23 Transfer networks embarking on the second phase of their journey!

Riga (LV), Siracusa (IT), ADL Santa Pola (local development agency) (ES), Brighton & Hove City Council (UK), Espoo (FI), Dubrovnik Development Agency (HR)

The Riga NGO House was opened in 2013, in line with the wishes of residents and civil society actors to support NGOs and to increase citizen awareness of local affairs and participation in municipality-related activities. Set in a refurbished school building, the NGO House offers resources for NGO capacity building, exchange of information, experience and best practices, networking and leadership training. It promotes active social inclusion and citizen participation.

Chemnitz (DE), Rybnik (PL), Vilafranca del Penedès (ES), Urban Lab Torino (IT), ERIGES Seraing (local agency) (BE), Riga (LV), Constanța (RO)

The ALT/BAU Transfer Network focuses on alternative strategies in central and historic districts of European cities to activate unused and decaying housing stock resulting from demographic, economic and social change. Based on the experiences from Chemnitz’ URBACT Good Practice “Housing Agency for Shrinking Cities”, the network will transfer experiences that proved successful to proactively connect administrations, owners, investors and users to initiate sustainable and resource-saving development.

Ljubljana (SI), Bydgoszcz (PL), Cesena (IT), Amarante (PT), 12th District Budapest (Hegyvidék) (HU), Nea Propontida (EL)

The Bee Path Good Practice logic can be summarized very simply: bees are the best indicator of healthy environment! The BeePathNet network aims to up-grade and transfer the Bee Path concept, solutions and results from Ljubljana to 5 other EU cities. It will address urban environmental, biodiversity and food self-sufficiency challenges linked to urban beekeeping through integrated and participative approaches, building key stakeholders’ capacity to influence relevant policies and develop and implement efficient solutions.

Mouans-Sartoux (FR), Troyan (BG), Rosignano Marittimo (IT), Pays de Condruses (BE), Torres Vedras (PT), Vaslui (RO), Trikala (EL)

Faced with the negative impact of industrial food production on health and environment, cities can reverse this trend with sustainable food governance. Developing 100% organic canteens with no cost increase by reducing food waste by 80% and introducing plant proteins, Mouans-Sartoux's Bio Canteens Good Practice has succeeded in relocating food supply, revitalising local agriculture and educating children and families to sustainable food. 85% of them say they have changed their food habits.

Piraeus (EL), Burgas (BG), Matosinhos (PT), Mataro (ES), Ostend (BE), Galati (RO), Salerno (IT), Szczecin (PL)

The city of Piraeus put in place the BlueGrowth Initiative, an innovation competition for the Blue Economy, to strengthen traditional economic activities related to the maritime sector with innovative business ideas. The BlueGrowth Initiative helps young entrepreneurs develop innovative concepts and create jobs in the Blue Economy. The Initiative comprises an innovative proposals submission, an evaluation, an award ceremony, and an incubation programme. The heart of the BlueGrowth Initiative is Marinescape, a quadruple-helix ecosystem for the Blue Economy.

Gijon (ES), Suceava (RO), Jurmala (LV), Sassari (IT), Aveiro (PT), Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne métropole (FR), Antwerp (BE)

CARD4ALL, with the motto "Your city in your pocket", is a Transfer Network focused on the implementation of innovative services and technologies through a Citizen Card System. Cities can gather information to improve their services and use it for participative processes. It can be applied to promote social inclusion, local trade, urban mobility and sustainable living, thus creating a Smart City with Smart Citizens. The technology used allows the transferability and replication in different contexts.

Manchester (UK), Wroclaw (PL), Mantova (IT), Gelsenkirchen (DE), Sibenik (HR), Agueda (PT)

The aim of the C-CHANGE network is to transfer the work of Manchester Arts Sustainability Team to support cities to mobilise their arts and culture sectors to contribute towards local climate change action. This can be done by:
1) Developing local policies, governance and capacity to act
2) Developing plans to reduce CO2 emissions and/or adapt to climate change, and supporting implementation
3) Developing plans to use arts and culture to engage citizens to act, and supporting implementation
4) Encouraging replication in other cities.

