CrAFt Your Urban Experience

1. A pop-up student think/do tank to reimagine Évora

CrAFt Your Urban Experience is a 1-day event to improve cities’ sensory experience and livability. Connecting public space to broader questions around climate neutrality, inclusivity and cultural heritage, participants will use the city of Évora as a playground and test case.

Together, we will identify specific challenges to public spaces in the city and generate ideas on how these spaces could be improved, activated and made more welcoming. 

Finally, we will kick-start some change! We will use prototyping to show how public space could be reborn. Through creative methods, we will encourage citizens to engage with the space and continue improving their urban experience. 

2. Who is this event for?

CrAFt Your Urban Experience is an event for university students —at all stages of their studies (bachelor, master and PhD)— interested in co-designing actionable solutions to real-world urban challenges. We strongly believe in the innovative and creative power of interdisciplinary collaboration, therefore students from all disciplines are equally welcome.  

3. Why should you take part?

This event offers a unique opportunity to:

• Meet and collaborate with fellow students from Évora and nearby universities.
• Work together to create actionable solutions to real-world problems and gain valuable insights and knowledge that can help you in your future careers.
• Collaborate in an interdisciplinary and internationally connected environment, expand your network, and engage with inspiring topics.

4. Who are we?

The CrAFt Core Group of students organises this event. We are an interdisciplinary, international group creating knowledge to drive cities towards climate neutrality through conversations and collaboration with other students across Europe. We connect student communities with academia, European cities and their stakeholders, and the New European Bauhaus.

The Core Group is part of Creating Actionable Futures (CrAFt), a 3-year project funded by the European Commission to support the transition to climate neutrality by promoting collaboration among cities and their citizens, policymakers, artists, and academia.

In collaboration with 63 cities, CrAFt is researching, testing and sharing collaborative local governance models to harness the value of inclusiveness, aesthetics and sustainability towards climate-neutral cities.

CrAFt is part of the New European Bauhaus (NEB), an European Union initiative that links the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences. The New European Bauhaus invites us all to think and create together a sustainable and inclusive future that is beautiful for our eyes, minds, and souls.

5. What is a think/do tank? How will it work?

The event will include various interactive, collaborative formats like question sessions, alternative games, and workshops. In addition, the Think/Do Tank concept contains theoretical brainstorming (the ‘think’ part), where the participants reflect on the urban challenges they will work with, collect information and envision possible solutions. In the practical (do) part of the event, participants will turn their ideas into reality. 

We strive to create an accessible event space and activities, suitable also for people with disabilities, where everyone will feel engaged, respected and empowered. Everyone is welcome with any educational background. We can all contribute.

Take advantage of this exciting opportunity to make a difference in your community and create a better urban experience. 

On 10 May, results from CrAFt your Urban Experience will be shared at the international event for higher arts education ‘ELIA Academy 2023: Exploring Situatedness’, hosted by the School of the Arts, University of Évora.  

6. Programme outline

Tuesday, 9 May 2023.

Preliminary times: event starts at 9:30 (doors open: 9:00) and ends at 18:30.

Programme part 1

• Plenary introduction 
• Think activity

Lunch 

Programme Part 2: 

• Do activity 
• Plenary wrap up 

Further programme details will follow.

7. Registration

The event is free of charge and includes lunch. Spots are limited and allotted on a first-come-first-serve basis. The event is only open for students currently enrolled in university. Students from all levels (BA, MA, PhD) and disciplines are welcome.

The deadline to register is 1 May 2023.

Practical information

What’s included? 

Free event, lunch included. Maximum number of participants: 60. Spots are allotted on a first-come-first-serve basis. 

Location 

Design workshop space, University of Évora 

Address: Colégio dos Leões, Morada: Antiga Fábrica Leões, Estrada dos Leões, 7000-208 Évora, University of Évora

Accessibility: 

Should you have any specific accessibility needs (such as transport assistance, support from a staff member, or a printed programme in large letters), you can indicate this in the registration form or contact us. 

If you need help, please contact Irene Garofalo.

Are you coming from outside of Évora? 

• Accommodation: If in need of overnight stay, participants are encouraged to book their accommodation in Évora as soon as possible. It is the high season for tourism in the region, and accommodation options are limited. Therefore, we advise you to book now! Most individual bookings can be modified or cancelled at a later date. A list of hotel options and booking info is provided here.
• How to get to Évora: Evora is reachable by bus (Rede Expressos, FlixBus), train (https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/pt), or car. If you need more information on how to reach the event location feel free to contact us. Please consider using environmentally sustainable transportation modes. 

Funding and support

CrAFt your Urban Experience is part of, and co-funded by the CrAFt – Creating Actionable Futures Project. CrAFt is funded by the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Commission.

The event is hosted by the School of the Arts of the University of Évora and organised by the CrAFt Core Group of students with the support of ELIA.

On 10 May, results from the ‘CrAFt your Urban Experience’ think/do tank will be shared at the international conference for higher arts education ‘ELIA Academy 2023: Exploring Situatedness’, also hosted by the Schools of the Arts of the University of Évora.