Living Coast aims to strengthen small coastal communities in the Baltic Sea Region by developing and testing practical solutions within blue economy, local engagement and the reuse of harbour-related facilities.
The project addresses a shared challenge: many smaller coastal communities face declining fisheries, underused harbour buildings and limited opportunities to test new forms of local development.
Living Coast establishes Coastal Living Labs in Denmark, Estonia and Sweden. In these labs, local actors, schools, businesses, organisations and citizens work together to explore how harbour spaces and marine resources can be used for new activities, learning and local value creation.
Through pilot activities, the project works with seaweed cultivation, product development, dissemination, citizen science, school activities and local engagement events. The aim is both to create practical experience in the participating coastal communities and to develop methods that can be transferred to other small coastal towns in the Baltic Sea Region.
The project runs from 2026 to 2028 under the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme and has a total budget of €500,000.
For municipalities, local organisations, harbour actors, schools and small businesses, Living Coast provides knowledge, demonstration activities and practical tools to support more active, resilient and locally anchored coastal communities.