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From Temporariness to Permanence: Three Foundations of Sustainable Placemaking
Thursday September 24, 2026 2:30pm - 3:45pm CEST
William H. Whyte Room - Wroclaw Congress Center (RCTB)
Across Europe, placemaking initiatives are transforming vacant buildings, post-industrial sites, and underused urban spaces into vibrant cultural and social communities. Yet many remain vulnerable, relying on temporary leases, fragile governance, limited funding, and shifting political priorities.
This session explores one of the key challenges facing placemaking today: how can temporary initiatives evolve into lasting, self-governed, and financially sustainable civic institutions?
Drawing on experiences from Poland and the Netherlands, the speakers will present practical approaches to securing the long-term future of cultural communities through three interconnected pillars: organizational resilience, financial sustainability, and programmatic development.
The session will examine governance models that strengthen community ownership, innovative funding strategies that reduce dependence on public subsidies, and participatory programming that builds lasting local engagement. Through real-life examples, participants will gain insight into how creative hubs can grow from temporary projects into stable institutions with a strong public role.
Rather than focusing solely on activating places, the discussion will show how placemaking can generate enduring social, cultural, and spatial value. Participants will leave with transferable tools, practical strategies, and fresh perspectives that can be adapted to their own local contexts, helping cultural initiatives become resilient, community-led ecosystems capable of thriving despite economic and political uncertainty.
Speakers
JG

Joanna Gańcza-Pawełczyk

team member, Municipality of Wroclaw, Department of Social Affairs, Civic Participation Division
Joanna Gańcza-Pawełczyk works for the City of Wrocław in the Department of Social Affairs, specializing in citizen participation. She has contributed to numerous participatory urban development projects and is a member of Wrocław GREEN PLACE, an URBACT network of ten European cities. The initiative transforms underused urban spaces through community participation while promoting green infrastructure as a key strategy for climate resilience... Read More →
avatar for Jacek Rajewski

Jacek Rajewski

treasurer / business director, Stichting Crealisatie / maker community De Hoop in Zaandam, The Netherlands
Jacek Rajewski is a cultural entrepreneur and producer with over 30 years of experience developing innovative projects at the intersection of art, culture, technology, and society. Co-founder and former creative director of Amsterdam's Sugar Factory, he led its business development... Read More →
avatar for Cyril Stom

Cyril Stom

chairman / general director, Stichting Crealisatie / maker community De Hoop in Zaandam, The Netherlands
Cyril Stom is a creative producer and concept developer specializing in maker communities and creative workspaces. Originally trained as an interaction designer, he built a career in advertising, communications, and digital media before focusing on cultural entrepreneurship. As the initiator of Maakge... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2026 2:30pm - 3:45pm CEST
William H. Whyte Room - Wroclaw Congress Center (RCTB) Wystawowa 1, 51-618 Wrocław, Poland
  It Takes a Village to Shape a City, panel discussion

Attendees (15)


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