Sessions & Study Trip

Here you can find more information about the Deep Dive Sessions at the conference and the Study Trip. The sessions will be held in English. Information about the sessions and the trip will be updated continuously.

Circular Lifestyles in Action: Policy Recommendations Resulting from NiCE Pilots

How can authorities and communities create the right conditions for circular lifestyles to thrive? This session builds on hands-on experience from the NiCE pilots, which tested a wide range of circular solutions in urban centres across Europe. From resource centres to water re-use projects, these initiatives explored how everyday practices can become more resource efficient, social and locally rooted.

Rather than focusing only on project results, the session will look at what these real-life experiments mean for policy. Participants will engage with concrete examples from different local contexts and reflect on the enabling factors and systemic barriers that shaped their development. Together, we will examine what kinds of frameworks, incentives and support structures are needed to help similar initiatives emerge and grow.

Through collaborative discussion, the session aims to translate practical pilot experience into clear policy messages relevant at local, national and European levels. It is designed for practitioners, policymakers and researchers interested in turning circular economy ambitions into workable, community-based solutions.

Host & organisation: Maksymilian Kochański, PhD and Katarzyna Korczak, Research and Innovation Centre Pro Akademia

Further information: NiCE project website

An Interactive City Walk: A Cross-Section of the AdNEB Project

The in-house research project “Advancing the New European Bauhaus” (short: AdNEB) links expertise from various disciplines at the German Environment Agency to address the question “How do we want to live in the future?” in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal. As part of the follow-up project (AdNEB II), a virtual and interactive city walk is used to spatially situate the AdNEB topics visible in inner urban space: blue-green infrastructure, mobility, architecture, climate adaptation, and environmental justice.

In a joint workshop at the NiCE Conference, we would like to present the interfaces between the individual topics within the overall project based on a virtual city walk, discuss synergies, and reflect on connections for future urban development. The aim is not to view the individual disciplines as independent problem-solving projects, but rather to sharpen awareness of the interdisciplinary interplay of blue-green infrastructure, mobility, architecture, climate adaptation, and environmental justice in the urban context and in concrete everyday situations.

Host & organisation: Karl Eckert, UBA

Further information: AdNEB project website

Re-Use of Vacant Space in City Centers & Good Practices in Graz

The concept behind the “House of the Future” sees vacant spaces in Graz as opportunities: the “House of the Future” is being created in a central location as an open, multifunctional, inclusive place for climate, sustainability and community action and creates space for cooperation and co-creation (living lab approach). The Re:Space project project activates vacant ground floors along a somewhat rundown street so it can become once again a “gateway to the city“. Cooperative models such as Business Improvement Districts can support this transformation. Further innovative initiatives are invited to share their ideas! In the workshop, we want to share good practices and compile experiences for the use of vacant properties.

Host & organisation: Franziska Schruth, StadtLABOR Graz and Holger Hoff, University of Graz

Further information: StadtLABOR – Innovation for Urban Quality of Life, Sustainability Challenge project website

ESD on a Municipality Level – Biodiversity Education and Cultural Learning as Good Practice

The Education Office of the Municipality of Dessau-Roßlau will begin the session with an overview of ongoing ESD activities, goals, and networks, highlighting local approaches to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
Following this, the practical micro-workshop “The Art of Seeing Animals” offers a fast, hands-on experience linking biodiversity education with cultural learning. This format fosters key ESD competencies such as systems thinking, critical reflection, and aesthetic awareness, while encouraging a deeper understanding of our relationship with nature. Developed jointly by Dessau Zoo and the Anhalt Art Gallery, the workshop showcases local ESD expertise as a good practice example for schools and educational programs.

Host & organisation: Agne Tonkunaite-Thiemann, Education Office of the Municipality of Dessau-Roßlau together with the Zoo Dessau and the Anhalt Gallery of Paintings

The NiCE Knowledge Platform: A Toolkit for Urban Circular Lifestyle Transformers

Join us for an interactive demonstration of the NiCE project’s central legacy: the Knowledge Platform. This workshop is ideal for anyone looking to mainstream circular lifestyles in their city. The session will feature an interactive guided tour and solution mapping exercise. Participants will discover the “NiCE Solution Box”, explore inspiring best practices via the Virtual Exhibition, and access expert insights to translate circular lifestyle concepts into concrete action. The workshop is designed as a mix of demonstration and hands-on application involving teamwork. First, we will provide a brief introduction to the NiCE project and the platform’s purpose. Second, we will take a rapid, guided tour of all sections of the platform. Third, participants will work in small groups (3–5 people) to tackle various urban challenges using the platform’s resources. During the solution mapping, participants are encouraged to use their own electronic devices. The session will conclude with a wrap-up and a Q&A.

