Outdoor Arts Portugal joins Placemaking Week Europe 2025 with a strategic vision for transforming territories through art

From 23 to 26 September 2025, the Italian city of Reggio Emilia will host the upcoming edition of Placemaking Week Europe, one of the most important international gatherings dedicated to the future of public spaces. This annual event brings together hundreds of professionals from various fields – urbanism, architecture, culture, and public policy – to discuss innovative strategies for more liveable, inclusive, and resilient cities. In 2025, the programme places special emphasis on the intersection between culture, sustainability, civic participation, and both urban and rural development, proposing an integrated and transdisciplinary approach to placemaking.

At the heart of these discussions will be the active participation of Portugal, through the Outdoor Arts Portugal platform, promoted by Bússola. Present throughout the four days of the event with a strategic and collaborative agenda, the Portuguese participation reinforces the crucial role of artistic creation in public space as a catalyst for sustainable territorial development - fostering community bonds, a sense of belonging, and new cultural economies. Bússola positions itself as a key agent in linking cultural policies with urban and rural planning strategies, adopting a deeply European perspective aligned with contemporary societal and environmental challenges.

24 September: participatory arts as a tool for placemaking

Outdoor Arts Portugal’s first contribution takes place on 24 September with the co-organisation of the session “Participatory arts as placemaking tools: lessons from around the world”, a dynamic World Café bringing together representatives of five artistic projects from Canada, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Curaçao. Centred on a critical question - can art be an instrument of placemaking? - the session offers a collective reflection on the transformative potential of participatory arts in shaping more just, beautiful, and meaningful public spaces.

Through short presentations and rotating small-group discussions, participants will be invited to share good practices, methodological tools, and critical perspectives on how art contributes to building new territorial narratives. The session will also feature the upcoming strategic edition of Outdoor Arts Portugal, to be launched in November 2025, as a highlighted case study and example of good practice. This new publication gathers reflections, projects, and tools from the Portuguese performing arts in public space sector, reinforcing its contribution to the European debate on culture and public space.

Session speakers include:

- Kristel Zegers (Breda University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands).

- Fiorella Pinillos (Co-director, La Libélula Cooperative, Canada).

- Bruno Costa (Co-director, Bússola/Outdoor Arts Portugal).

- Daniel Vilar (Co-director, Bússola/Outdoor Arts Portugal).

- Francesca Tagliavini (Fondazione Palazzo Magnani, Italy).

- Matilde Barbieri (Fondazione Palazzo Magnani, Italy).

- Kurt Schoop (Kaya Kaya Movement, Curaçao).

26 September: art, sound, and festivals as engines of urban innovation

Two days later, on 26 September, Bússola returns to the stage of the event in a prominent role. At the invitation of Placemaking Europe and representing the Circostrada Network - the European network for the development of outdoor arts and contemporary circus, of which it is a steering committee member - Bússola will moderate the session “City Rhythms: How Art, Sound, and Festivals Transform Public Space”. This panel explores the impact of arts and cultural events on the regeneration of urban and rural areas, spotlighting practices that promote social cohesion, civic innovation, and creative economic vitality.

The session is grounded in the belief that music, dance, festivals, and participatory cultural strategies are not merely artistic expressions, but vital platforms to activate public space as a place for encounter, listening, and collective imagination. Drawing from examples ranging from UNESCO heritage cities to contemporary urban districts in transition, the panel highlights how these artistic practices contribute to a more sensitive and inclusive approach to urban design and planning.

The discussion is structured around four key dimensions: Festivals as engines of the creative economy; Sound and music as catalysts of emotional connection and urban memory; Artistic innovation as a driver of inclusive design; Urban dance as a tool for social and spatial regeneration.

Panel speakers include:

- Luciana Renner (Placemaking Mexico).

- Vittorio Salmoni (Architect and Deputy Director of Urban Planning, INU, Italy).

- Jaruwan Daengbuppha (Cultural tourism manager, Sukhothai, Thailand).

- Irene Sartorelli (Centro Coreografico Nazionale / Aterballetto, Italy).

- Alessandra Sbriscia (Fondazione Teatri Reggio Emilia, Italy).

- Moderation: Bruno Costa (Co-director, Bússola/Outdoor Arts Portugal).

A strategic Portuguese presence in the European debate

The continued presence of Outdoor Arts Portugal at Placemaking Week Europe marks a significant milestone in consolidating a strategic approach to artistic creation in public space as a tool for social and territorial transformation. Through active involvement in two internationally relevant sessions, Bússola reaffirms its role as a proactive cultural actor in the European dimension, forging bridges between artistic practices, urban policies, and sustainable development strategies.

At a time when cities and regions face growing challenges of social fragmentation, inequality, and climate emergency, asserting a transdisciplinary cultural vision - rooted in art as a gesture of listening, imagination, and action - is essential to reimagine the future of the places we inhabit.

Outdoor Arts Portugal is promoted by Bússola, with the support of the Portuguese Republic – Culture, Youth and Sport, through the Directorate-General for the Arts.