Commons-based Learning in action: experimenting with abandoned spaces in Riga

How often have we looked around and thought: “There are so many abandoned buildings—what if they could live again?” In Riga, this question became the starting point for a European learning experiment that brings together students, activists, architects, and municipalities to rethink disused urban spaces as sites of collective education and transformation.

This action-learning journey is part of BASICC a project that aims to develop innovative skills for managing and revitalizing unused spaces in European cities.  In Riga, the initiative took the form of an immersive co-learning lab where abandoned buildings became tools for building civic competences and community-driven urban regeneration.

In cities and rural areas alike, unused buildings remain a widespread challenge. To address this, Free Riga and the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (ViA) organized a series of learning events within BASICC, involving students from Latvia, Belgium, France, and beyond. The participants explored neglected buildings and areas, searching for new uses grounded in the needs of local communities.

These actions supported the broader goal of developing new university-level courses on commons-based urban transformation, tested directly in the field. The result? Students experienced a non-traditional, hands-on educational model, rooted in cooperation, experimentation, and direct civic engagement.

The project’s first session took place in a building managed by Free Riga, close to the city center. It was the launch of 5 to 7 planned sessions, where participants co-designed socially useful strategies for disused urban areas.

Paula Cukura, curator of Free Riga, explains:

“This session helps us understand what’s happening and what we should do next, so it becomes truly useful for our students, our people, and our municipalities—many of which are left with abandoned schools that could become community centers, spaces for creativity, education, and gathering.”

Marija Katrīna Dambe, architect and lecturer at ViA, adds:

“Revitalizing spaces requires us to confront economic, environmental and social challenges—what materials we use, how we involve people, how we share decision-making. It’s about building communities that decide together, as equals.”

Among the international participants was Elsa Buet, representing Yes We Camp, a French organization and one of BASICC’s project partners.
Yes We Camp brings extensive experience in transforming vacant spaces into cultural and social hubs, such as Les Grands Voisins in Paris.

Elsa Buet, from Yes We Camp:

“Even though we already offer similar courses in France, applying them in Latvia is a new challenge. Free Riga is a truly inspiring partner. We believe we can help each other expand these learning models across Europe. After all, places like this can't be understood just from a classroom—you need to go there, meet people who live and activate them.”