We had an amazing time at the recently concluded UIA World Congress of Architects CPH 2023 in Copenhagen! The event provided an exceptional platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and the exploration of cutting-edge ideas in architecture and urban planning. VARCITIES was showcased throughout the congress, with a dedicated booth manned by Crowdhelix and a presentation from Sara van Rompaey (E2ARC), focusing on the Pilots in Leuven and Castelfranco Veneto!

At our booth, we were delighted to welcome visitors who engaged in stimulating discussions, interactive experiences, and knowledge sharing, offering a comprehensive understanding of VARCITIES and its innovative approach to health and well-being in cities. Our Visionary Solutions for health and well-being, currently being implemented in our seven pilot cities, were showcased, providing insights into their transformative potential. Crowdhelix also promote to UIA participants the Healthy Cities Helix—a digital community of over 700 experts from 43 countries dedicated to facilitating collaboration, disseminating project outcomes, and organizing networking events in this key area, which serve as as dissemination and exploitation platform for VARCITIES.

On Wednesday 5th, July a packed room attended the presention delivered by Sara Van Rompaey from E2ARC, a key partner in our project as they lead WP6 (Implementation of the Visonary Solutions). Featured as part of the Science Track session titled “Design for Health: Planning for Healthy Environments – Part 1,” Sara’s presentation focused on how E2ARC coordinates the co-design and co-implementation in VARCITIES’ 7 Pilots and delved into the insights and outcomes of co-creating Visionary Solutions that positively impact the well-being of urban communities, presenting a new way to experience and design cities. Sara specifically shared experiences from the pilot cities of Leuven and Castelfranco Veneto, the audience was very interested to hear about their co-creation activities and how this interacts with the political decision-making in the Pilot Cities.

Sara’s conference paper is available online: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-36316-0_20

The congress itself was a resounding success, with over 6,000 participants from 135 countries, featuring 150 sessions, 250 science papers, and 400 speakers, all united by a common goal: Sustainable Futures – Leave No One Behind! Prominent researchers and practitioners across borders and generations discussed strategies to combat climate change, increase biodiversity, and promote social inclusion. The congress concluded with the launch of “The Copenhagen Lessons,” consisting of ten principles for rapid and radical change in the built environment.

The positive feedback received further reinforced the effectiveness and relevance of VARCITIES in shaping the future of urban living.