The challenge
The Bolderaja Library Garden was an underused public space in a neighbourhood facing low civic participation, limited trust in collective initiatives and scepticism toward new ideas. Riga also wanted to show how circular economy principles could become concrete at neighbourhood level.
The challenge was to introduce circularity without relying on one-off consultation. Residents had to see that participation could influence the outcome.
The format
Riga Energy Agency led a phased participatory process with Riga Central Library, the Riga Municipal Neighbourhood Residents Center, municipal departments, local NGOs and residents.
The process included local outreach at Ancient Fire Night on 31 August 2024, the My cultural garden in Bolderaja idea competition, a picnic discussion in the library garden, a youth hackathon, a closing event for the competition, and a public procurement process that included ideas gathered through citizen engagement. In September 2025, residents joined practical prototyping work with SIA Tandeems Cycle in the garden.
What happened
The case is planned for finalisation in spring 2026. By the time of the source document, Riga had already translated circular policy objectives into visible, place-based action.
The pilot also became a demonstration model for integrating citizen engagement into circular economy policy implementation. Lessons from Bolderaja informed Riga Energy Agency work on awareness raising, participatory design and circular public procurement.
What other cities can reuse
Incremental engagement helped build trust in a low-participation context. Residents met the project through events, ideas, workshops, prototypes and formal consultation.
The useful move was the link between participation and procurement. Citizen input entered the technical specifications for the garden design and build, giving engagement a visible route into implementation.
Budget and model
The activities were funded by the CCC project. The youth hackathon was carried out with local NGO Zero Waste. The citizen engagement activities were developed with Riga municipal institutions, including the Riga Municipal Neighbourhood Residents Center, Riga Central Library management, Riga Education, Culture and Sports Department, Riga City Communications Department and Riga Ownership Department.
The source material states that maintenance of the library space will be carried out by the Riga Ownership Department.
Explore the Bolderaja Library Garden process
The case shows how participatory design can move circular economy from strategy into a neighbourhood space.
