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Our team at Eutropian recently joined partners from across Europe in Malmö, Sweden, for an inspiring three-day study tour to explore innovative approaches in the sharing economy, sustainability, and community-building. Hosted by Malmö Municipality and co-organised with Bax, the event brought together representatives from Tartu 🇪🇪, Jyväskylä 🇫🇮, Újbuda (Budapest) 🇭🇺, and 🇬🇷 Clube and Region of Western Macedonia. Together, we explored how European cities can collaborate to build resilient, connected urban ecosystems. 🌍
🏡 Day 1: Sege Park and Eutropian’s Collaborative Ecosystem Workshop
On Day 2, we explored Sege Park, a district that leads the way in climate-smart, community-centred living. From Sweden’s largest wooden car park , featuring shared electric car stations and solar energy, to a co-housing complex where residents share meals and decisions, Sege Park demonstrated the power of sustainable community living. A highlight was a warm dinner cooked for us by the residents, allowing us to experience firsthand the bonds that this co-housing model fosters.
After the site visit, Eutropian led the first workshop: Collaborative Ecosystem Building. The objective was to help participants envision networks that connect local businesses, civic initiatives, NGOs, and social economy organisations, strengthening each member through synergies and shared resources. We asked participants to use their stakeholder maps and draw connections, identifying potential collaborations. This exercise led to insightful discussions on aligning resources and fostering connections within their own cities.
Our final day took us to the Embassy of Sharing in Hyllie, a neighbourhood focused on circularity and social sustainability. We visited the newly opened city district library, designed to engage young people through co-creation workshops and events that empower them to shape their community. This vibrant, inclusive library highlighted Malmö’s commitment to youth and collaboration.
Later, we facilitated our Community Building Activities Workshop. Based on exercises cities had previously completed on Miro, we divided participants into two groups representing two models that emerged: a decentralised model with scattered community spots and a centralised model focused on a main hub. Participants discussed their cities’ long-term goals for 2030, visualising what success would look like and outlining the resources—money, people, skills—they would need to get there. We encouraged each city to consider which resources they already have and which they need to develop, ensuring each plan was tailored to its unique context and assumptions.
Each city shared key insights from their Good Cities 2030 exercise, presenting how their strategies might differ and what specific resources or collaborations they would require. This workshop offered a practical framework for cities to explore decentralised and centralised community-building approaches, aligned with their individual needs and goals.
🏐 A Fun Finale with Piffl!
We wrapped up our study tour with a visit to a Piffl box in a local park. Piffl is a sharing platform for outdoor sports and games, making it easy to access equipment for activities like volleyball and kubb through an app. This playful, accessible approach embodied Malmö’s vision for inclusive, community-centered spaces that bring people together through spontaneous play and activity
Reflection
This study tour in Malmö left us inspired and equipped with new strategies for collaborative, sustainable urban communities. We extend a big thank you to Malmö Municipality, our organising partners at Bax, and all the cities who joined us for their insights, participation, and shared commitment to creating resilient, connected cities for the future. Here’s to reaching our Good Cities 2030 goals, together!