Antonio
Borghi
Validated Lead Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
Experience in integrated and sustainable urban development policies for some 15 years with a PhD in Urban Policies and Projects at Politecnico di Milano (2008), as Chairman of the Urban Issues Workgroup of the Architects' Council of Europe, advising municipalities in the framework of EU funded learning and exchange projects. Expert of the URBACT Programme since 2005: Thematic Expert in the URBACT Hous-Es network (2005-07) for the Regeneration and Management of Large Housing Estates, Lead Expert of the URBACT LINKS Network (2011-13) for Future Proof Historic Centres. In 2012 Coordinator of the capitalisation workstream Building Energy Efficiency of URBACT II Cities of Tomorrow – Action Today initiative. Expert Evaluator for the FP7 Call 2013-NMP-ENV-EeB (topic 6.3-4 "Energy efficient retrofitting and renewal of existing buildings for sustainable urban districts").
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
My experience with transnational learning and exchange process originates from my transnational education as I started my studies in architecture in Florence, graduated in Darmstadt, Lecturer at the Townplanning Institute of the Stuttgart University and PhD in Urban Policies and Projects at the Politecnico di Milano. Since 20 years I practice my professional life across the borders of the EU member States. Being over ten years Chairman of the Urban Issues Workgroup of the Architects' Council of Europe I am used to coordinated the activities of an international group of professionals. At the same time I had the chance to develop my skills in a more focused way in the URBACT and URBACT II Programmes acting as thematic expert, lead expert and coordinator of the capitalisation process.
B.3. Proficiency in English:
Professional proficiency English due to the above mentioned experience.
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:
Generating a lively, stimulating and well-structured learning environment is one of the main tasks of an URBACT Expert. Managing the Network activities and attending a number of URBACT events and seminars I learned how to design and animate workshops, peer reviews, creative sessions, study tours etc. These tools are a perfect complement to a solid knowledge base in integrated and sustainable urban development policies. Every culture declines sustainable development in a different way. Establishing a common platform for exchange is the key objective of a lead expert and one of my main skills. Being a professional designer in the broad sense of the term my continuous effort is to focus on the essential to create a durable output, responding concrete demands. At the beginning of a partnership there always seems to be strong partners and weak partners, the one who are supposed to have more experience and knowledge to share and the ones who are more in need of support. In my experience roles can easily be switched by changing the point of view and formulation of tasks. Polarisation is needed to create flows of energy, knowledge and information. There is nothing as boring and sterile as generic consensus. I invite the partners to share responsibility and overtake tasks for the common success of the network. Doing good work and showing that it was feasible without extraordinary means or capacities convinced everyone to contribute his own way, creating a feeling of mutual learning.
Thematic expertise:
Theme / Policy:
Integrated Urban Renewal
Summary Thematic expertise:
I have been studying and comparing a large number of urban regeneration and urban development policies throughout Europe over the last 15 years, starting from my teaching activities at the Town Planning Institute of the Stuttgart University. Since 2001 I started to investigate the urban dimension of European Urban policies, studying the implementation of the URBAN Programme in various cultural contexts. In the projects I have been involved in I drafted and finalised most of the texts: agendas, terms of references, discussion papers, questionnaires, reference frameworks, meeting minutes, site visit reports, blog articles, final reports. At the same time I always strive for partners to contribute themselves as much as possible to the networks outputs, helping out with advice and editing. Examples at http://urbact.eu/links and especially in my book http://www.ibs.it/code/9788838744389/borghi-antonio/well-designed-and.html . I developed the ability to produce thematic outputs preparing my PhD dissertation, contributing to URBACT networks final reports and a number of international publications. Most of my recent articles are linked from my blog www.welldesignedandbuilt.com . A big challenge for an URBACT Network is to produce an action plan that gets relevance into the local political agenda and sponsors in the public administrations to get finally implemented. Linking the network’s outputs to existing policies is an effective way to ensure long life to an action plan.
Theme / Policy:
Environmental Issues
Summary Thematic expertise:
Integrated approach is the key to deliver sustainable urban development, even when the physical dimension seems to be predominant, like in case of Energy efficiency. Studying the various aspects of the matter for the report Cities of Tomorrow – Action Today the group of experts focused on aspects like fuel poverty and energy efficiency VS heritage conservation coming to the conclusion that an integrated approach is necessary to tackle energy efficiency at urban scale.
This was a relevant output of the above mentioned report “Building Energy Efficiency in European Cities” I wrote together with prof. J. Owen Lewis and Sadhbh Ní Hógáin. The report can be downloaded at the following web page: http://urbact.eu/sites/default/files/import/general_library/19765_Urbact_WS6_ENERGY_low_FINAL.pdf This URBACT report argues that for cities to play a central role in the reduction of CO2 emissions and the fight against climate change, they must seriously address the topic of energy efficiency in buildings. In the report the main challenges and opportunities are highlighted, including the issues of fuel poverty and the opportunities of integrated urban strategies.
