The Action Plan aims to implement a set of measures to revitalise the Colina do Castelo area
Lisbon’s HUB-IN is located in Colina do Castelo (Castle Hill), an area that covers six very distinct neighbourhoods of the historical and cultural heart of the city. This popular area gives the city of Lisbon its unique characteristics and identity, its cultural-led urban regeneration is vital for the sustainable development of the whole city. One of the most striking aspects of the area is the loss of population over time: more than 50% of its residents between 1950 and 2011. This is mostly the result of changes in the Country’s real estate policy and the growth of tourist attractiveness
HUB-IN Lisboa – Colina do Castelo takes advantage of all existing resources that are part of the city’s strategic objectives for entrepreneurship, innovation and cultural heritage, providing a meeting point and a living network for experimentation and support for new solutions for the territory. With this Action Plan we intend to empower communities through cooperation with multicultural and intergenerational exchanges, promoting the well-being of the communities, supporting solutions to their problems, needs, and dreams and facilitating the concentration and exchange of knowledge – Diogo Moura, Lisbon City Councilor
Lisboa’s HUB-IN: knowing, connecting, enhancing, experimenting and igniting
The main objective of HUB-IN Lisboa – Colina do Castelo is to facilitate and promote the development of a more entrepreneurial, innovative and creative local community, while simultaneously preserving the intrinsic characteristics and cultural identity of the area.
A roadmap developed together with relevant stakeholders set the basis for the action plan and the vision defined for the project: to be an engine of transformation for the sustainability and well-being of the communities, through the sharing and convergence of innovation and traditions. Through the implementation of the following actions, the HUB-IN team aims at promoting and expanding the innovative community and local businesses, rooted in the historical and cultural past of these neighbourhoods, and simultaneously contributing to reverse trends of abandonment by the local inhabitants. The four actions also aim to test services and programs that can be replicated and improved, ensuring the continuity of stakeholders´ engagement and the feasibility of the hub in the mid-term.
Action 1 – Ignite the Hill – building an entrepreneurship and innovation network in Colina do Castelo – maps projects, entrepreneurs, businesses and spaces in a dynamic platform using the GeoTool developed within the HUB-IN Project, in order to create an innovation community. This will be consolidated through the development of networking activities and by valorizing the projects that are best aligned with the objectives and missions of HUB-IN with a dedicated Stamp of Approval.
Action 2 – De-Incubator – decentralised & dematerialized incubator for innovative projects – aims to implement an acceleration program to create solutions to the challenges raised in the Roadmap that will have an impact on cultural, creative, social and environmental domains. It will be a “hybrid” incubator – companies won’t have to be physically installed in Mouraria Creative Hub (CIM) to benefit from the mentoring program. The aim is to encourage entrepreneurship in the areas and change the economic and social dynamics especially through job creation and talent attraction.
Action 3 – Colina do Castelo Pop Up Space: a multifunctional space for Lisbon’s creative & sustainable urban regeneration solutions – is the window of the network and the open house for the HUB-IN community, promising to be one of the “main attractions” of the HUB. To be located in a historical building owned by the Municipality, it will become a multifunctional space to support creative activities developed within HUB-IN, including a pop-up store, for temporary exhibitions and project’s showcases.
Action 4 – Sprout Tank: Experimentation for a circular and climate-neutral Colina do Castelo – seeks to create a knowledge-sharing community over Climate Neutral Historical Neighbourhoods and a Program for pilots and experimental activities. Building on Actions 1, 2 and 3, it will deepen the relations with the broader innovation community, bringing knowledge and innovation from outside Colina do Castelo to solve local challenges of climate resilience in historical areas and connect with initiatives and networks that can enhance the value of the Hub, enrich its activities and ensure continuity beyond the Action Plan.
HUB-IN Lisboa – Colina do Castelo paves the way for building a permanent, value-added foundation in the innovation ecosystem of Castle Hill, with a strong community and business focus to facilitate and create conditions for revitalising the place and their cultural heritage.
Learn more about the project here.
