Rječina Nature Park

Rijeka’s only river Rječina, flowing from nearby mountains through the city center – neglected, dirty and often dry – is in dire needs of a joint effort to restore. Past human interventions along and in the riverbed amplify impacts of climate change, pose serious threats to biodiversity, reduce public health and directly destroy the river, blocking any direct access of a more-than-human community to its waters. The lack of public awareness of the problems that Rječina is facing and the importance that the river has, combined with the lack of political will and green vision, places emphasis on the need for a new framework of participation, confidence building and, consequently – river restoration. This new participatory framework, combining digital and physical methods, is based on an innovative blend of ecological, spatial and social dimensions operationalized through culture.

The project proposes a meticulously designed process that consists of an awareness campaign and a participatory process of citizen-scientific research. The extensive effort will inform various project, events, activities and installations proposing temporary, spatial and/or social ecological improvements of Rječina sites, communities and nature.

Greetings from Rijeka!

Rijeka is a wonderful city. But what would it look like if it used the potential of each neighborhood? Four locations – Kantrida, Mlaka, Pećine and Zamet – with completely specific stories, characters, problems and potential. These neighborhoods are the itinerary of an annual excursion of Urbani separe, our partners, neighbors and the public. “Greetings from Rijeka!” are sent from four emerging communities which will make their surroundings a better place to live through contemporary cultural, artistic and sustainable practices.

During spring and summer, each of the four communities will organize a public event that will highlight the identity of each neighborhood and its potential, creating tangible changes in public space and creating a stronger community. ‘Greetings from Rijeka!’ is a complex public program consisting of a series of activities in the public spaces of Kantrida, Mlaka, Zamet and Pećina – walks, spatial interventions, brunches, films and concerts, art exhibitions and the production of a series of new original artworks, workshops, public forums and educational practices. An outline to fill up together!

International projects

We’re learning a lot locally, but what’s the point if we’re not sharing it with our neighbors? Through numerous international projects over the years, especially the Erasmus+ program, we developed a new curriculum along with different methodologies, pocket guides and tools. The Motivate to Create project combines participatory art practices with social action projects to create a set of resources for informal adult education in local communities. Through the Creative Agora project, we encourage the professional development of “artists as educators” in the local community. The RegenerAction project leads us to research the needs for the development of the emerging professional profile of the ‘Urban Community Builder’, which directly contributes to the collective process of urban regeneration throughout Europe by creating resources for capacity building – but also serving as an advocacy document aimed at decision makers.

Our international partners: Goethe-Institut (HR), ZKU / Centre for Urbanism and Culture (DE), Institut de recherche et d’innovation Pompidou (FR), Universidade de Evoram (PR), MateraHub (IT), Asociación Valencia Inno Hub (ES), Folkuniversitetet Stiftelsen Vid Lunds Universitet (SE), Fundacja ARTeria (PL), Rinova Málaga (ES), Rinova (UK) Dimitra Education & Consulting (GR), UNI’SONS (FR), PRO PROGRESSIONE KULTURALIS (HU), CEPS Projectes Socials (ES), Regionalna Rozvojova Agentura Senec-Pezinok (SK) te Rosetta Art Centre (UK).