Urbasofia

From planning to implementation: CAST Project pilots take the next step in Chișinău

Urbasofia is taking part in the 5th CAST Steering Committee Meeting in Chișinău as leader of Specific Objective 2 (SO2), advancing resilient communities through participatory design and accessible culture.

During the CAST First Year Review, our colleague Miruna Draghia highlighted the project’s transition from planning to action. She showcased the framework we have developed to help pilots turn initial concepts into structured, realistic implementation roadmaps.

On the second day, URBASOFIA facilitated the Implementation Roadmap Workshop – From Cultural Resources Mapping to Pilot Implementation, supporting partners in defining concrete actions, stakeholders, accessibility measures, responsibilities and timelines.

Across 10 countries, 11 CAST pilots are now preparing to activate local cultural resources, improve access to culture, co-create inclusive tourism experiences and test community-led solutions.

From industrial heritage and beekeeping culture to naïve art, museums, castles, neighbourhood spaces, craftsmanship and rural tourism, all pilots share one ambition:

to make culture more accessible, inclusive and capable of strengthening communities and local economies.

Throughout the event, we were joined by our associated strategic partner, the Romanian Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, represented by Ms Irina COZMA, National Coordinator for EUSDR Priority Area 3. Her contribution highlighted opportunities for synergies, capitalisation and cooperation across projects supported under PA3 and beyond.

The roadmaps are set. Now, we test how cultural heritage can become a practical driver for community resilience and sustainable development. Stay tuned! 💡

A warm thank you to CAST Lead Partner Zavod Iskriva, iskrišče za razvoj lokalnih potencialov Institute and Asociatia Nationala pentru Turism Receptor si Intern (ANTRIM) for the warm welcome, excellent hosting and impeccable organisation of the meeting.

Alexandra Zlotea

🌳 At the World Urban Forum 2026, and WOODCIRCLES explored how timber is reshaping sustainable cities thanks to their partner Urbasofia.

Real examples from Berlin - modular timber schools and the Schumacher Quartier - prove that wood construction can deliver climate-friendly, affordable, resilient housing at scale.

Transformation across Europe requires collaboration across public authorities, developers, researchers, and communities. That's what TIMBERHAUS is building.

Read more: https://timberhaus.eu/news-events/timberhaus-at-wuf13-rethinking-how-we-build-cities-through-sustainable-and-circular-wood-construction/

On 27-28 May, the Timberhaus consortium gathered in Baia Mare, Romania, for the M18 General Assembly, organised by the Municipiul Baia Mare in a region with a strong and visible connection to wood, craftsmanship and local building traditions.

Urbasofia was represented by Madalina Rusen, Domenico Pellitteri and Daria Dutu, who contributed to the discussions on the challenges, opportunities and enabling conditions for the climate-smart use of wood in construction.

The team presented progress on market potential assessment, regulatory and policy mapping, EU best practices and future recommendations, while also highlighting the finalisation of the study on local cultural traditions, crafts and design languages in the partner cities. The presentations also reported on the successful completion of the first round of local summits across the three partner cities, emphasizing the role of place-based dialogue in fostering the climate-smart use of wood in construction.

A special highlight of the meeting was the visit to Maramureș, where partners had the opportunity to experience the region’s wooden churches, traditional architecture and craftsmanship. This offered a strong reminder that timber construction is not only a technical or climate-related topic, but also a cultural and territorial resource.

Many thanks to the Municipality of Baia Mare for hosting the General Assembly, and to all partners for the valuable exchanges, collaboration and continued work toward more sustainable, inclusive and locally grounded timber construction pathways.

On the second day of the SET-PED annual consortium meeting in Eskilstuna, our URBASOFIA team continued working on one of the key questions of the project: how can circular urban furniture be adapted, replicated and scaled in different local contexts?

The visit to the AMA Center, where the first SET-PED prototype for Eskilstuna was built, was especially valuable for our work. Seeing the material preparation, construction process and local collaboration behind the prototype helped us better understand what needs to be considered when developing the future prototype in Bucharest.

In Bucharest, Urbasofia is working together with Primăria Sectorului 6 al Municipiului Bucuresti, Între Vecini, ADP Sector 6 and to bring Sector 6 Urban Innovation and Design Center SRL the SET-PED concept into the local context and adapt it to the needs of the city, its public spaces and communities.

Later in the day, Giorgia Romagnoli and Miruna Cioaca facilitated a local stakeholder workshop focused on use-case scenarios. The session explored how smart and circular urban furniture could respond to different needs, locations and target users, and how this concept can support both new public spaces and the improvement of existing ones.

The inputs collected during the workshop will contribute to URBASOFIA’s work on the SET-PED strategy for replicating and scaling the urban furniture concept at city level. These use-case scenarios will serve as practical examples for municipalities and other relevant stakeholders interested in integrating circular, co-created and energy-positive solutions into urban regeneration processes.

We are grateful for the exchange in Eskilstuna and look forward to applying these lessons in the Bucharest pilot.

🔗 Learn more about SET-PED: https://lnkd.in/djF86BZJ