CCC inspires new ideas for citizen engagement at Urban Future 2026

On 24-27 March, The Creative Circular Cities (CCC) team took part in the Urban Future Festival 2026 in Ljubljana, one of Europe’s leading gatherings for urban changemakers, city leaders, innovators and sustainability practitioners. This year’s event brought together more than 2000 participants from across Europe and beyond to explore topics such as city centre development, tactical urbanism, circularity, resilient societies, innovation in governance and climate communication. For the CCC partnership, it was a valuable opportunity to share practical insights on how creativity and citizen engagement can help cities accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

On 25 March 2026, CCC partners hosted the workshop “Don’t Get Wasted – Creative Ways to Engage Citizens for Circularity.” The session focused on how cities can involve residents, unlock underused local resources and turn circular economy ambitions into everyday practice.

The workshop was facilitated by Max Nettlau, Project Manager at Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), and Oona Tikkaoja, Senior Lecturer at Humak University of Applied Sciences (Finland). Bringing together experience from Kiel and Turku, the facilitators led participants through an interactive, hands-on session – during the workshop, a card game developed within the CCC project was piloted as a facilitation tool.

Using scenario-based prompts, participants explored:
• how to motivate citizens to join circular initiatives
• ways to connect unused resources with community needs
• creative partnerships between citizens, NGOs and municipal decision-makers

• targeted artistic interventions and communication approaches to reach different audiences at local community gathering places.
Ideas generated during the workshop included communal dinners to raise awareness about food waste, digital neighbourhood exchange platforms and repair workshops bringing together young people and seniors. The ideas showed that creative circular initiatives can reduce waste while also strengthening local communities.

Workshop participants also shared their own experiences, reflecting on challenges and opportunities in their cities and how key takeways from CCC could be adapted to their local contexts, making sure that when it comes to circular transition, citizens are part of the conversation and solutions every step of the way.

Programme Manual Online

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