The transformation and exploration of the potential of public space have been leitmotifs throughout the SOFTacademy project, with several challenges and solutions already identified (see our video and article about it). This stems from the firm belief that renovating buildings alone would mean a missed opportunity to improve the liveability and attractiveness of modernist areas.

A catalogue of NEB-inspired solutions

SOFTacademy operates in a monofunctional urban setting where different uses – living, working, commerce, education – are segregated. This lack of diversity in spatial solutions and public functions results in a fragmented public space that does not adequately support community life or meet varied user needs. In order for the neighbourhood to evolve into a vibrant and diverse environment, spatial quality must be addressed at multiple scales. One of the most effective strategies is to actively program public spaces, designing them to support a range of daily activities and interactions that foster both energy and cohesion. To tackle this, a multidisciplinary team is working, among other tasks, on developing a catalogue of NEB-inspired solutions for the public spaces.

Courtyard in the SOFTacademy pilot area. Credits: Ruxandra Aelenei

For this catalogue, the SOFTacademy team has distilled a list of possible interventions that could deliver the envisioned benefits to the community and the ecosystem at large, enhancing environmental, social, and economic value, while keeping a strong focus on accessibility, integration, and sustainability. While the list is extensive, possible interventions refer to plant diversity, creating permeable surfaces, placing movable chairs and benches, realising attractive bike parking, creating new functions such as repair cafés and exchange shops.

The catalogue comprises solutions at different scales, public or private, long- or short-term, specifically geared to monofunctional modernist areas, supporting the overarching goal of improving people’s everyday lives. It provides homeowners, cities, architects, and other specialists with design guidelines and measurable quality criteria anchored in the local context. The catalogue is adaptable to modernist areas with multiple homeowners and city-owned land, making it a valuable tool for cities across Europe.  

NEB values and working principles. Credits: European Commission

The team also worked on translating the NEB values and the proposed interventions into more concrete, measurable benefits that can inspire inhabitants, practitioners, and the public administration to act. The identified benefits for the community and the city are:

Together

• Social interaction and community-building: Spaces that promote interaction, such as movable seating, community gardens, nature playgrounds, and libraries, strengthen social connections and foster a sense of community.
• Human health: Green areas, active play zones, and healthier outdoor environments support physical and mental well-being.
• Education and leisure: Facilities like libraries, community rooms, and educational programs offer residents opportunities for learning and recreation.
• Sense of ownership and safety: Involving residents in the design and upkeep of shared spaces increases their sense of ownership and enhances community safety.
• Comfort and aesthetic appeal: Well-designed urban spaces foster a more comfortable, enjoyable living environment.

Beautiful

• Community cohesion and integration: Thoughtfully designed public spaces bring people together, foster inclusion, and strengthen the feeling of belonging.
• Local identity and attractiveness: Through innovative architecture and public art, the SOFTacademy area can develop a distinctive identity that attracts locals and visitors alike, raising the neighbourhood’s profile.
• Biodiversity and sustainability: Nature-based solutions such as green roofs and rain gardens support biodiversity and contribute to a more sustainable urban environment.
• Reduction of heat stress and better water management: These measures help mitigate climate impacts such as heatwaves and flooding, improving the area’s resilience to environmental challenges.

Sustainable

• Carbon reduction: Renewable energy solutions, efficient building design, and sustainable mobility options reduce carbon emissions.
• Waste reduction: Promoting reuse and waste reduction through shared infrastructure and services contributes to a cleaner environment.
• Resource efficiency: Sustainable water management and energy-saving measures ensure more efficient use of available resources.

Examples of NEB-inspired interventions. Credits: Think Softer

NEB solutions proposed by students

In order to gather as many ideas and perspectives as possible on the solutions that could be included in the catalogue, the TalTech team that is part of SOFtacademy developed an assignment for architecture, urban studies and engineering students TalTech.

The project invited students to develop small-scale, affordable, aesthetic and replicable objects for the public space of the SOFTacademy pilot area. The objects should be adaptable for similar courtyard environments undergoing area-based comprehensive renovation. Other requirements referred to materials, focusing on circularity principles, as well as ease of implementation, to enable residents to construct the structure themselves during community days, following instructions that accompany the design. What also made this assignment special is that it offered students the possibility to actually build their design, place it in the public space and present it to the neighbourhood, giving this school activity a real practical edge.

Several student teams worked on this assignment and at the end of the semester, the results could finally be admired in the public space. On the 10 and 11^th of June 2026, during rainy days, the winning project called Trapets was built by the students. Due to practical reasons, with extensive construction works going on in the pilot area, it was decided to place the structure in another yard in Mustamäe, close by the project location.

From a few planks to a multifunctional object in the public space. Credits: Ketrin Väli

“ The Trapets modular system was selected as the best project of the course. It was chosen because of its versatility. The pavilion can start with a single module and grow according to needs. By combining several modules, it is possible to create exactly the kind of space residents need and want, whether it is a meeting place or a recreation area ”

says Lill Sarv, Professor of Future Cities at TalTech.

One object, a multitude of uses. Credits: Emma Kirs, Mariann Hanna Johanson, Andreas Toomas Kuusk, Astrid Suvorov

“ Our goal was to activate the courtyards near the apartment buildings in Mustamäe by creating a modular pavilion that can take different forms and fulfil different functions, ” says Andreas, a member of the winning team.

“ We tried to make building it as easy as possible, so that everybody can do it. We also didn’t have experience building wood structures, but we managed. The complete design, with measurements and instructions, will be open-source and available to anyone who wants to build such a pavilion in their courtyard, ” Emma and Mariann added.

Official inauguration of the pavilion. Credits: Ketrin Väli

The winning project aligned with the NEB values guiding the SOFTacademy project, providing beautiful, affordable, and sustainable solutions, driven by people’s needs, attempting to catalyse communities, enhance the sense of belonging, and open up dialogue about public space and its meaning for citizens.

Reflection on NEB in neighbourhood renovation 

The course did not have the intention to validate the NEB design criteria, but rather to design within their context. However, during the processes of designing, building, and using the completed pavilions, a series of questions emerged that helped the team better understand their application in the context of neighbourhood renovation. The most important of these concerns the relationship between site-specificity and standardisation, value-based interdisciplinary design, and the preconditions for spatial intervention.

The greatest value of the course lies not only in the completed prototype, but in the shift in thinking brought about by the design and construction process. In several cases, the learning curve was less about finding answers than about reformulating the questions: how generalisable solutions emerge, what role public space criteria play in interdisciplinary design, and when spatial intervention is the right tool.

These questions did not diminish confidence in the value and usefulness of the NEB-inspired catalogue or in the NEB principles; rather, they helped clarify the conditions under which they can be effective. They also directed attention to the role that understanding place, a shared value hierarchy, and the social context underlying spatial intervention should play in the future. From this perspective, the main output of the course was not only the completed prototype, but also the new research questions that emerged for the next stages of development.

Congratulation to Emma, Mariann, Andreas and Astrid!

The author would like to thank Luisa Maria Männilaan and Lill Sarv from TalTech and Kadri Auväärt (City of Tallinn) for their contribution to this article.

Author Ruxandra Aelenei