News from our cities and networks

End homelessness!

“The ROOF experience demonstrates that public authorities are replete with passion, imagination and creativity when it comes to overcoming challenges of inequality; these attributes merely need nurturing. Key decision-makers need to be enabled to support new ways of working – like Housing First and other innovative approaches – in order to transform housing inequality and cities across Europe. The EU – in partnership with cities and national governments – can plant the seeds to set this transformation in process.”

• ROOF cities’ four-point call to action for ending homelessness
• Sign the #EndingHomelesseness call
• Focus on Ghent’s (BE) plans to end homelessness for legal residents by 2040 (worth reading to discover the actions already tested by the city, news on the ‘Robust House’, and insights into improving support systems)
• How ROOF’s ‘advocacy trajectory’ informs local, national and European policy debates
• And last but not least, the ROOF network’s ‘Baseline Study’

A city ‘finds its greatness’

Thanks to local workshops and surveys – and input from URBACT partners – the city of Võru (EE) defined its strong points and is now promoting itself as an attractive urban environment for youth and families with children. Find out what they’re doing next. Also, a taste of the Find your greatness network cities’ learning tour of Candelaria (ES).

Collaboration Pacts boost community involvement

Inspiring updates from Turin (IT), lead partner in the CO4CITIES UIA-URBACT Transfer Mechanism pilot network. See these detailed examples of positive changes (and a new to-do list) sparked by the new ‘Regulation on collaborative governance of urban commons’. And the co-management of a covered public square, reconverted and now used for all sorts of artistic, sports, educational and social actions involving people of all ages.

Tips for local group coordinators

How to be a successful URBACT Local Group coordinator? Tips from Lead Expert Ileana Toscano in the Playful Paradigm network’s newsletter – as well as tools for planning and reinventing urban spaces that factor in play and placemaking, inclusion and a gender-sensitive approach. Also, a quick review of Igualada’s (ES) and Lousā’s (PT) discovery of  latest actions in Udine (IT) to promote games for inclusive, healthy, sustainable cities.

Innovative ways to engage with citizens

The municipality of Santa Maria da Feira (PT) is testing new ways to connect with residents, involving them in urban planning, climate action, and the design of a new digital platform for participatory democracy. Also, meet Active Citizens network Lead Expert Christophe Gouache in this talk about participative democracy and the value of friendship in international networks.

How to evaluate a local plan

A great example of URBACT’s Toolbox helping Clermont Auvergne Métropole’s (FR) work with stakeholders. Their European peers have evaluated the metropole’s Integrated Action Plan to cut carbon emissions – and now the local group is carrying out its own evaluation. Thank you Urb-En Pact!

City investment plans

Cities in the USE-IT network discuss their draft investment and ‘springboard’ plans to boost social and economic innovation. They cover the national policy and funding contexts, and specific local goals in Rotterdam (NL), Poznań (PL), Trapani (IT) and Lead Partner Birmingham (UK).

World Bee Day buzz

20 May is World Bee Day, with exhibitions, workshops, walks, flower planting around the globe… See how the BeePathNet network’s five EU partner cities are celebrating, with the sweet motto “Bee Engaged: Celebrating the diversity of bees and beekeeping systems”. Also, browse BeePathNet city stories showcasing cross-generational training as a path to lasting green awareness (available in six languages).

Street greening: a practical guide

Streets take up on average 25-35% of EU cities – that’s a lot of urban space devoted to cars. So what are some of the healthier functions streets can have in a city’s complex ecosystem? Find out in ‘Street Greening for Health and Wellbeing Outcomes’, an expert report from the Health&Greenspace network.

Circular construction

The URGE network is helping Prato (IT) deliver a new Integrated Action Plan for circularity in the building sector – together with stakeholders. Here’s the story told by one such local partner, Maria Rita Cecchini of Legambiente, an Italian foundation for environmental conservation.

Visit to the asparagus city

An inside account of an URBACT transnational meeting. The BioCanteens network partners from Wroclaw (PL), Liège (BE), Mouans-Sartoux (FR) and Bergamo (IT) visit Gavà (ES), near Barcelona, to discover sustainable food as a local asset – and the city’s star product: the asparagus.

Meet Marek Charzewski, Mayor of Malbork

Latest in the KAIRÓS network’s series of interviews with elected representatives. Particularly interesting as major heritage-led urban regeneration projects rely on significant investment, stakeholder mobilisation – and political backing.

Read our publication for stories from cities understanding, adapting and re-using URBACT Good Practices: Good Practice Transfer – Why Not in my City?

We hope you enjoy this URBACT city news round-up. If you have any news to share from URBACT cities, or ideas for more stories on sustainable urban development, get in touch!

URBACT promotes sustainable, integrated urban development, supporting exchange and learning between EU towns and cities. Since its launch URBACT III has enabled the creation of 83 networks involving 454 cities from 28 countries. Almost half of these cities have populations of under 100 000. Ongoing projects include Action Planning Networks, Transfer Networks, and National Practice Transfer Initiatives. Meanwhile five networks are transferring urban solutions from UIA projects, and another is localising the Sustainable Development Goals.