CORDOBA
CULTURE AND HERITAGE HUB
On this page you will learn about the Visionary and Integrated Solutions (VIS) implemented in the pilot city of Cordoba during the course of the IN-HABIT project.
About the city
Located in the south of Spain, the city has a long history and cultural tradition. In spite of its cultural and historical richness, Cordoba faces socio-economic problems such as unemployment and low income levels, and hosts some marginal neighbourhoods which represent a real challenge in terms of social inclusion.
Thematic focus: Heritage & Culture
Geographical focus: Las Palmeras neighbourhood
OBJECTIVE
The project aimed to examine the role of culture and heritage in the promotion of inclusive health and wellbeing, and to develop green, sustainable and creative areas within public spaces in Las Palmeras, a deprived neighbourhood.
VIS SUMMARY
Different innovative solutions — such as creative lighting, inclusive urban furniture, environmental citizen-science projects, a therapy garden and community workshops — were co-designed, co-implemented, co-managed and co-evaluated with local stakeholders.
DISCOVER CORDOBA’S VISIONARY AND INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS
1. Weekly workshops to enhance participation and empowerment
2. Socio-cultural dynamisation in a vulnerable neighbourhood
3. Healthy habits and healthy lifestyle activities
4. Immersive Training Experience for Adults with Down Syndrome
5. Inclusive and participatory communication, along with positive messaging in vulnerable contexts
6. Renaturalisation of Las Palmeras neighbourhood
7. Creation and renovation of public urban spaces
8. Citizen science initiatives to monitor urban wellbeing
9. Greening and renaturalisation in a shelter for homeless people
1. Weekly workshops to enhance participation and empowerment
Type: Soft VIS / Social and cultural innovation
These weekly workshops were at the core of the engagement process. They were designed to create social skills and well-being opportunities among the participants, fostering participation and social inclusion, strengthening the sense of belonging, and promoting teamwork. The workshops addressed the five main lines included in the Inclusive Transformation Plan: Health and Wellbeing; Culture, Heritage and Art; Gender, Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Innovation; Naturalisation and Environment, and Infrastructure, Technology, and Digitalisation. Through them, a core working nucleus of residents was formed, responsible for guiding and channeling all subsequent actions. By addressing overarching and cross-cutting themes, participants collaborated to shape a cohesive, inclusive vision for the community.
2. Socio-cultural dynamisation in a vulnerable neighbourhood
Type: Soft VIS / Social and cultural innovation
The socio-cultural dynamisation in Las Palmeras, achieved through regular workshops and cultural events, has helped foster social cohesion and active participation. It has created opportunities for residents to access culture, connect, collaborate, and build trust. These activities have strengthened community identity, promoted inclusion, challenged stigma, and highlighted positive stories. Activities include meditation, dance, self-esteem and trust-building workshops, stress management, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Cultural initiatives involved cultural weeks, theatre workshops, videodancing, socio-cultural visits, and activities related to environmental awareness. Schools and children from Las Palmeras and Córdoba have been highly involved. These soft VISs pave the way for the implementation of the hard VISs. By providing consistent spaces for learning, creativity, and interaction, they help improve wellbeing and foster a sense of belonging.
3. Healthy habits and healthy lifestyle activities
Type: Soft VIS / Social and cultural innovation
Las Palmeras is recognised as a food desert. The only sports facility is a football pitch, posing challenges for healthy living, especially for women. IN-HABIT has promoted healthy eating, safe sports options (particularly for women), cultural events centred around food, and wellbeing initiatives through workshops on health and mental wellness. Initiatives included cooking classes using affordable seasonal ingredients, two cultural gastronomy events related to diet education, debates on food deserts and nutrition, therapy-dance for stress relief, a running event (La Milla) that drew over 400 participants from the city, and sports activities that support weekly exercise. These (outdoor) initiatives support the idea of “healthy patios” as shared spaces for socialising, and cultural exchange, connecting Las Palmeras with the wider city through shared cultural and culinary traditions and sporting activities. Over 1000 people have visited the neighbourhood through these various events.
