Co-designing smart and circular urban furniture with local stakeholders

As part of the SET-PED activity “Co-designing SET-PED use-case scenarios”, the project is working with local stakeholders to explore how smart and circular urban furniture can respond to different public-space needs in the pilot cities.

This activity aims to identify possible locations, users and functions for future urban furniture interventions inspired by the SET-PED prototype. Through participatory workshops, local actors are invited to reflect on community needs, public-space challenges, circular materials, energy integration and the potential social and environmental value of these interventions.

First workshop in Eskilstuna

The first workshop took place in Eskilstuna on 27 May 2026 and marked an important starting point for the local stakeholder engagement process. The session brought together nine participants with diverse backgrounds, including city planners, university representatives, communication experts, architects, administrators, researchers and city representatives.

The workshop focused on the first step of the SET-PED roadmap: stakeholder consultation. Participants discussed how smart and circular urban furniture could be adapted to Eskilstuna’s local context, which public spaces could benefit from such interventions, who the main users could be, and what functions would bring the most value to the community.

The session combined an introduction to the project with a collaborative co-design exercise and an open discussion. Participants explored possible use-case scenarios inspired by the SET-PED prototype, considering aspects such as accessibility, public-space use, material reuse, energy integration and community benefits. The ideas generated during the workshop will support the next stages of scenario development and help guide future local engagement activities.

Collaborative workshop in Bucharest

The second workshop took place on 11 June 2026 at Golescu-Grant Manor in Bucharest. The event was organized in partnership with Sector 6 City Hall, Urbasofia and ÎntreVecini, bringing together local stakeholders to discuss the future of smart and circular urban furniture in the city.

The workshop gathered participants from public administration, NGOs, universities, urban development organizations, sustainability fields, community initiatives and local residents. This diversity of perspectives created a valuable space for dialogue on how urban furniture can better respond to community needs while supporting sustainability and circularity goals.

During the session, participants took part in facilitated discussions and a collaborative design activity. Divided into multidisciplinary teams, they developed urban furniture proposals based on local challenges, possible users and public-space needs in Bucharest. The exercise encouraged participants to combine professional expertise with community knowledge, resulting in ideas that reflected different priorities, from accessibility and functionality to environmental performance and social value.

Beyond the proposals themselves, the workshop created an important opportunity for exchange between stakeholders who do not always have the chance to collaborate directly. The discussions highlighted the value of participatory design in shaping public-space solutions that are more inclusive, practical and connected to local realities.

The insights gathered in Eskilstuna and Bucharest will contribute to the development of SET-PED use-case scenarios and to the next steps of the project’s co-creation process. SET-PED will continue to build on these collaborative activities to explore how smart and circular urban furniture can support more sustainable, resilient and people-centred cities.