Host & organisation: Mariann Szabo, PhD, Budapest University of Technology and Economics

Further information: Circular Lifestyles

Addressing Barriers and Capacity Gaps to Strengthen Social Outcomes in Circular Initiatives

This session examines how social barriers faced by citizens and communities, such as low awareness and acceptance, rooted consumption barriers, and challenges in engagement, together with capacity gaps within public authorities, shape the success and reach of circular initiatives in cities. Short contributions from one or two cities will illustrate how specific social barriers emerged in practice, how they influenced who engaged and who benefited, and where internal skills or organizational constraints limited the ability to respond. An academic expert will build on these cases by highlighting the broader landscape of barriers, capacity needs, and emerging evidence on effective approaches for tackling them. In the second part of the session, participants will take part in a short interactive exercise to identify the social and capacity challenges present in their own contexts and reflect on how these affect the social outcomes of their circular initiatives. The session combines practical experience and peer exchange to support cities in strengthening both implementation and inclusiveness.

Host & organisation: Nele Kelchtermans & Wim Van Opstal, Circular City and Regions Initiative by Vito

Further information: Circular Cities and Regions Initiative

Engaging Industrial Stakeholders in Circular Practices: Lessons from the REUSE2030 Project

This interactive workshop will explore how SMEs and industrial partners can become active drivers of the circular economy in European cities by adopting resource-efficient and low-impact practices. Building on insights from the REUSE2030 project, participants will jointly reflect on effective strategies for engaging resilient and often hard-to-reach stakeholders, including manufacturers, suppliers, and wider value-chain actors. We will also examine how cities and regions can actively support this process through enabling policies, targeted incentives, and collaboration platforms. Special attention will be given to understanding what SMEs need from cities and regions to accelerate circular solutions, how public authorities can respond to these needs, and how multi-actor collaboration can be strengthened.

The session will also explore how digital tools supporting circular economy practices can be upscaled into region-wide applications through tailored capacity-building pathways. Through facilitated group work, participants will generate concrete ideas on motivators, collaboration models, and training formats that can strengthen long-term commitment to circular transformation. Together, they will co-develop recommendations on how SMEs and cities can mutually reinforce each other: how SMEs can positively influence urban sustainability, how cities can enable industrial circularity, and how joint action can strengthen circular ecosystems across regions and sectors.

Host & organisation: Isabella Forchini & Elena Galletti, ECOLE Enti COnfindustriali Lombardi per l’Education

Further information: REUSE2030

Repair in Europe's Cities

In this session, participants will learn more about current political and social processes regarding the right to repair at EU and national level and discuss the implications for cities and municipalities. Participants will learn about strategies and tools available to them to promote repair options at municipal level, reduce waste and strengthen the local repair economy and communities. They are invited to consider various repair-promoting measures for their own municipality and to examine which measures could be implemented locally and which stakeholders would need to be brought together to achieve this. They will also learn about the work of the Right to Repair Europe network und German Roundtable Repair (Runder Tisch Reparatur).

Host & organisation: Katrin Meyer, Runder Tisch Reparatur

Further information: Round Table Reparing

On day 2, 12 March 2026, we invite you to discover Dessau-Roßlau and its numerous offerings for circular lifestyles. Together, we will visit people and initiatives that want to make Dessau-Roßlau more sustainable. The walk is planned to last 2.5 hours. We will visit the following spots

• VorOrt Haus: A place with Co-working, art studios, workshops, cooking, urban gardening and events.
• Werkstatt Café: A social meeting place where people can not only repair things, but also get together to make music, play games, or drink coffee.
• Public Library & Library of Things: Here, citizens can borrow not only books but also tools, games, and creative materials.
• Dessau Centre Mall: A place with a lot of vacant space but also a lot of potential, which is being used more and more creatively, for example by a children's circus.