Introducing the WATERFRONTS Toolkit: From Three Coastlines to One Shared Methodology

Coastal and waterfront communities are often the first to experience environmental change. Rising seas, water scarcity, shifting shorelines and the gradual loss of familiar landscapes reshape not only the places people live, but also how they feel about them. Alongside these physical changes comes something harder to measure: the worry, grief and uncertainty many people experience in response to a changing climate—often described as eco-anxiety.

The WATERFRONTS project set out to explore how art, science and care can help communities respond to these challenges together. Its latest result, the WATERFRONTS Toolkit, brings together two years of learning into a practical methodology that artists, cultural organisations, municipalities and community groups can adapt to their own waterfronts.

A project rooted in place

WATERFRONTS (Waterfront Culture for Resilience Against Climate Change & Eco-Anxiety) brought together young artists and waterfront communities across three distinct European coastlines: Gothenburg in Sweden, Lesvos in Greece and Zadar-Bibinje in Croatia. Each location faces its own environmental realities. Gothenburg is shaped by sea-level rise and urban transformation. Lesvos experiences water scarcity, migration and the challenges of life on a border island. Zadar-Bibinje confronts tourism pressure, urbanisation and changing relationships between people and the coast.

Rather than treating these as separate stories, the project sought to develop a shared way of working—one that respects local identity while creating opportunities for learning across borders.

A methodology to adapt, not a project to copy

Perhaps the Toolkit's strongest idea is also its simplest. It makes a clear distinction between a transferable methodology and project documentation.

The methodology consists of practical steps, workshop formats, checklists and implementation tools that another organisation can adapt to its own context. The documentation records how those ideas were applied in Sweden, Greece and Croatia. The artworks, activities and case studies are evidence of the methodology in practice—they are not templates to reproduce elsewhere. Every page helps readers understand whether they are looking at reusable guidance, documented project experience, or a combination of both. The message throughout is consistent: transfer the principles, not the products. At the heart of the methodology is a three-part lens that any organisation can apply to its own context. Art makes environmental change visible and relatable. Science grounds creative practice in local ecosystems and evidence. Care ensures inclusion, emotional safety and community agency, transforming concern into participation rather than helplessness. From there, the methodology follows a four-phase cycle: Listen and Co-design, Equip and Safeguard, Create Together, and Amplify and Embed. Rather than presenting these as fixed stages, the Toolkit encourages continuous reflection, allowing teams to revisit earlier phases as they learn from participants and local experience.

Built through practice

The methodology did not emerge in theory alone. It was developed and tested throughout the WATERFRONTS project. Across the three participating countries, 46 people contributed to the initial co-design process, while six artists and cultural practitioners took part in the project's development pathway. Community Artivism activities engaged 91 direct participants and reached around 450 people through exhibitions and public encounters. Together, artists and communities created nine artworks spanning dance, painting, glass, ceramics, photography and participatory collage. The Toolkit encourages readers to look beyond these finished works. What matters are the relationships that were built, the conversations that took place, the decisions that shaped the creative process and the ways communities influenced the final outcomes. These are the elements that can genuinely travel to another place.

Inclusion at the centre

Throughout the publication, accessibility and participation are treated as essential design principles rather than additional considerations. Creative activities rely on low-barrier entry points—colour, photography, movement, sound, memory and objects—so that participation does not depend on technical expertise or confidence with language. Community members are recognised as contributors and co-authors, helping shape both the creative process and the way their work is presented. The Toolkit also places strong emphasis on safeguarding and care. It recognises that artists can create respectful and inclusive spaces while maintaining clear boundaries, ensuring that creative practice supports well-being without asking artists to take on clinical roles.

A European methodology

Although developed across three waterfronts, the methodology was designed from the outset to travel. Cross-border peer learning enabled artists and practitioners to exchange ideas, test approaches and reflect on the differences between their local contexts. Those experiences have now been distilled into practical guidance that can support new projects in other coastal and waterfront communities. The publication also redefines what it means to scale a cultural project. Scaling is not simply reaching a larger audience. It happens when another organisation understands a methodology well enough to adapt it, implement it and embed it within its own community. That philosophy runs throughout the Toolkit, from its implementation framework and safeguarding guidance to its case studies, best practices and practical planning tools.

Continuing the journey

The WATERFRONTS Toolkit is more than a record of what happened during the project. It is an invitation for others to continue the journey. Whether used by cultural organisations, independent artists, municipalities, schools, researchers or community groups, the methodology provides a practical framework for developing arts-led responses to climate change that are rooted in local knowledge, environmental awareness and community participation. The project may have reached its conclusion, but its methodology is only beginning to travel.

The WATERFRONTS Toolkit (Deliverable 4.1) is publicly available and can be downloaded from the project website.