experiences have prepared us for the next exciting phase: the implementation of pilots across partner countries in 2026.

We now look forward with great enthusiasm to seeing each partner bring their validated ideas to life in their own local contexts.