CommUNITY MOVE: Reimagining Public Spaces for Active Communities

Across the Baltic Sea Region, many small towns and rural communities are looking for simple ways to make their public spaces more active, welcoming and useful for everyday life.

Parks, schoolyards, town squares and trails already have the potential to bring people together. Yet many of these places are underused, difficult to access or no longer reflect the needs of the people living nearby. In communities affected by population decline, limited resources and fewer shared meeting places, improving the spaces that already exist can have a real impact on everyday life.

From July 2026 to June 2028, CommUNITY MOVE will bring together local residents, schools, community organisations, sport clubs and municipalities to rethink how outdoor public spaces can support movement, wellbeing and social connection.

The project starts with local people. Communities will explore how their public spaces are used today, what is missing and what could make them more inviting for children, young people, adults and older residents. The aim is to identify practical improvements that respond to local habits, needs and ideas.

These changes do not need to be large or expensive. Clearer signs, walking routes, games marked on the ground, basic outdoor equipment, extra seating or better lighting can make a space easier and more enjoyable to use. A schoolyard that is quiet after lessons, for example, could become a place where children play, families meet, local clubs organise activities and older residents take a walk or spend time outdoors.

Working together locally

CommUNITY MOVE brings together two groups that are both essential to local change, namely grassroots sport organisations and local public authorities.

Grassroots organisations have close connections with residents, volunteers, families and community groups. They understand local life and can use movement as a way to involve people. Municipalities are responsible for public spaces, local planning and the decisions that shape how towns and communities develop over time.

Working together means that ideas from local people can lead to changes that last. Instead of remaining one-off activities, successful ideas can become part of local planning and future investment in public spaces.
The project will also support the people who will carry this work forward. Municipal staff, teachers, youth workers, coaches and volunteers will receive training and practical resources to help them involve residents, organise activities and make public spaces more welcoming and accessible over time.

Ideas that fit rural life

Many placemaking projects have shown how parks and public spaces can bring neighbourhoods to life in larger cities. CommUNITY MOVE will explore how similar ideas can work in small towns and rural communities, where distances are often longer, resources are more limited and everyday routines can be very different.

The goal is not to copy urban models. Local partners will adapt ideas to their own surroundings, climate and communities. The solutions developed through the project should be affordable, easy to maintain and relevant to the way people already live, meet and move.

At the centre of the project is physical literacy, which means supporting people of all ages and abilities to feel confident, motivated and welcome to be active in everyday life. It is not about competition or performance. It is about creating places where children can play, teenagers can spend time with friends, adults can move more during the day and older people can stay active and connected.

A regional partnership

CommUNITY MOVE is led by ISCA, the International Sport and Culture Association, in Denmark. The partnership includes DGI Nordsjælland and Gribskov Municipality in Denmark, Pärnu City Government and the Competence Centre for Physical Activity (CCPA) in Estonia, and Change the Game in Sweden. Vännäs Municipality in Sweden is involved as an associate partner.

Co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme 2021–2027, the project supports the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region under Policy Area Health.

Over the next two years, the partners will build a shared evidence base, test pilot actions in real small-town and rural settings, and develop a practical toolkit that can help communities across Europe make better use of the spaces they already share.

Programme Manual Online

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