What will the cultural spaces of the future look like? Will they be reimagined factories humming with creativity, historic halls repurposed for new generations, or temporary structures that spark dialogue before moving elsewhere? These questions set the tone for the Eurocities Culture Forum 2025, where participants reflected on how culture reshapes cities physically, socially and imaginatively, by turning places into hubs of community, creativity and resilience.
Annette Christie, Chair of the Eurocities Culture Forum and City Convener for Culture, Sport and International Relations in Glasgow, captured this shared vision when opening the discussions: “Culture is the beating heart and soul of every nation. Let us come together to celebrate and champion culture. That will bind us together.”
From 24 to 26 September, Brno welcomed 147 participants from 61 cities and 21 European countries under the theme ‘Spaces for vibrant cultural and creative scenes’. Across three days, discussions, site visits and debates highlighted how cultural spaces are becoming vital engines for sustainable urban development and social cohesion.
Cities reimagining spaces
One of the Forum’s highlights was to discover how cities are reinventing cultural spaces to meet community needs.
In Turku, Art House Turku transformed a former factory into a “living room” for the city, addressing the crisis of disappearing artist spaces. The project has grown into a hub supported by a wide network of institutions, political actors and citizens, proving how collective ownership sustains culture.
Gothenburg presented its bold plan to relocate the Kunsthalle from the city centre to a former meatpacking district. While the move is still underway, temporary projects with artists are already engaging the area’s history and its residents, turning the relocation into a process of discovery rather than a one-time change.
Leeuwarden shared Bouwurk, a modular building erected for just 100 days. Shaped like an “unfinished cathedral”, it hosted dance, cooking, writing and music before being dismantled and relocated. Though temporary, its impact endured, showing how pop-up structures can stimulate imagination and community involvement far beyond their lifespan.
Brno presented CO.LABS, an independent cultural centre that began as a theatre collective renting a sports hall. After securing national recovery funding, it expanded into a fully fledged hub with galleries, studios, residencies and mentoring programmes. As its organisers explained: “Our main goal is to make our spaces accessible and free for independent artists”, remarking the efforts of making culture available to everyone, not only creators but also wider audiences.
Together, these examples painted a picture of European cities willing to take risks, experiment with formats, and place culture at the centre of regeneration.
Culture is the beating heart and soul of every nation. Let us come together to celebrate and champion culture. That will bind us together.
Emerging trends
Building on the exchanges and examples shared during the Forum, we have compiled a digital catalogue bringing together over 30 examples from member cities, capturing initiatives of all scales, from mobile and temporary venues to large cultural hubs in city centres or neighbourhoods in transition. It highlights the main trends shaping the future of cultural spaces and reflects how cities are rethinking culture as a foundation for resilient, inclusive and sustainable urban life.
You can check out the catalogue here:
Future cultural spaces in cities: emerging trends.
Brno as a living example
The Forum unfolded across a variety of Brno’s spaces, from historic halls to cultural venues and even more informal settings, reflecting the diversity of urban culture itself. This mix of places – where debates, performances and exchanges all intersected – embodied the Forum’s purpose: creating new connections and learning through shared experiences.
Beyond the formal sessions, site visits revealed Brno as a living example of how heritage, industry and creativity can merge. Participants explored underground reservoirs transformed into art spaces, walked through former factories now repurposed for culture, visited CO.LABS on the eve of its reopening, and discovered the sensitive reuse of the Káznice prison complex. These experiences brought to life a city where artists, residents and institutions work together to sustain a vibrant ecosystem.
Preserving and reinventing cultural spaces
The commitment to cultural spaces was also highlighted through two European projects showcased during the Forum. The European Heritage Hub brings together cities and partners to safeguard and revitalise cultural heritage as a driver for sustainable development. The recently concluded Living Spaces initiative supported local and regional authorities in planning and delivering high-quality architectural policies and projects, helping to shape the built environment for everyone.
Political choices, cultural responsibilities
At Vila Tugendhat, deputy mayors and cultural leaders reflected on the challenges of financing and managing cultural spaces. Energy efficiency, heritage restrictions and the shortage of technical staff were underlined as persistent obstacles. Participants stressed the critical role of EU funds in enabling sustainable renovations and the need for cities to act as facilitators, connecting cultural actors and providing shared services. The session confirmed that culture is as much a matter of political will as it is of creativity.
A growing movement: the Lille Call to Action
The Forum also marked a milestone in the Eurocities Lille Call to Action on Sustainable and Inclusive Culture. Three cities, Brno, Gdansk and Edinburgh, added their names, bringing the total number of signatories to 59.
The Call, launched in 2022, is more than a statement of intent. In each city, the act of signing sparks debate within administrations, opens dialogue with the cultural sector, and helps create a dynamic of shared responsibility. Some municipalities have even created new roles, such as sustainable culture officers, to translate commitments into daily practice.
For Brno, the signature was described as the start of a new chapter, reinforcing its vision to support cultural institutions and independent artists, while raising awareness about the transformations shaping today’s society. In Gdansk, the Call was linked to the city’s legacy of solidarity, reaffirming its resilience and support for Ukraine. In Edinburgh, the city mapped the 16 priorities of the Call against its own cultural strategy, identifying gaps and launching a multilingual cultural guide for residents available in more than 100 languages.
As André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities, reminded participants: “Arts and culture are not just add-ons. They are at the heart of urban transformation: driving progress on climate action, green procurement, the circular economy, social inclusion, and citizen participation.”
Arts and culture are not just add-ons. They are at the heart of urban transformation.
Culture shows the way ahead
Cultural spaces are essential infrastructure for resilient, democratic and inclusive cities. They are places where citizens gather, artists create and communities imagine new futures.
Raising cultural profiles, broadening participation, and investing in skills will be vital. Efforts must be sustainable and sustainability-driven, promoting gender equality and inclusivity. Above all, cultural rights must be protected as a foundation for democracy and inclusion.
Brno offered a powerful demonstration of what this looks like in practice. Its cultural spaces, both formal and informal, showed how heritage and creativity can merge, how independent artists can be empowered and how citizens can feel ownership of their city’s future.
Looking forward, the Eurocities Culture Forum 2026 in Gothenburg will continue this shared journey. The challenge will be to build on the lessons of Brno, ensuring that cultural spaces across Europe remain vibrant, inclusive and ready to face the transformations of tomorrow.
Check out our Flickr album to see the best moments of the Forum here.
