MAG-NET: Celje’s Bold Experiment in Urban Transformation

Celje, Slovenia’s fourth-largest city, is at a crossroads, its urban landscape evolving under the weight of economic and social challenges, including talent drain, environmental impact and economic shifts. Yet, speaking with locals, you sense a growing optimism. Young families are choosing to settle here, lured by affordable housing and the convenience of commuting to Ljubljana. But Celje’s leadership refuses to accept a fate as merely a commuter town. With the election of a young, visionary mayor after 24 years of the same leadership, the city is embarking on a bold new path—one that envisions Celje as a thriving, inclusive, and innovative urban hub. The municipality is determined to create lasting change by fostering talent, strengthening community ties, and making Celje a model for sustainable urban development. And at the centre of this vision stands MAG-NET.

What is MAG-NET?

MAG-NET is an ambitious initiative designed to reverse the trend of talent loss and urban stagnation in Celje and neighbouring Prebold. Funded under the European Urban Initiative, the project seeks to create new opportunities for young people, businesses, and residents by transforming the city into a hub of innovation, sustainability, and collaboration.

The project will focus on five major challenges—or MAG-NETic Fields—that are crucial for the future of the city:

• Affordable Housing: Finding innovative ways to make housing accessible to young professionals and families.
• Sustainable Mobility: Improving transport options to make the city more connected and environmentally friendly.
• Industry 4.0: Supporting businesses in embracing new technologies and preparing for the future of work.
• Urban Atmosphere: Enhancing public spaces and the cultural scene to improve the city’s liveability.
• Community Energy: Encouraging local energy initiatives and sustainable practices.

These challenges will be tackled in an open, experimental way, bringing together the city’s residents, local businesses, researchers, and students to co-create solutions. The project’s participatory nature ensures that it is not just an initiative for policymakers but something that everyone in Celje and Prebold can be a part of.

At the heart of the project is the MAG-NET Hub, a physical and digital space where people from different backgrounds can come together to work on solutions. The hub will be located in a repurposed educational building, turning an underutilized space into a dynamic centre for entrepreneurship, learning, and collaboration. Complementing the main hub in Celje, a mini-hub will be established in Prebold, ensuring that both urban centres benefit from the initiative and have access to resources, mentorship, and opportunities for innovation.

The design of the hub follows the principles of the New European Bauhaus (NEB), meaning it will not only be functional but also beautiful and inclusive. From young startups and established companies to students and creatives, the hub will provide space, mentorship, and networking opportunities for anyone with ideas to contribute to Celje’s future.

How Will This Impact the City?

For residents of Celje, MAG-NET will introduce new opportunities and initiatives that lay the groundwork for long-term improvements in the city. Direct outcomes of the project will include:

• The MAG-NET Hub and Mini-Hub as physical and digital spaces fostering collaboration and innovation.
• A digital platform to connect citizens, businesses, and researchers, promoting knowledge-sharing and engagement.
• Specific pilot programs and strategies developed through the MAG-NETic Fields to address key urban challenges.

Beyond these direct results, the project aims to inspire broader change, influencing how Celje evolves in the years to come. These indirect impacts may include:

• Strengthened local businesses and new economic opportunities through digitalization and entrepreneurship support.
• Enhanced civic engagement, leading to more community-driven urban improvements.
• Potential long-term improvements in urban mobility and public spaces, shaped by ideas emerging from MAG-NET.

While MAG-NET itself will not directly develop new urban infrastructure, it seeks to catalyse initiatives that contribute to making Celje a more vibrant, connected, and sustainable city.

While Celje and Prebold are leading this initiative, they are not alone. Cities across Europe are watching MAG-NET closely, eager to learn from its successes and challenges. The project’s innovative, bottom-up approach could serve as a blueprint for other small and mid-sized cities looking to boost economic growth, retain talent, and foster more inclusive urban development.

Through transfer partnerships cities facing similar struggles will be able to adopt and adapt the strategies developed in Celje, ensuring that the project’s impact extends far beyond Slovenia. The project has three formal transfer partners namely Varaždin, Croatia, Košice, Slovakia and Nardò, Italy. These cities, all of whom face similar challenges will closely follow Celje’s journey through MAG-NET with a view to transferring some of the activities to their own cities.

MAG-NET is designed to be an open, participatory initiative, meaning there are many ways for locals to engage:

• Join a MAG-NETic Field team: If you are passionate about one of the five key challenges, you can take part in research, brainstorming, and prototyping new solutions.
• Use the MAG-NET Hub or Mini-Hub in Prebold: Entrepreneurs, students, and professionals can benefit from the spaces, workshops, and networking opportunities.
• Contribute to the development and operation of the MAG-NET digital platform: This will support collaboration, citizen engagement, and resource sharing, you can help shape it by providing feedback. You can support its success by contributing content, and engaging in digital co-creation activities that enhance connectivity.
• Attend community events: Public workshops, talks, and exhibitions will be organized throughout the project to encourage dialogue and collaboration.
• Follow the progress: The project will be regularly updated online, and locals are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas.

Unlike traditional urban projects with predefined outcomes, MAG-NET is an open-ended process. No one yet knows exactly what innovative solutions will emerge from this bold experiment, and that’s what makes it so exciting. With a bottom-up approach, interdisciplinary teams, and a leadership committed to pushing boundaries, MAG-NET represents a new way of thinking about urban development.

In addition to the municipalities of Celje and Prebold, the project will benefit from the collaborative efforts of a team of dedicated local project partners, including organisations from Celje, such as the Business Incubator,  the Youth Centre, Real Estate Celje, private company ETRA and partners from Ljubljana, such as the Institute for Spatial Policies, the Institute for Economic Democracy, the Institute for Innovation and Development of the University of Ljubljana (IRI UL) and Poligon, the Institute for Development of Creative Industries. With their energy, expertise, and enthusiasm, together with that of the municipalities, the project is in highly capable hands and their commitment to ensuring a vibrant, sustainable, and innovative future for Celje is truly inspiring.

The next few years will determine whether this approach can truly reshape Celje into a vibrant, inclusive, and talent-driven city. But standing here, looking at the incredible natural beauty framed by the city’s library, together with the ambitious and dedicated project team, it’s easy to believe that Celje’s future is just as stunning as the view.

For locals, for urban practitioners across Europe, and for anyone interested in the future of cities, MAG-NET is a project to watch. The transformation of Celje has begun, and it’s calling for everyone to take part.