Village meeting points

By project PROXIMITIES

Published on 13 February 2025

Sweden

Västsverige

Varberg

About this good practice

This initiative highlights a collaborative model for establishing meeting places in peripheral and rural areas. Varberg Municipality, in cooperation with community associations and village councils, ensures these spaces are accessible and beneficial.

These meeting places can include children’s play areas, parks, and zones for recreation or reflection. By joining forces, the municipality and local communities enhance the quality of life and attractiveness of these areas, fostering a sense of community and pride among residents.

Varberg Municipality is the organization responsible for promoting this good practice, with the design and ownership of the meeting place shared with the community association that helped create it.

Expert opinion

This initiative Village Meeting Points in Varberg Municipality, Sweden, provides an example of empowering citizen engagement in peripheral and rural areas. The initiative promotes the co-creation of meeting places through collaboration with community associations and village councils. These spaces—such as parks, play areas, or reflective zones—are jointly designed and owned, fostering local pride, civic engagement, and an improved quality of life. The municipality provides funding and professional support (e.g., landscape architects, project managers), while local groups contribute ideas and express community needs. This approach has led to increased use of public spaces, stronger community ties, and positive feedback from residents. This good practice offers a model for engaging citizens in peripheral and rural areas to co-create meeting spaces, while addressing challenges related to limited resources and land ownership. The initiative can serve as an inspiration for other rural areas seeking to promote citizen-driven creation of communal spaces.

Arnault Morisson

Works at Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Resources needed

Municipal budget for the establishment, a landscape architect and/or project manager to oversee the process and design and a community association/local action group with an interest in and need for developing common meeting point in their area. Dialog between Municipality and community.

Evidence of success

The initiative has led to an increased quality of life in areas where the municipality typically does not establish meeting places. The initiative has incresed levels of community engagement, more frequent use of the meeting places, and positive feedback from residents who now have accessible and well-designed areas, where to gather and interact.

Potential for learning or transfer

The potential for learning lies in the collaborative methodology between the municipality and the community association aiming to develop their area. This approach enables development and fosters pride in a place with limited resources. The good practice is beneficial not only for municipalities but also for community associations. Additionally, project financing can be considered if the municipal budget is not available. Importantly, this initiative is not limited to peripheral or rural contexts and can be successfully implemented in urban areas as well.

This is also an example of good governance. It showcases an effective approach to overcoming challenges related to land ownership and resource limitations, while simultaneously enhancing the quality of life and attractiveness of the area. The involvement of the stakeholders living in the areas is essential for the success of the collaboration.