4. Immersive Training Experience for Adults with Down Syndrome
Type: Soft VIS / Social and cultural innovation
The immersive training experience (ITE) is a serious game designed to train adults with Down syndrome to act as hosts and hostesses at conferences and events. It is a digital tool that simulates real-life scenarios such as reception, catering, seating, and setup. It helps participants learn routines, improve memory, and gain confidence in performing these tasks. The ITE is the first phase within a structured training cycle that combines gameplay, guided practice, and real-world application. This approach allows participants to transfer what they learn in the simulation to actual employment settings, ultimately giving them job opportunities under standard labour conditions. It has been an innovative initiative co-developed by researchers, a video game company, and the Córdoba Down Syndrome Association. The tool could also be adapted for use by other individuals with neurodivergent conditions.
5. Inclusive and participatory communication, along with positive messaging in vulnerable contexts
Type: Soft VIS / Social and cultural innovation
Communication in vulnerable settings must be adaptable and tailored to the audience’s needs (such as low literacy and limited access to digital devices). Multiple channels were utilised to disseminate messages, including weekly articles, videos, monthly newsletters, timelines and activity maps, social media profiles tailored to popular platforms among residents, and a monthly radio programme. A key element of the strategy was involving the neighbourhood itself in the communication process, ensuring inclusive, participatory, and positive messaging that empowers residents to tell their own stories, as exemplified by the Las Palmeras in Positive documentary, which has attracted a great deal of attention.
6. Renaturalisation of Las Palmeras neighbourhood
Type: Hard VIS / Nature-based innovation
Las Palmeras is a vulnerable area on the periphery of Córdoba, characterised by low-quality social housing, a lack of green spaces, and limited, if any, areas for socialising. Dirt, degradation, and concrete materials dominate most of the patios, buildings, and communal spaces. IN-HABIT has planted over 300 trees and 800 bushes in the neighbourhood’s patios and streets, and has created a biodiversity corridor alongside a water stream. To achieve this, more than 30 co-design workshops have been held to plan the shared spaces. Co-deployment and co-management workshops were also conducted with residents and local stakeholders, along with a gardening course to train residents in caring for the newly planted vegetation. Planting and caring methods to increase tree survival have been tested and shown very positive results. Volunteer work from neighbours has been key to the success.
7. Creation and renovation of public urban spaces
Type: Hard VIS / Cultural and social innovation
IN-HABIT has co-created various infrastructures to make Las Palmeras more sustainable, green, and liveable: a picnic area for meeting, chatting, and eating together in a former landfill; the renovation of the central square and the five patios through some creative art, the building and installation of over 70 benches, and the creation of spaces for socialisation; the participatory painting of the city’s largest mural (reflecting local identity and traditions) and a biodiversity corridor parallel to the water stream. In this corridor, about 70 granite monoliths coated with bioluminescent paint have been installed, guiding people at night without harming biodiversity. All these features have been built with durable, vandal-resistant materials, and through the active participation of residents via our co-design, co-deployment, co-management, and co-assessment approach, which fosters respect, attachment, and a sense of ownership. Local social companies and volunteers carried out the work.
8. Citizen science initiatives to monitor urban wellbeing
Type: Hard VIS / Technological and social innovation
IN-HABIT has created a "powered by FIWARE" open platform to monitor urban wellbeing using citizen science in the city of Cordoba. Citizens engage with the initiative by installing sensors in their homes to monitor different parameters. Some participants have installed sensors in their patios that measure the thermal comfort provided by patios (inner courtyards). Other citizens participate in the creation of the first acoustic climate map by installing sound sensors packed in flowerpots in their windows or terraces. Sensors transmit data through collaborative, cost-free LoRaWAN networks that operate at no cost to individuals, thereby democratising access to scientific participation and facilitating broader citizen contributions to scientific knowledge. The data collected will support decision-making processes.
9. Greening and renaturalisation in a shelter for homeless people
Type: Hard VIS / Nature-based and social innovation
This greening intervention rehabilitated neglected spaces in a homeless shelter based on the co-creation and shared management of interventions through the so-called “Green Team”. Homeless individuals were invited to participate in weekly sessions that include the development of social and team-building skills and physical work outdoors to build the following spaces: a vegetable garden; a therapeutic garden with features like a pond, bird cages, and insect hotels and the creation of the “patio for the future” using plants that require very little summer irrigation. An innovative lighting system, with low impact on biodiversity, energy efficiency, low maintenance, and user comfort, is also being tested.
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