Naples (IT), Gdansk (PL), Barcelona (ES), Amsterdam (NL), Ghent (BE), Iasi (RO), Presov (SK)

The network's purpose is to transfer Naples' Good Practice "Lost & Found". The network aims at guaranteeing the collective enjoyment as well as collective management of urban essential facilities conceived as urban commons. This public-community governance approach will secure fair and open access to commons as well as their sustainability and preservation for the benefit of future generations.

Lisbon (PT), Bari (IT), Aalborg (DK), Sofia (BG), Ostrava (CZ), Lublin (PL), Den Haag (NL), Lille Metropole (FR)

Lisbon Local Development Strategy for areas of Priority Intervention provides the city a range of integrated tools to tackle urban poverty and empower local communities. The strategy is based on a co-governance and bottom-up participatory perspective, ensuring a horizontal and collaborative local approach, to mitigate social, economic, environmental and urban exclusion, resulting in a smart and effective toolbox to implement a sustainable urban living and enhance social and territorial cohesion.

Ujbuda (HU), Gheorgheni (RO), Forli (IT), Varazdin (HR), Pori (FI), Plasencia (ES), Warsaw District Targowek (PL)

The joint policy challenge of the Come in! Transfer Network partner cities is to mobilise citizens, foster citizen empowerment and urban stewardship by raising awareness of the values of the built heritage as a mean to decrease social isolation. The networ will also highlight the role of municipalities as brokers by creating the conditions for stakeholders to creatively shape their urban environment and public policies.

Turin (IT), Cluj-Napoca Municipality (RO), Grand Paris Métropole (FR), Murcia (ES), Porto (PT), Veszprém (HU), Rotterdam (NL)

The Innovato-R project is a competition open to municipality employees and aimed at developing innovative projects in order to improve performance within the administration, reduce waste and value resources. Proposals can be focused on quality of service, goods/services acquisition, costs rationalisation, energy savings, reduction of bureaucratic impact and increase in data and digital tools management.

Preston (UK), Villa Nova de Famalicao (PT), Pamplona (ES), Kavala (EL), Schaerbeek (BE), Bistrita (RO), Koszalin (PL)

Making Spend Matter explores how to use spend analysis as an evidence tool to enhance the impact of procurement by public / anchor institutions in order to bring additional economic, social and environmental benefits to the local economy and its citizens. This will be achieved by transferring the Good Practice developed by Preston in this area.

Viladecans (ES), Tallinn Education Department (EE), Nantes (FR), Halmstad (SE), Albergaria-a-Velha (PT), Poznan (PL)

Local governments are vehicles of educational innovation. Cities are aware of the opportunities & the needs in this field as they have a privileged knowledge of the stakeholders and should therefore play an active role as policy makers on education. ON BOARD aims to help local governments build new partnerships to co-create policies in order to empower younger people with the necessary skills to become active & engaged citizens able to face the challenges of new societies.

L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (ES), Adelfia (IT), Aarhus (DK), Valongo (PT), Grigny (FR), Brno (CZ), Katowice (local agency) (PL)

Thirteen years ago, the EMMCA was founded in L'Hospitalet as a new model of music school that uses music as a tool for inclusion and social change. It has an innovative methodology as it engages civil society. The project gives equal opportunities to all inhabitants of L’Hospitalet to access music courses, involves primary schools and creates a space for social cohesion, tackling local issues such as exclusion, youth unemployment and school dropout.

Altena (DE), Igoumenitsa (EL), Isernia (IT), Manresa (ES), Melgaço (PT), Aluksne (LV), Idrija (SI), Nyírbátor (HU)

Re-growCity focuses on developing interventions that built on local capabilities to stop and reverse long term social, economic and environmental decline. Altena has a track record of recognised good practices that facilitate the development of sustainable initiatives with a minimum of external resource input. This network will support partners to revitalise public services and the economy, regenerate the urban fabric and develop civil society in a context of long-term decline.

