Since its launch, the European Commission’s New Bauhaus initiative has sought to promote a paradigm shift in the way we design, build and live in large cities and small towns. There are three fundamental pillars underpinning this spirit, which is reflected each year in dozens of projects and actions on the ground: sustainability, beauty and inclusion.
Sometimes, the criteria and requirements of the NEB calls for proposals, although detailed in depth, pose a significant challenge for which entrepreneurs, businesspeople, associations, political authorities and anyone else interested in the New Bauhaus ecosystem are accompanied. Do you know what we mean? The European Commission offers a toolbox of accessible and free tools to achieve this goal. We’ll tell you what they are and how they can be used in combination!
The Compass. Where we are and where we are headed
The NEB Compass is a tool that allows you to map out your project. Is your vision aligned with the NEB’s values and objectives? It allows you to self-assess where you are through guiding questions. For example: Are we reusing what already exists? Are we involving multiple stakeholders? Are we adapting for the long term?
It is defined as a framework for guiding initiatives in their conception or design phase. It is also very useful for communicating the ambition of the project to partners and investors, especially with regard to the cross-cutting nature of the project, participation and engagement. It plays with three levels of ambition for each of the New Bauhaus principles, which are regeneration, transformation and integration.
NEB Guide on Financing and Business Models
Do you have questions about which business model to choose, how to manage participation, or how to get the most out of your work? Check out the NEB Investment Guidelines, an essential document for addressing decision-making on these issues. However, we should point out that the New Bauhaus does not only seek economic profit, but rather prioritises non-financial benefits: improving well-being, promoting social cohesion, building a solid and approachable image, and durability. By integrating aesthetics, sustainability and inclusion, the NEB adds a unique quality to projects, making them attractive to investors looking for ideas that are both sustainable and impactful.
‘Verified’ in the principles of the New Bauhaus
To complement the self-assessment provided by the NEB Compass, there is a checklist, a tool that also measures the sustainability, beauty and inclusion that innovative projects and initiatives promote. It is adapted to the development of small proposals, but can also be very useful for large proposals in their preliminary phase and initial preparation.
It responds to a list of statements with structured and limited answers: Yes, No, Completely and Partially. The tool is intuitive and will allow you to take the next steps in a coherent and effective manner.
Environmental performance, social cost and benefit, and monitoring
If you want something more complex that allows for an in-depth study of your project, the European Commission offers an ambitious multidisciplinary method. It includes key performance indicators (KPIs), thresholds, performance classes, and a hierarchical step-by-step structure that allows for rigorous analysis.
It also facilitates the incorporation of technical standards, environmental performance measurement, social and aesthetic cost-benefit analysis, and continuous monitoring, so it can be integrated into the planning, design, execution, and operation of the project to ensure its alignment with NEB principles. For more effective use, you can refer to the Handbook, a comprehensive guide with definitions and examples.
Tools for public administration initiatives
If you work in public administration and are keen to develop NEB projects, this is for you: a collection of tools, workshops, best practices and online resources. It allows you to start the process from scratch: identify what you want to do, explore the best dynamics and organisation, and refine the initial results towards your goals.
Check out examples from other municipalities for inspiration, and research the best ways to get citizens involved and collaborate with associations and private entities. Its technical, social and aesthetic approach can be adapted to the needs of your municipality and the scope of the idea you want to implement.
You can also use the NEB Pocket Guide, which contains best practices related to the initiative, as well as the NEB Dashboard to study other proposals from across Europe.
