The regeneration of Zorrotzaurre is one of the largest and most ambitious redevelopments of the last decades in Bilbao. A masterplan has already been developed, but there is the looming question of how can the actors involved in Zorrotzaurre develop a governance model that will allow the formation of networks of innovation and collaboration, and how this model can be sustained over time, supporting the creation of new governance structures among stakeholders as newcomers arrive into Zorrotzaurre. 

In the context of T-Factor, the Local Coalition in Bilbao along with TU Dortmund University designed a workshop with the objective of providing an arena for a first dialogue between the key actors at stake in this transformation. The objective of this workshop was to bring these actors to the table and provide them with evidence-based examples of successful collaborative governance models across Europe, which could inspire the future model of Zorrotzaurre.  

4 Case studies from European cities

The workshop event was prepared as a follow-up activity of the report “Collaborative Governance Models for District Management” created by TUDO for the Bilbao Local Coalition. This report presented a portfolio of 10 case studies in cities across Europe, which developed a model of collaborative governance to manage districts in processes of urban regeneration. The Local Coalition selected four of these cases to be looked into with further detail. The representatives were invited to the event, as follows: 

Sophie Witzke from Orestad Innovation City Copenhagen (Denmark)

Helena Holmberg from BID Gamlestaden (Gothenburg, Sweden)

Svenja Noltemeyer from InWest District Cooperative (Dortmund, Germany)

David Garcia Martínez from 22@ (Barcelona, Spain)

Ørestad Innovation City Copenhagen

BID Gamlestaden – Gothenburg

InWest City Cooperative Dortmund

22@ Office – Barcelona, Spain