Throughout Europe, civic spaces serve as vital arenas for democratic life… These are the places, the platforms, the events, where individuals and communities converge to engage, organise, innovate, express dissent, and collectively envision the future. These spaces are not fixed; they transform over time, thriving in some contexts while facing constraints from political, social, or economic pressures in others.
Capturing their dynamics demands more than isolated case studies or static snapshots; it calls for a framework that reflects their complexity, interconnectedness, and continual evolution.
The B.RIGHT SPACES CARTOGRAPHY responds to this need, offering a living, interactive, and accessible map that charts these spaces as a shared landscape of civic activity, fostering understanding, visibility, and dialogue across Europe’s diverse communities.
The Ateneu Popular Nou Barris is a public socio-cultural space managed through a community-led model that originated from a neighbourhood occupation in 1977. Rooted in this history of grassroots activism, the Ateneu embodies a long-standing commitment to collective self-management and civic participation.
Founded around 2016 in Torres Vedras, A Bolha is a puppet-theatre association dedicated to exploring the relationship between humans and puppets as a creative, educational, and expressive medium. Through performances, workshops, and community-based activities, A Bolha promotes accessibility, cultural participation, and intergenerational learning, engaging children, young people, and adults in artistic experiences that combine imagination, craftsmanship, and social inclusion.
Ilú – Associação de Dança – Teatro de Intervenção Urbana operates through a multidisciplinary model that includes:
artistic interventions, specialized programmes, professional development and capacity-building Initiatives.
The Portineria di comunità is a social space that mainly offers community services, allocated inside an old newsstand. It is located in the working-class neighborhood of Porta Palazzo. Although it is part of the city’s historic center, the neighborhood has historically been one of the districts that welcomed immigrants from Southern Italy throughout the twentieth century and currently hosts a large number of citizens of foreign origin.
Comala is a very active multipurpose cultural space and youth gathering place in Turin, located in the area of the former La Marmora Barracks in the former working-class district of San Paolo. This area was repurposed in the 1990s and became home to the Polytechnic University of Turin, contributing to the change in the neighborhood’s social structure.
The Giardino Pellegrino, also known as the Cardinal Michele Pellegrino Garden, is located in the Aurora district, near Piazza Borgo Dora and Porta Palazzo neighbourhoods in Turin, just a short walk from the famous Balon market. It is the only public garden in this area and has become, in recent years, a true point of reference for the local community.
The Polo Civico del Quarticciolo (Quarticciolo Civic Hub) is one of Rome’s most advanced experiments in civic space activation, supported by a strong, collaborative network of local and institutional actors promoting community welfare and territorial development.
EMERGE embodies how local ecosystems can nurture accessible artistic creation for all citizens. The Association was founded in Torres Vedras in 2016 to promote emerging art in Portugal and beyond.
The Cinema Troisi is located in the historic district of Trastevere in the centre of Rome (Italy). Its inclusive and participatory model has earned national recognition, with multiple “Biglietto d’Oro del Cinema Italiano” awards, confirming the public’s strong appreciation and the effectiveness of its community-based approach.