Jon
Bloomfield
Validated Lead Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
For over thirty years I have been engaged in diverse and evolving elements of sustainable urban development in Coventry, Birmingham, the wider West Midlands and within Europe. I have extensive experience with a range of different public organisations and European networks and institutions. I have worked for the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions, the Council of Europe, Eurocities and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions. My attached CV indicates the various roles that I have fulfilled and continue to play. This means that I bring a breadth of experience and knowledge to various aspects of sustainable urban development, alongside demonstrable competence and the confidence of my colleagues within these institutions.
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
• I have been engaged in transnational exchange and learning processes for more than two decades. Currently I work on the EIT’s Climate KIC programme. http://www.climate-kic.org/ I led the work of six European regions and brought them together with the five leading academic institutions in the successful application to the EIT. Following the success of the application I was responsible for the co-ordination of the six regions within Climate KIC and jointly responsible for the preparation and development of its innovative, pan-European training programme, Pioneers into Practice.
• Previously I had been responsible for Birmingham’s role as Secretary of Eurocities, the major Association of Europe’s big cities. This required a detailed knowledge of a wide-range of urban issues and an ability to ensure that senior officers and political leaders worked smoothly together.
• I transformed traditional town twinning into active city partnerships amongst Birmingham and its sister cities. I shifted the focus onto professional co-operation, learning good practice and schools and citizen exchanges. I set up the link with Johannesburg in 1997 and Guangzhou in 2004.
• During this period I had overall responsibility for the establishment of the Frankfurt Xmas market in Birmingham.
B.3. Proficiency in English:
English is my mother tongue. I have written for a variety of audiences for more than four decades from short pieces to my doctoral thesis. To give one example, as a specialist on Czechoslovakia, I covered the 1989 Velvet Revolution for The Guardian newspaper. I reported directly from Prague and acted as the paper’s main analyst of the events. I wrote extensively on the revolution and continued to write articles on developments in the following years.
Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
Summary Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
I have been engaged in the design of substantial transnational exchange and learning programmes for more than two decades. My work covers a wide range of topics within the umbrella of sustainable urban development.
As well as being a lead expert for URBACT on its TOGETHER project, my expertise has resulted in my being engaged over this period by DG Regional Policy, the Committee of the Regions, the Council of Europe, CEMR and Eurocities.
I have played a leading role in the development and growth of one of Europe’s major new initiatives, the EIT’s Climate Knowledge Innovation Community programme. This is the only KIC which has embedded regions and city authorities within its core structure and adopted the Commission’s policy framework concerning broad models of innovation into its main activity. With Pioneers into Practice(PIP) I have been centrally engaged in the creation, design and practical development of a new European mobility programme for low carbon practitioners. PIP extends the concept of transnational learning and exchange, gives its deeper substance and opens access to a much broader range of practitioners than existing mobility programmes.
I combine this with a proven capacity to write concise reports in a clear, accessible style for a variety of audiences.
Thematic expertise:
Theme / Policy:
Local Governance
Summary Thematic expertise:
I have been engaged in the design of substantial transnational exchange and learning programmes for more than two decades. My lengthy experience as a practitioner in local government combined with my academic and journalistic skills enables me to cover a wide range of topics within the umbrella of sustainable urban development with a particular focus on governance and urban affairs.
In the EU URBACT TOGETHER project I developed a 7 point scale to measure citizen engagement which has a wide applicability and can help citizens, non-governmental organisations and public authorities to distinguish between initiatives with just minimal engagement and those with more far-reaching and substantial mechanisms.
As well as being a lead expert for URBACT, my expertise has resulted in my being engaged over this period by DG Regional Policy, the Committee of the Regions, the Council of Europe, CEMR and Eurocities on different aspects of local, metropolitan and regional governance. I have prepared published reports and made presentations for all of these bodies over the past decade.
Theme / Policy:
Environmental Issues
Summary Thematic expertise:
Since 2008 I have played a leading role in the development of one of Europe’s major new initiatives, the EIT’s Climate KIC programme. This is the only KIC which has embedded regions within its core structure and adopted the Commission’s policy framework concerning broad models of innovation.
With Pioneers into Practice (PIP) I have been centrally engaged in the creation, design and practical development of a new European mobility programme for low carbon practitioners. PIP extends the concept of transnational learning and exchange, gives its deeper substance and opens access to a much broader range of practitioners than existing mobility programmes.
Currently I am responsible for Climate KIC’s Making Transitions Happen platform. My key activities here include the development of a Transitions Hub designed to spread the latest thinking on best practice on climate change to practitioners and policy-makers across Europe and my engagement with Transition Cities, an initiative consolidating an open innovation model of urban system innovation.
My proven capacity to prepare concise reports in a clear, accessible style for a variety of audiences is evident in the numerous articles, studies and presentations I have regularly written and made over the last seven years on these topics.
Theme / Policy:
Local Economic Development
Summary Thematic expertise:
For over thirty years I have been engaged in local economic development in Coventry, Birmingham and within Europe. I have extensive experience in local economic development with a range of different public, private and voluntary organisations and European networks and institutions. I have worked extensively at grass-roots level and within city and regional authorities alongside related policy work for the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions, the Council of Europe, Eurocities and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions. The various roles that I have fulfilled and continue to play illustrates the breadth of experience and knowledge that I bring to various aspects of local economic development, alongside the demonstrable competence and the confidence of my colleagues within these institutions.
Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies
E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices :
Describe the projects in which you have been involved, your role in designing and delivering participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local policies. Provide examples of tools and methods used in the project.
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
Describe the projects in which you have been involved, your role in designing and applying monitoring tools for integrated and sustainable urban policies .Provide examples of monitoring tools used in the project.
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
Explain how do you keep up to date about sustainable urban development policies, trends and funds.
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
Describe the projects in which you have been involved, your role in adapting tools and content at local level.
Informations
Residence location:
United Kingdom
Languages:
English - Mother tongue
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Email:
j.bloomfield@bham.ac.uk