Final Conference in Malaga, 20-21 September 2012

The meeting started off with a welcome from hosts and from Mr. István Hunyadi, representative of the 18th District of Budapest (Lead Partner) and an introduction by Eddy Adams, the Thematic Pole Manager. Partners also gave a warm welcome to the Mayor of the 18th District of Budapest and the members of the new and enlarged partnership.

The meeting had a very dynamic approach including various working sessions moderated by Mr. Eddy Adams such as a Speedy Networking session, a Give and Get session and a workshop focussed on the introduction of the Local Action Plan (LAP) and Urban Local Support Group (ULSG) concepts. In this workshop, participants had to present posters with details of their city, the focus of their LAP and the ULSG members that will be participating in their city. At the end of the workshop, all participants did a gallery walk to view and discuss the posters that had been presented.

The second day focussed on the identification of priority themes for the final partnership and on more practical issues such as project management, the budget and the project monitoring system PRESAGE.

To end the Final Conference, project partners visited the Palma Palmilla District of Malaga, the pilot site for Malaga City Council. Here they met with City Councillors from both the Area of Citizen Participation and Social Services and from the District itself. A press conference was held presenting the RE-Block project, its objectives and its possible impact in the District. Shortly afterwards, partners were taken on a tour of the area in order to highlight the main problems that the area faces and the progress that have been made. Stops were made to see key initiatives that are underway such as the “Urban Orchard”. In this initiative, an old dump site has been converted into an urban orchard where plots of land have been distributed between the most troubled families and residents of the area as a place where they can grow their own food. Any surplus of food or produce is distributed to the local schools or charities. We were lucky enough to have the project explained by a local resident who insisted that apart from the more obvious benefits of the project, it has also served as a place to bring together the community.

The meeting closed with partners having a better understanding of the overall focus of the RE-Block project and the tasks that lay ahead, should the project be successful in securing funding for the second phase.

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