The manifold environmental aspects of energy efficiency in the building sector was subject of my contribution to the annual conference of the European Urban Knowledge Platform held in Oradea in November 2013 and dedicated to “Energy Efficient Cities” http://www.eukn.eu/events/upcoming-events/detail/energy-efficient-cities/
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 :
I have been in touch with several projects in which proactive outreach to stakeholders, conflict resolution, mediation of interests and community dialogue have been essentials tools to design public policy. For example in Almeria the Links network visited the local Roma community who lives together with immigrants from north Africa in a neighborhood which is historically terrain of social segregation. In this case proactive outreach to stakeholders is an essential prerequisite for the engagement and empowerment of different kind of minorities living together. From the experience of the local partner we heard how knocking on everyone’s door was a necessary step to kick-start any kind of action. In the blog www.welldesignedandbuilt.com I published 3 photo-articles with the unforgettable impressions gathered during the Urbact Links network workshop. My favorite one is about Barrio La Chanca http://welldesignedandbuilt.com/2011/03/03/barrio-la-chanca/
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
Integrated approach is the key to deliver sustainable urban development, even when the physical dimension seems to be predominant, like in case of Energy efficiency. Studying the various aspects of the matter for the report Cities of Tomorrow – Action Today the group of experts focused on aspects like fuel poverty and energy efficiency VS heritage conservation coming to the conclusion that an integrated approach is necessary to tackle energy efficiency at urban scale. Every partial and sectored intervention will never achieve sustainable results. This was a relevant output of the above mentioned report “Building Energy Efficiency in European Cities” I wrote together with prof. J. Owen Lewis and Sadhbh Ní Hógáin. The report can be downloaded at the following web page: http://urbact.eu/sites/default/files/import/general_library/19765_Urbact_WS6_ENERGY_low_FINAL.pdf
This URBACT report argues that for cities to play a central role in the reduction of CO2 emissions and the fight against climate change, they must seriously address the topic of Energy Efficiency in Buildings. In the report the main challenges and opportunities regarding Energy Efficiency are highlighted, including the issues of fuel poverty and the opportunities of integrated urban strategies.
The manifold environmental aspects of energy efficiency in the building sector was subject of my contribution to the annual conference of the European Urban Knowledge Platform held in Oradea in November 2013 and dedicated to “Energy Efficient Cities” ( http://www.eukn.eu/events/upcoming-events/detail/energy-efficient-cities/ and http://www.eukn.eu/news/detail/highlights-of-the-2013-eukn-conference-quotenergy-efficient-citiesquot/ )
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
Every country, region and city has specific funding schemes for integrated and sustainable development policy actions. I understand and have wide experience of many and know how they work. For this reason I am regularly invited to speak about environmentally sensitive and integrated urban policies. As an example I may quote the annual publication of the EUKN in 2013 that was dedicated to environmental policies for the built environment (http://www.eukn.eu/eukn-research/publications/eukn-publication-on-energy-efficient-cities-joint-action-for-the-built-environment/ and http://www.eukn.eu/news/detail/eukn-publication-on-energy-efficient-cities-joint-action-for-the-built-environment/ )
Another example of analytical work on the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level is provided by the article I wrote together with Paul Ciniglio for the Urbact Tribune 2012. The title of the article “Retrofitting Our Way Out of Recession” points out to the economic implications of environmental policies and in the article several funding schemes are mentioned and explained as success stories. The article is at page 39-45 of the journal that can be downloaded at http://urbact.eu/sites/default/files/import/general_library/URBACT_Tribune_2012.pdf
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
Adapting tools to the local context is another recurrent topic in URBACT networks, also known as knowledge transfer of best practices. In this case the role of the expert is to select the tool/knowledge/practice, explain the principles and imagine how it could work in another context. The rest has to be done by the network partners. For example thanks to the excellent relationship between the Greek and the Dutch partners of the Links network the Municipality of Veria started a Foundation for renewable energies in an abandoned historic building, taking as an example the White Rose Foundation of Delft. This example and many others are compiled in the final report of the Links network http://urbact.eu/links-final-report , but also in the blog articles “How to Build the Energy Transition in European Cities: Lessons from URBACT“ http://www.blog.urbact.eu/2013/05/how-to-build-the-energy-transition-in-european-cities-lessons-from-urbact/
Summary Expertise:
I have been in touch with several projects in which proactive outreach to stakeholders, conflict resolution, mediation of interests and community dialogue have been essentials tools to design public policy. For example in Almeria the Links network visited the local Roma community who lives together with immigrants from north Africa in a neighborhood which is historically terrain of social segregation. In this case proactive outreach to stakeholders is an essential prerequisite for the engagement and empowerment of different kind of minorities living together. From the experience of the local partner we heard how knocking on everyone’s door was a necessary step to kick-start any kind of action.
Integrated approach is the key to deliver sustainable urban development, even when the physical dimension seems to be predominant, like in case of energy efficiency. Studying the various aspects of the matter for the report Cities of Tomorrow – Action Today the group of experts focused on aspects like fuel poverty and energy efficiency VS heritage conservation coming to the conclusion that an integrated approach is necessary to tackle energy efficiency at urban scale. Every partial and sectored intervention will never achieve sustainable results.
Informations
Residence location:
Italy
Languages:
Italian - Mother tongue
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Email:
antonioborghi@gmail.com