Brașov’s  HUB of innovation will be an inclusive and vibrant place that promotes cultural exchange, learning and collaboration. It will focus on highlighting tangible and intangible heritage in the historic urban area (HUA) creating an equilibrated public space among its different functions (cultural, commercial, leisure, relaxation) and maintaining and attracting residents to avoid museumification of the HUA, making sure it continues to be inhabited by locals, who are part of its soul and are the custodians of the local heritage.

The vision for Braşov HUB is to act as a catalyst for accelerating tactical urbanism ideas with the purpose of revitalising social life and encouraging entrepreneurship. The open-air HUB aims to be the main facilitator for transferring the know-how in co-creation, civic engagement, tactical urbanism and social innovation.

The Braşov Actions are oriented towards having playful, educational and relaxation spaces with creative and innovative public furniture (the pretext objects co-created in the project), opened for each user’s interpretation and functionality. It will inspire and encourage users/stakeholders to co-create, innovate, and participate in the community.

The Brașov Actions

1. Transforming the Public Realm

Expected results:

• Create additional free public space in the HUA, co-design resting and relaxing places, initiating more liveable experiences for enjoying the time in the HUA
• Revision of the current legislation for the public domain occupation and legal definition
•  Principles and good practices for determining the necessary furniture and equipment in public places
• Proposal for revision of the Regulation on the street trade conduct in Braşov
• Revision of the procedure for temporary use of public places belonging to the public domain of Braşov;
• Public consultation with local actors
• Drafting the actual text of the Local Regulation and support in the Local Council for approval
• Guidelines for furnishing public places in the Braşov HUA addressed to the departments within Braşov City Hall.

2. Presenting the Historic City as a Classroom

Expected results:

• Involvement of at least 15 students from the HUA in the 4 workshops planned
• A set of 3-5 “pretext objects” co-designed with students from schools and the University
• Increased use of the public landscape with culturally meaningful designs
• A more active community around the transformation of the HUA
• Increased awareness of issues related to the abandonment of buildings and degradation of built heritage.

3. Creating an Immersive Night-time Experience

Expected results:

•  A co-creation process with civic engagement for a common vision for the night time atmosphere of Braşov HUA
• An experiential process in the form of light and lighting walks in a test area in the HUA
• An educational component of the action, in connection with Action 2: codesign process in embedding lighting in the “pretext objects” with students from Transylvania University and civic activism in the form of flashmob showcasing the pretext objects after being placed in the public space
• A comprehensive strategy for architectural lighting of heritage and a set of rules & limits for the use of commercial lighting & illuminated advertisements that integrate harmoniously with the character of the HUA.