New Publication Explores Collective Resilience and Urban Transformation in Romania

A significant new publication, "Infrastructuri cultural-comunitare. Camera Urbană: Orașul negociat" (Cultural-Community Infrastructures. The Urban Room: The Negotiated City), coordinated by Maria Drăghici and Alina Apostu and published by UNATC Press in 2025, has emerged as a key output from the Urboteca Fellowship program, a part of the broader CoNECT research project. This volume delves into the intricate possibilities for fostering community cohesion within the Romanian urban context.

The book opens with an introduction titled "Experimente participative pentru comunități reziliente" (Participatory Experiments for Resilient Communities), authored by Alina Apostu, Maria Drăghici, and Vera Marin. It presents five in-depth case studies derived from the Urboteca Fellowship 2024 program, examining diverse urban initiatives: Depoul Victoria, CișmiCivic, Malmaison, Replika, and Masca. These studies collectively address a central question: how can social cohesion be encouraged, supported, and developed through facilitating collaboration among various actors, including local administration, the business environment, civil society, associative organizations, and research?

The publication uniquely experiments with and applies the "Helix" model of collaboration for innovation. This model has evolved from the initial Triple Helix (administration, research, industry) to the Quadruple Helix (adding civil society), and currently to the Quintuple Helix, which crucially integrates the natural environment as a vital dimension for sustainable socio-economic transition. By correlating this innovative collaboration model with concerns for participatory spatial transformation processes, the volume explores methods and instruments already established internationally, such as urban living labs and urban rooms.

The book emphasizes the concept of the "Urban Room" as a physical space that promotes debate, dialogue, social connection, and engagement with the past, present, and future of local communities. Similarly, the urban living lab is presented as a collaborative research and action framework within a neighborhood, where residents, researchers, professionals, and institutional actors co-create spatial knowledge through sharing resources. These labs are not only tools for testing innovation but also spaces for collective learning, negotiating differences, and articulating diverse forms of knowledge, including tacit, communal, and affective knowledge, to generate inclusive and resilient urban transformations.

Through its anchoring in existing initiatives and the use of participatory methods like collaborative mapping, co-design, and prototyping, the living labs featured in the book reveal place-specific knowledge about both space and actors, supporting participatory urban planning processes. Ultimately, they serve as means of exploration and legitimation for alternative ways of living, using, and managing the city, especially in the face of threats like gentrification and the commodification of urban space.

"Infrastructuri cultural-comunitare. Camera Urbană: Orașul negociat" also includes four interviews with specialists representing public administration, the associative environment, the business sector, and research. These interviews foster dialogue on common interests, needs, and resources unique to each sector, highlighting the potential for collaboration in identifying solutions to complex challenges. The volume is part of the MAIC (Alternative Models of Cultural Infrastructure) series, demonstrating how cultural infrastructure, through participatory planning processes, can support innovation and Helix collaboration mechanisms.

This publication is intended to inspire and encourage reflection among readers from various backgrounds, including academia, public administration, civil society, and business, showcasing the transformative potential of artistic research in facilitating horizontal learning experiences and co-creating alternative narratives for urban development.