NeT-TOPIC Publication - Building New Urban Identities
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09 October 2017How to build urban identity in the context of city regions and globalisation? NeT-TOPIC, the URBACT project looking for new tools and approaches for managing urban transformation processes in intermediate cities, dealt with this key issue during its second thematic seminar which took place in Salford on 21st-22nd October 2009. Following this event, NeT-TOPIC has produced its second Thematic Publication entitled "
Download THEMATIC PUBLICATION - 2nd Seminar (3.11 MB)". This document gathers good practice examples as well as the interventions and conclusions from the Seminar.
NeT-TOPIC is made of 8 European peripheral cities in transformation, with shared problems including industrial decline, territorial fragmentation and social polarisation. Located near major cities, they are transforming to more attractive and social cohesion to fulfil a new role within their metropolitan areas. One of the biggest challenges faced by these cities is the use and promotion of new tools and approaches relating to territorial governance and urban planning processes at local, regional and national level to improve urban transformation processes. The network provides these cities with a platform to reflect on change in the city model to increase the strategic value of its territory. The project seeks to enhance the role of peripheral cities in territorial governance and urban planning processes to achieve their desired new city model.
"Identity" is therefore a key issue for the NeT-TOPIC cities. Urban identity is a very broad concept. It deals with social, economic, cultural and environmental dimensions. The NeT-TOPIC peripheral cities are reconsidering their city model, trying to increase the strategic value of their territory in order to transform into more attractive and cohesive cities that offer greater quality of life and better citizen coexistence. Thereby, a change in their traditional identity is taking place or, at least, "building a new urban identity" has become a main goal of local government's policies and aims. From an initial situation of "suburbs" morphologically characterised by big blocks of flats or factories, functionally characterised as being dormitory or industrial cities, these towns are changing into a space which tries to balance residential and economic functions, where shopping centres, facilities and green areas are being established, and where new infrastructures are being developed.
The combination of all these elements aims to provide the metropolitan peripheral territory with a centrality and an individual urban balance, transforming them from satellite dormitory cities into real cities. Indeed, they are building their new "identity".
Read the Download THEMATIC PUBLICATION - 2nd Seminar (3.11 MB) Download THEMATIC PUBLICATION - 2nd Seminar (3.11 MB) and discover examples of practices in building new urban identities in NeT-TOPIC cities (Salford, Haidari, L'Hospitalet etc.) as well as main findings and outputs taken from the Seminar.
Read more:
- Download THEMATIC PUBLICATION - 2nd Seminar (3.11 MB) - PDF
- NeT-TOPIC - website
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