Off to experiment with Parachute Food in Madrid

About (H)activate the City

“Imagine a 100-games box, but instead of classic board games, it’s filled with urban hacking tools for city-makers!”
That was how Bram Dewolfs invited people with a connection to placemaking to join a consortium of Dutch, Belgian and Spanish city-hackers to meet in Madrid collaborate & experiment to help create a toolbox aimed at investigating ways to involve and empower youth to reclaim their spaces.

This EU Erasmus+ project was organised together with Basurama Asociación, Urban Foxes and Pop-Up City.

Madrid

In October 2024, we spent three days exploring creative hacks and interventions aimed at making the city a better place to live. The focus was on small-scale, community-driven activations, and the event sparked a wave of innovative ideas.

Together, we co-created a variety of urban experiments, ranging from QR-code-based social networks and a space exploration vehicle to a parachute-delivered street food restaurant.

It was inspiring to see the diverse work already underway, from in-depth explorations of Madrid to collaborative group projects that will contribute to the Festival and/or the Toolbox.

What stood out most for me were the meaningful connections formed throughout the week. It was a joy to spend time with such passionate, fun, and committed people. The project continued in Brussels in spring 2025 with a final festival.

Explaining the Parachute Food concept in Madrid

Brussels

In May 2025, the (H)activate the City Festival took place in Brussels, almost entirely designed and curated by a local Brussels youth group, the Space Pioneers (Ruimte Pioniers), a dynamic collective of 15- to 25-year-olds on a mission to improve public and shared spaces in Brussels and beyond.

The event was a resounding success, not just because the students led the design, curation, and hosting of the festival, but because it truly welcomed everyone. Attendees ranged in age from toddlers to grandparents, all taking part in one or more creative placemaking activities.

Among the tools and interventions developed by the students were the Public Space Doctor, the Urban Jukebox, Place Poetry, Kiss Kill Marry Die, and the remarkable inflatable installation created by Platoo and FORS, REUS(IN). In the afternoon, we explored the city using Urban Bingo, a playful observational game designed by Laura Fernández de Moya, helping us reflect on both what was present and what was missing in the urban landscape.

Much like our time in Madrid, the festival in Brussels was a deeply rewarding experience, an inspiring moment shared with the consortium and the incredible young people involved in the programme. I hope to collaborate again with Bram, Laura, Joep, Jeroen, Jesse, and the others in the future.