This story is part of our Impact Stories series, spotlighting our fellows who, drawing on socially engaged arts, help communities across Europe confront past experiences, address present challenges, and imagine new futures. Here, Esteban reflects on the role of art and collaboration in transforming local metropolitan areas for the better.

A group of friends and I began as activists advocating for community art as a way of transforming our neighbourhood in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. Between 2009 and 2017, this evolved into urban art projects focused on empowering communities to transform their public spaces through creativity, resulting in dozens of artworks and murals on the outskirts of Barcelona.

But at a certain point, we felt our work wasn’t able to address more complex problems, confined as it was to specific projects with limited durations. This led us to the creation of Contorno Urbano Foundation in 2017, which incorporated a much broader methodology – where urban art was just one element in our overall approach – to regenerate highly complex neighbourhoods.

We believe everyone has the right to be a protagonist in the socio-cultural life of their neighbourhood. This is why we promote active participation in co-creation processes and cultural democracy, creating spaces where everyone can contribute to shared identities.

Our flagship project began with the cleanup of a plot of land being used as a dump, which then became a participatory process to determine the ways we could use the space in the future. The community designed, built, and now self-manages a 2,000m² park, garden, and cultural centre where they can continue to develop programmes for the good of the local area.

We’re now following the same process in five cities in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, tapping into a network of over 80 local agents: educational centers, neighbourhood associations, social, health, and educational non-profits, city councils, and more. We primarily work with vulnerable communities, aiming to benefit their mental and physical wellbeing, facilitate social cohesion, and elevate their cultural rights. We encourage every participant to engage as much or as little as they like, in whatever projects they choose.

We firmly believe in democratic processes, inclusion, and transparency as essential tools for guaranteeing the rule of law and envisioning a better future. Against a backdrop of social and political instability, local initiatives like Contorno Urbano Foundation are vital to guiding the way toward more inclusive, humane, and responsible policies.

Explore more stories of socially engaged arts driving change across Europe. View the Stories of Impact map here.