RESIGNIFY took its first step today!
The Kick-off Meeting of the RESIGNIFY project, Urban Nature through Regenerative Planning, Emotions, and Narratives for Possible Futures, marked the formal commencement of three years of research dedicated to rethinking and transforming urban nature.
Funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under COMPETE2030 | FEDER (Project No. 15514), RESIGNIFY is a collaboration between the University of Coimbra (lead institution) and the Open University. The project brings together a multidisciplinary team of 15 researchers dedicated to advancing an innovative, regenerative, and multi-species approach to urban planning.
The project aims to challenge traditional anthropocentric norms by integrating emotions, narratives, and the agency of nature into the design and planning of urban spaces. This approach seeks to foster harmonious coexistence between human and non-human entities within cities and territories. During 2025–2028, RESIGNIFY will develop the following initiatives:
Spatial analysis and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping
- The "Love Letters to Nature" initiative
- Participatory co-creation workshops involving citizens, technical professionals, and subject-matter experts
- A short documentary film titled "What Urban Nature Tells About Us"
- An open-access Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offered through the Open University
In addition to the research team, the project benefits from the strategic partnership of ACCP, the Association of Collectivities of the Municipality of Porto, as well as international scientific consultancy provided by experts Luciana Souza Bragança (Brazil) and Martina Artmann (Germany).
The project is now underway.