Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. participated the 2023 editions of the Creative Bureaucracy Festival. The Digital Kick-Off Day took place on 23 March 2023, and counted almost 2,000 digital participants from 77 countries, with 40 programme sessions and over 100 speakers from 20 countries, as well as over 10,000 votes cast to elect this year's community voting winners.
Expert article
Project
CULTURAL H.ID.RA.N.T. -CULTURAL Hidden IDentities ReAppear through Networks of WaTer
Halandri, Greece
Edit 23 November 2024
by Chiara Lucchini - UIA Expert
Good conversations help start new journeys
With the initiative proceeding to its final stages, along 2023 the experience brought about by Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. helped the Municipality of Halandri set up new relevant relationships at international level. Shortlisting and receiving awards and prices is of course an important achievement for a local institution, to show its accountability and testify its commitment, but also as an opportunity to present, discuss and explain how an initial idea can turn into a fully implemented local action. On the other hand, receiving attention from other contexts is also a priceless occasion to revise and rethink the work done, explore potential pathways for replication, scalability and transferability. Finally, and this is very much the case for Halandri, international conversations can help strengthen the local legacies, expand the international networking and activate new projects.
Happy endings :)
Between the end of 2022 and the latest months, Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. project went international, and became well known outside the Greek boundaries and the European ones. The versatility and articulation of the initiative put Halandri on the spotlight in a number of awards and prices, and received attention in important festivals, conferences and gatherings dedicated to cities, urban policies, local action, democracy and government.
In the framework of the Innovation in Politics Awards 2023, Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. was selected by a jury of 1,045 European citizens as an outstanding example of political innovation in Europe. In the category of Local Development the initiative ranked among the 10 best out of 337 entries from 26 different countries across Europe.
Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. obtained the First prize in the 6th Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation in the Sustainable Cultural Heritage Management category. The award is co-organized and co-sponsored by the City of Guangzhou of the People’s Republic of China, the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and the World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis).
Some of the main pillars of the project - participation, heritage commons, water commons, solidarian communities - were highlighted as crucial for the urban development of eastern countries cities, and were discussed with the representatives of the Municipality of Halandri in the Guangzhou Global Mayors’ Forum and in the Urban Cultural and Historical Heritage sub-forum.
Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. was selected and showcased among the top ten Good Local Practices by the European Heritage Hub and Eurocities. The open call aimed at identifying exemplary local practices in the field of cultural heritage that contribute to the green, digital, and social transformation of our society. The call received 40 high-quality applications from 33 cities/regions across Europe.
New beginnings… or, to be continued
Between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, more than 12 conversations were held by the Municipality of Halandri, with a number of cities in Europe. The potential for transfer and replication of Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. in the different areas of content explored by the initiative was at the center of these conversations. Participation, heritage commons, water commons, solidarian communities, were just some of the discussed topics, that were aimed at the establishment of a new partnership, and the application for a new financing.
In July 2024 the "H2 CU.RE.NT" URBACT Transfer Network was officially announced as one of the ten Innovation Transfer Network financed by the URBACT programme for the period 2024 - 2026. "H 2 CU.RE.NT - Hydro-Heritage: culture revives nature through integrative, participatory and sustainable management", includes the municipalities of Serpa (Portugal), Elche (Spain), Roselard (Belgium), Rome (Italy) and Sobor (Serbia), and has a budget of approximately 550,000 euros. The network aims to transfer the experience and know-how of Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. as a model for the management of the cultural heritage in relationship with sustainability, with a specific attention to the water resources.
Much more than a recognition of what Cultural H.ID.RA.NT has achieved, this further occasion for development underlines how multidimensional is the process implemented so far: a social innovation program, a proposal for integrated, participatory and sustainable management of cultural heritage, natural resources and built environment. This new network gives the City of Halandri the opportunity to develop and mature its own strategic plan to expand the methodology and practices that have made Cultural H.ID.RA.NT so successful and proactive at local level. Hence the overall objective of "H2 CU.RE.NT" is to create digital infrastructures and data collection, sharing methods that allow decision-making, planning and implementation of policies and interventions based on updated data and information on the city. With a larger engagement of all the city services, the initiative will help adopt more effective planning, programming and actions in managing local resources and addressing the challenges of contemporary urban development.
A new journey starts here.
Culture and cultural heritage
