On October 1st & 2nd, the final conference of the Horizon 2020 Project EUARENAS took place. The aim of this event was to showcase, share, and discuss the results of nearly four years of action research on participatory and deliberative practices in European urban settings. Activists, practitioners, citizens, policymakers, and elected representatives from local, national, and European levels were invited to express and share their experiences, questions, and challenges in making participation and deliberation an integral and valuable element of the European democratic process. The central question for the conference was: how can we nurture active citizenship, social agendas, and political life through citizen participation and democratic innovations in European cities?
EUARENAS was more than a traditional academic research project. It crossed academic disciplines and professional specializations to build a holistic approach to social change and social learning. The project was also intersectoral, uniting practitioners, civil society activists, promoters of citizen participation, and universities committed to community engagement.
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