Success for Station for Transformation

The Station for Transformation project, which will convert the main building of the Rovereto train station in the Italian alps into a public-civic hub for tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and heritage regeneration, has been awarded a European Urban Initiative – Innovation Actions grant of almost €5 million. 

Station for Transformation was one of 14 successful projects from 99 submissions, and it was selected for its innovation, its potential to be transferred to other EU cities and its solid local partnership.

The project was developed by Bianca Elzenbaumer co-founder of La Foresta – Accademia di Comunità (and member of Community Economies Research Network and the Community Economies Institute) in collaboration with the Municipality of Rovereto and the commoners of La Foresta. 

Elzenbaumer says, “Like many train stations across Europe that were built in the 19th century, the Rovereto Station was once a symbol of progress and hope for the local community but is now an underused ‘non-place’ that travellers quickly pass through and that invokes images of social degradation and an unsafe environment.” 

“These stations have the potential to be reinvigorated as inclusive, attractive and easy-to-access hubs, and in this project we will develop station-based venues including a Climate Canteen, a Biodiversity Kiosk and a Climate and Biodiversity Co-Creation Space that can serve as interactive spaces for training, co-design, co-production and knowledge transfer for promising public, civic and economic initiatives on climate change and biodiversity.”

“The project has been designed to reflect the New European Bauhaus ambition of creating beautiful, inclusive and sustainable places to facilitate inclusive growth.”

Other partners in the project include Europe Consulting; International Cooperation Centre; University of Trento; COFAC - Cooperativa de Formação e Animação Cultural C.R.L.; Campomarzio social cooperative and Trentino Social Tank cooperative society. Three ‘transfer cities’ for testing the replicability of the hubs will be added once the project is underway. 

Illustration by Flora Mammana 

Story by Jenny Cameron