Arco Slow
A Landscape to Live In
Arco Slow – A Landscape to Live In is an initiative aimed at increasing awareness among citizens and institutions in the Alto Garda area and the Trentino region around issues of social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
The project will consist of preliminary engagement and outreach activities leading up to the realization of the main event, “Arco Slow 2026”, which will be structured over two days: the first devoted to seminars and conferences, and the second featuring a car-free city center, where the streets of Arco will be filled with activities, booths, and workshops organized by the citizens themselves.
The concept “A Landscape to Live In” seeks to evoke the idea of inclusive and sustainable enhancement of local heritage, understood not only as natural and urban landscape, but also as a complex system of relationships, memories, social practices, and contemporary needs. In this sense, Arco Slow invites the community to reinterpret the Trentino territory as a living asset—one to be inhabited responsibly rather than merely crossed or consumed. This perspective also takes into account pressing challenges such as housing poverty, mobility systems overly focused on private cars, and the difficulty faced by valley areas in retaining skilled professionals and career paths typically associated with urban contexts.
The project thus becomes a true “educational laboratory” on landscape, coexistence, and civic participation. Its goal is to foster greater awareness among citizens of territorial challenges and of the importance of adopting new behaviors which, while sometimes perceived as sacrifices, can open up new opportunities. By promoting a culture of sustainability and engaging all age groups, Arco Slow aims to strengthen the Trentino network of actors working to initiate and support processes of sustainable development.
The programme also includes road safety education workshops and initiatives to raise awareness of slow and sustainable mobility, activities in close contact with green spaces, walks, street games, juggling, board and social games, as well as open try-out sessions of physical and sporting activities such as slacklining and dance.
