Demographic change in 🌍 Europe is increasingly becoming a major challenge, particularly the depopulation of 🌾 rural areas. Factors such as urbanisation, emigration from underdeveloped regions, and the desire for a more comfortable life in the city is leading to more and more empty villages and unused valuable space.   🇮🇹 A perfect example of this is found in Topolò. At the beginning of the 20th century, the village at the Italian/Slovenian border had 400 inhabitants. Today it only counts 23. Yet, a group of former residents decided to change this.   💡A new project was born: The “Village as a House” gives Topolò a new meaning and turns it into a home of the local community. This 2022 🇪🇺 #NewEuropeanBauhaus Prizes Winner encourages the use of shared spaces such as a communal living room with a shared library, a versatile kitchen that transforms into a restaurant, and the repurposing of an unused structure into a dynamic laboratory. Meanwhile, individual spaces still offer sufficient privacy.   🙋 Initiatives like the “Village as a House” serve as powerful example of how abandoned spaces can be given new uses, a strong sense of community, and introduce people to innovative forms of living. This example is particularly valuable for the reconstruction of 🇺🇦 Ukraine, which has seen an enormous displacement of people due to the atrocious war.   🏡 The “Village as a House” can inspire and empower Ukraine in its journey toward a resilient reconstruction. On 28-29 November 2023, we are joining the 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 “Ukraine Green Recovery Conference” in Vilnius to discuss further how the New European Bauhaus can support the green reconstruction of Ukraine.    Register today and join the online sessions 👉 link in bio   #EUGreenDeal #StandWithUkraine #Sustainability #LIFEProgramme #SustainableArchitecture #CircularEconomy #UrbanDesign   📷 ©Associazione Robida, 2022. Content licensed to the European Union.