🌿 Open Call for Inclusive Climate-Resilient Public Spaces in Madrid

📣 Introduction & Context

As part of the BAUHAUS4MED project, this Open Call invites individuals, communities, and organisations across Madrid to co-create solutions for inclusive, climate-resilient public spaces.

This initiative builds on the vision of the New European Bauhaus (NEB):

• Sustainability – ecological transition and regenerative practices

• Aesthetics – quality design, emotional connection, and cultural expression

• Inclusion – diversity, accessibility, and social cohesion

We believe the transformation of Madrid’s public spaces must be participatory, place-based, and future-facing. This call aims to bring forward ideas that blend care, creativity, and climate justice.

🌍 Local Challenge: Heat, Inequality, and the Right to the City

Madrid is facing rising summer temperatures, uneven green coverage, and the growing exclusion of vulnerable communities from quality public spaces. We are looking for community-led proposals that address these challenges by reimagining streets, plazas, and underused urban areas as cooler, more inclusive, and socially vibrant environments.

🧩 What Kind of Solutions Are We Looking For?

We welcome proposals that:

• Clearly align with NEB values

• Offer practical and implementable ideas for improving public space (e.g., cooling corridors, community-shaded plazas, storytelling furniture, public rituals of care)

• Are rooted in Madrid’s specific neighbourhood dynamics and identities

• Reflect the NEB working principles: participatory, transdisciplinary, locally grounded, life-cycle aware

👥 Who Can Apply?

This call is open to:

• Individuals (aged 18+)

• Informal collectives and neighbourhood associations

• Civil society groups, cooperatives, and SMEs

• Designers, artists, architects, activists, youth groups, academic teams

We particularly encourage applications from:

• Migrant-led, racialised, and queer communities

• Young people (18–30)

• Groups working in historically underinvested barrios of Madrid

📝 What to Submit

Your proposal should include:

• A short narrative (max 1000 words) with a title and body describing your idea that includes:

  • Description of how the project reflects NEB values

  • Timeline and implementation strategy

  • Estimated budget (max €5,000)

Submit your proposal via the this proposal space no later than 13 June 2025.

🗳️ Evaluation Process

Submissions will be reviewed via a dual-track process:

• Local expert panel: Composed of public servants, designers, urban ecologists, and community leaders (Quintuple Helix)

• Citizen voting: From 14–23 June 2025, residents will vote through the CROWDVOCACY platform

Evaluation criteria:

• How well it reflects NEB values

• Creativity, feasibility, and impact

• Community relevance and participatory potential

• Long-term sustainability and local fit

🧭 How to Apply

All proposals must be submitted via this platform. The platform ensures transparency, collective visibility, and supports participation aligned with NEB working principles.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Access the Platform

   • Create a user account or log in using your existing credentials

2. Navigate to the Open Call

   • The open call is available at this link: https://b4m.space/assemblies/helpdesk/f/24/proposals

3. Create Your Proposal

   • Click “New Proposal”

   • Fill in the required fields:

     • Title (short and clear)

     • Proposal Description (max 1000 words)

       • Alignment with NEB values (select the values your project addresses)

       • Timeline and implementation plan

       • Simple bullet point proposal for an estimated budget (up to €5,000)

     • Upload visuals optional (sketch, collage, rendering, etc.)

     Submit and Share

   • Click “Publish Proposal” to make it visible to the public and eligible for evaluation

   • Share your proposal with your community—citizen voting opens on 14 June 2025 (voters must create a log in to cast their vote)