This episode of the CrAFt Sandbox City video series invites you into the heart of Bologna, where an abandoned industrial site has been reimagined as DUMBO—a dynamic cultural centre and a pilot project for sustainable, inclusive urban regeneration.
As part of the European CrAFt project, Bologna explores how collaborative governance and flexible, community-driven spaces can help shape the climate-neutral cities of tomorrow. The film follows the development of DUMBO, revealing how partnerships between public institutions, local creatives, and residents have transformed an underutilised area into a thriving hub for culture, social innovation, and civic engagement.
From open calls for local initiatives to inclusive event programming and shared working spaces, DUMBO demonstrates the power of collective action. The video also touches on the use of the New European Bauhaus Impact Model—a framework to measure the social, cultural, and environmental impact of such urban experiments.
If you’re curious about how community, culture and governance can come together to drive climate action at the local level, this film offers an inspiring look into Bologna’s evolving cityscape.