On 5 June 2026, Chiara Fonio, Head of Social Innovation at ICONS, will present the paper “How can inclusive renovation benefit from effective stakeholder engagement? Evidence, best practices and challenges from two European-funded projects” at NEXTBUILT 2026 – International Conference on Challenges for the Next Generation Built Environment, taking place in Bologna, Italy. The conference will be hosted at Palazzo Magnani, Via Zamboni 20, on 4–5 June 2026.
The paper, developed by ICONS, partner of the EHHUR project, together with Trinity College Dublin and Roma Tre University, explores how inclusive renovation can benefit from meaningful stakeholder engagement, co-design and local participation. Drawing on evidence from two European-funded projects, EHHUR and Minority Report, the contribution highlights how urban and territorial transformation should not be addressed only as a technical process, but also as a social one, rooted in communities, governance, environmental sustainability and the needs of vulnerable groups.
Within the EHHUR experience, the paper focuses on the case of the Biodistretto della Via Amerina e delle Forre in Italy, showing how co-design activities and stakeholder engagement can support broader local regeneration processes by connecting technical, social, environmental and community dimensions.
By presenting this work at NEXTBUILT 2026, ICONS brings forward EHHUR’s contribution to the debate on inclusive renovation and social innovation, underlining that participation must be structured, continuous and adapted to local contexts. Engaging citizens, local communities, public authorities and vulnerable groups is not an add-on, but a key condition for developing solutions that are understood, trusted and ultimately accepted.
The paper is co-authored by Eva Martinez, Giada Pioggia Todoerto and Chiara Fonio from ICONS, together with Dimitra Xidous and Thomas Grey from Trinity College Dublin, and Marta Rabazo Martin from Roma Tre University.
Full programme of the Conference at www.next-built.org/programme-2026
Image credits: Patrick Perkins from Unsplash
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