Urban Planning for Social Resilience –
Learn to Build Impact from the Ground Up

Urban Planning for Social Resilience – Learn to Build Impact from the Ground Up

Street for Citizens

ANEL’s “Street for Citizens” project, with the University of Cyprus’s SURF lab, used civic-academic partnership in Latsia and Geri to tackle walkability, fragmented public space, and car dependency through spatial analysis, City Walks, and co-design workshops. It shows how academic actors can mediate participatory, low-cost tactical urbanism and build civic capacity for resilient neighborhood design.

About The Case Study

The Street for Citizens project, led by the Nicosia Development Agency (ANEL) in collaboration with the Society and Urban Form Research Lab (SURF) of the University of Cyprus, explores how civic-academic partnerships can strengthen urban resilience through participatory, evidence-based design. Implemented in the peri-urban municipalities of Latsia and Geri, the project addressed spatial challenges related to walkability, public space fragmentation, and car dependency. SURF applied a three-tiered methodology combining spatial analysis, experiential tools like City Walks, and co-design workshops. The aim was to empower local actors, build advocacy for inclusive design, and experiment with low-cost tactical urbanism. Although embedded within a formal institutional framework, the project also stimulated informal civic action and local awareness. Outcomes included the co-creation of temporary spatial interventions, the development of participatory planning tools, and increased civic capacity. The project demonstrates how academic actors can act as mediators, helping civil society navigate urban processes and promoting scalable models of resilient neighborhood design.

Topics:

Community Hubs & Cultural Activities
Public Space Development & Management
Urban Design & Planning Processes
Urban Regeneration & Rehabilitation

Resilience Challenges:

Social and cultural resilience

Type of Civic Engagement Supporting Neighborhood Resilience:

Advocacy and capacity building
Long-term, more institutionalized engagement
Resident-led and grassroots initiatives
Short-term, more flexible project-based engagement
Volunteer and community service projects

Level of Civic Participation:

Empowerment or co-production
Involvement or participation

Stakeholders Involved:

Academic and research institutions
Community members
Local Government
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)