IN-HABIT Cordoba organizes two technical replication workshops in Puente Genil

The municipality of Córdoba hosted a two-day event focused on “Promoting Inclusive Health and Well-Being Through Urban Transformation” featuring contributions from the Universidad de Medellín Católica Luis Amigó, the University of Huelva, and the Eracis+ team

Our project, which promotes inclusive health and well-being in small and medium-sized cities, aims to replicate our findings in the municipality of Puente Genil. That’s why our team from the University of Cordoba organized the first Technical Replicability Workshops for the H2020 project.

The event, titled “Promoting Inclusive Health and Well-Being Through Urban Transformation,” took place at the Community Social Services Center in Puente Genil on November 6 and 7, and was inaugurated by Mayor Sergio Velasco. The workshops were dedicated to presenting our ongoing research in four European cities (Córdoba, Riga, Nitra, and Lucca) and one transoceanic city (Bogotá). “These cities are united by a shared methodology that allows for replicability,” explained María del Mar Delgado, the project coordinator and professor at the University of Córdoba.

During the opening presentation, Delgado outlined the project’s work lines and how the actions are being implemented in each city. She emphasized the level of citizen engagement achieved and the positive impact recorded in the areas where the project is underway. “It’s important to measure the impact and changes we are generating among the groups we work with across Europe. We aim for a multi-level, participatory commitment since the project is open to collaboration and synergy creation,” she added. “In this way, we are empowering vulnerable groups, such as women in the Las Palmeras neighborhood of Córdoba.”

IN-HABIT has already served as a replicable model in places like Medellín. Juan Diego Betancur, a professor at the Universidad Católica Luis Amigó in Medellín, attended the workshops to share how the project is impacting the Colombian city. Medellín is using the success of Las Palmeras as a starting point “to recover spaces, human narratives, and the voices of those involved in the actions.”

Adapting the Córdoba model to Medellín’s context, Betancur highlighted its application among vulnerable populations, where it is seen as “an opportunity to give visibility to our space.” He also noted the development of a “replicability guide” to adapt IN-HABIT’s outcomes to other social contexts. After the event, Betancur took time to reflect on the workshop and the overall impact of IN-HABIT in Medellín, and shared his thoughts in a letter:

“It was the neighbors themselves, the people of the community, to share how they have been involved. Dr. Juan Diego Betancur Arias and Dr. Katty Luz Millán collected their voices, feelings, and articulated interactive methodologies for participatory action research from an ethnographic approach, showing how the project is a living spiral towards the great goal of urban-inclusive health and well-being.

IN-HABIT Medellín seeks, through research, to contribute to the sustainability of community-based actions for health and well-being, backed by scientific evidence. The various activities, social work, operations, life stories, and neighborhood experiences that emerge around health and well-being in these communities testify the capacity of the community to transform its reality. In Medellín, the project has become a tool for social inclusion, empowering people from vulnerable neighborhoods to take ownership of their spaces and health. The methodologies applied in Córdoba have been fundamental in shaping this work, and we see how the model can be adapted and expanded to fit the local context of Medellín.”

Blanca Miedes from the University of Huelva shared her experience working in the city’s District 5, where her team has been active for 24 years. She underscored the importance of neighborhoods thriving to improve residents’ lives. Miedes explained the initial diagnosis of the marginalized district and the comprehensive plan they developed, which led to a roadmap of missions. The main goal is for the area “to cease being a marginalized zone.”

Similarly, the Eracis+ team shared their work in disadvantaged areas of Puente Genil, such as the Juan Rejano neighborhood and Bailén Street. These areas house populations at risk of social exclusion. Through community engagement and workshops, Eracis+ has fostered neighborhood ties and a sense of belonging. Their efforts focus on improving the social inclusion of vulnerable individuals by facilitating access to social protection systems.

A key conclusion from the workshops was the importance of ensuring continuity for on-the-ground projects and the necessity of local government involvement through structural programs and targeted support in disadvantaged neighborhoods.