Mangualde’s territory offers a relevant setting for the New European Bauhaus approach because it combines landscape, heritage, public space, community life and social transition. The NEB promotes solutions that are sustainable, inclusive and beautiful, rooted in local places, traditions and cultures, and developed through grassroots participation and stakeholder engagement. In Mangualde, this framework connects naturally with the municipality’s work on urban regeneration, cultural identity, housing, mobility, public space, education, immigrant integration and participatory governance. The municipality has developed a participatory planning process through the URBACT Local Group, bringing together public institutions, schools, social organisations, entrepreneurs, immigrant communities, youth representatives, cultural actors and local economic stakeholders. This process used collaborative tools such as the Problem Tree and Root Analysis to identify local challenges and co-design responses. It represents a practical example of NEB- compatible governance: transdisciplinary, place-based and focused on collective intelligence. Several local activities are directly relevant to the NEBVOICES narrative. The “Active and Intercultural Involvement of Communities” testing action engaged school-age young people and, later, adult immigrant residents and families. It collected 130 responses from students and 98 adult responses in 2025, identifying integration strengths but also needs related to language learning, housing, mobility, health access, psychological support and participation. These results reinforce Mangualde’s focus on intercultural inclusion, social cohesion and civic involvement. Mangualde also integrates the NEB approach through its planned STEM Academy, designed to strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills among young people while preparing the future local workforce. The initiative establishes partnerships between the Municipality, schools, universities, companies and IEFP (government agency for employment and professional training), combining STEM curricula, digital learning hubs, laboratories, bootcamps, competitions and teacher training. Its NEB relevance lies in the creation of inclusive and future-oriented learning environments, where education, innovation and territorial cohesion intersect: students gain access to advanced skills locally, teachers and institutions cooperate in new learning ecosystems, and the municipality links youth retention, employability and digital literacy with a broader strategy for sustainable and inclusive regeneration. The expected results — 300 students trained annually, 20 STEM teachers trained and three new labs created — position STEM not only as an education policy, but as a civic and territorial capacity-building process aligned with NEB values of inclusion, co-creation, sustainability and long-term community resilience. Mangualde also has a concrete municipal support structure for migrant integration: CLAIM Mangualde – Local Support Center for Migrant Integration, which provides information and support on residence processes, nationality, family reunification, housing, employment, health, education, legal and social referral, and general integration needs. This reinforces the municipality’s capacity to connect civic participation with practical inclusion services.

(“civil-society organisations, schools, community groups, local associations, cooperatives,
business representatives, social institutions and immigrant communities.”)
The following organisations and community actors are specifically identified in previous joint
activities as part of Mangualde’s participatory ecosystem:
 COAPE / Agricultural Cooperative, linked to the primary sector and rural economy.
 Agrupamento de Escolas, representing education and youth engagement.
 Associação Empresarial de Mangualde, representing commerce and industry.
 Associação Juvenil do Castelo, representing youth participation.
 Associação Florestal, representing forestry and environmental/rural concerns.
 Casa do Povo de Mangualde, representing community and local civic life.
 Adega Cooperativa de Mangualde, linked to wine, territory and the Dão identity.
 IPSS / social solidarity institution, linked to education and social action.
 Local parish representatives, linking the municipal strategy with local administration.
 Immigrant communities, students, families and residents, involved through surveys,
testing actions and public forums.