Some tragic events shock the social fabric our territories rely on, unveiling both profound inequalities and unexpected resources.

SPUR is a project funded by the European Union CERV program, aiming at inquiring into the impacts that such events may produce on marginalised groups in European urban contexts in order to support local authorities in their efforts to build, together with the local communities, strategic plans to prevent and overcome the effects of similar social traumas.

The starting point was a reflection on the impacts that Covid-19 pandemic had on marginalised groups in 5 European countries, focusing especially on youth and elders, people with migratory background and people facing gender inequalities.

SPUR thus gathered 6 local authorities and territorial actors from Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Croatia and Romania possessing a strong expertise regarding the target groups whose needs and wishes the project aimed to address. Through a multi-stakeholders, participatory approach SPUR supported the local authorities involved in:

• Mapping the needs and expectations of the more vulnerable groups within the territorial communities;
• Exchanging and comparing good practices, including the urban solidarity experiences implemented at local level during the Covid-19 pandemic;
• Experimenting with innovative initiatives to strengthen neighbourhood sociality and promote inclusion.

The project pursued 5 major objectives:

• Reflect on and to react to the effects that events such as the Covid-19 pandemic had and could have on local communities, especially on marginalised groups, youth and elders;
• Support the planning of social inclusion and of exclusion mitigation strategies regarding people with migratory background and people facing gender inequalities;
• Initiate transnational cooperation between European communities for mutual learning and exchange of good practices;
• Identify sustainable, long-term solutions for building resilient and inclusive communities;
• Create a local network between citizens, associations and local authorities.

This web-documentary explores the story of SPUR project from the points of view of the partners involved and of the local communities reached, the very main characters mobilised during the implementation.