Rome (IT), A Coruna (ES), Vilnius (LT), Caen (FR), Krakow (PL), Benefit Enterprise of Thessaloniki Municipality (EL), Loures (PT)

The Good Practice is the "Management model of urban gardens in Rome" to be transferred to other EU cities geographically distant from each other to ensure an effective sharing of experiences so as to enhance the capacities of local governments. Transfer efforts will be given to 3 distinct but interlinked, thematic components:
1) Capacity building in organising urban gardens
2) Inspiring and training people to manage urban gardens
3) Urban gardens governance & regulations.

Amadora (PT), Ioannina (EL), District Hamburg-Altona (DE), Messina (IT), Alba Iulia (RO), Warsaw (PL), Cardiff (UK)

The network is focused on the transfer of a good practice established by the municipality of Amadora which addresses the need across all partners to counter growing negative attitudes towards a cross-section of groups in society among which: long-established migrants, Roma people, recently arrived refugees and LGBT people.

Barnsley (UK), Pardubice (CZ), Vilanova i la Geltru (ES), Bacau (local agency) (RO), Piraeus (EL), Schiedam (NL), Nyíregyháza (HU)

Tech Revolution transfers the Good Practice of Enterprising Barnsley, based on their experiences of the Digital Media Centre, business support programmes and associated spin-off activities. By facilitating growth in knowledge-based jobs and businesses across all sectors and industries, we aim to connect EU partners to share ideas and practices and benchmark them against other EU cities to inform the development of an ecosystem needed to encourage digital growth, and transformational economies.

Udine (IT), Klaipeda City Public Health Bureau (LT), Cork City Council (IE), Larissa (EL), Esplugues de Llobregat (ES), Katowice (PL), Novigrad-Cittanova (HR), Viana do Castelo (PT)

Cities offer unique opportunities to address challenges linked urbanisation, ageing, climate change, social exclusion, only if enabling, enjoyable places are co-created. The network aims to transfer the "Playful Paradigm" based on gamification as an innovative concept for promoting social inclusion, healthy lifestyles, intergenerational & cultural mediation, placemaking & economic prosperity. Games offer new strategies for engaging city stakeholders in urban development.

Santiago de Compostela (ES), Dimos Pavlou Mela (EL), Budapest, District 14 Zuglo Municipality (HU), Guimaraes (PT), Opole Agglomeration (PL), Nice métropole (FR)

Tropa Verde is a platform to encourage environmentally responsible behaviour that empowers citizens to reuse and recycle. Combining web platform and low-cost campaigns, it is considered as a "civic movement fully committed to sustainability and circular economy". Citizens get vouchers and exchange them for rewards from the City Council and local retailers. It connects places where one can dispose waste (green points, civic and social centres, etc.) with local businesses providing gifts or discounts.

Lodz (PL), Baena (ES), Birmingham City Council (UK), Zagreb (HR), Braga (PT), Bologna Metropolitan City (IT), Toulouse (FR)

The Good Practice to be transferred in this Transfer Network is a model of collaborative city, increasing the participation of cities residents, fostering their equal involvement and strengthening the relations between the main stakeholders of the urban regeneration processes. The focus of the network will be to research, identify and apply the key success factors, which bring life back to historical areas but also bring the citizens back to regenerated areas.

Athienou (CY), Capizzi (IT), Kildare County Council (IE), Altena (DE), Altea (ES), Radlin (PL), Arcos de Valdevez (PT), Pregrada (HR)

The Transfer Network makes use of volunteerism to approach social exclusion and poverty at the community level. Focus is given to an intergenerational collaboration where different age groups of both volunteers and individuals facing social problems work towards a sustainable evolution of the quality of life within the local society. The network aims at structuring volunteering activities giving validity to a bottom-up approach, where volunteers can decide and implement actions.

Groningen (NL), Zlin Municipal Authority (CZ), Magdeburg (DE), Parma (IT), Bielsko-Biala (PL), Leuven (BE), EDC Debrecen (HU)

Higher education and the knowledge economy have led to a global competition for talent. Whereas the main European cities attract both students and skilled-workers because of their scale and fame, medium-sized cities, like Groningen, need a policy to attract talent and to keep them economically active. In this Network, the Good Practice of Groningen, a welcoming policy for International Students and skilled workers, will be transferred to other EU cities.