BUDD alumni initiative selected as part of Athens' selection as European Capital of Innovation 2018

The city of Athens has been awarded the title of the European Capital of Innovation 2018 with a €1 million prize. The prize money will be used to scale up local innovation activities and collaborate with other cities. The award comes to applaud the city’s effort to be a beacons of innovation, going the extra mile to test new ways to make citizens heard.

Amongst the several initiatives listed in the award there is the ongoing Curing the Limbo coordinated by BUDD alumna Stefania Gyftopoulou who is Project Manager at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Athens.

Curing the Limbo gives refugees and migrants the possibility to connect with other residents in order to learn the language, develop new skills, find employment opportunities, access affordable housing  and engage in active citizenship. For further details see https://www.uia-initiative.eu/en/city/athens

DPU’s Camillo Boano and Giovanna Astolfo are currently preparing a Cases Review on Social Innovation in housing for refugees for the Curing the Limbo project. The review examines different approaches to address housing affordability and their potential application to the case of Athens’ registered refugees. The review is embedded onto a broader research that examines the broken system of reception of refugees in Europe. The aim of the review is to understand the challenges faced by refugees in gaining access to housing and pursue individual housing trajectories, as well as the challenges faced by humanitarian actors and city authorities in promoting an infrastructure of support. The report will be launched in December