The Working Group will have as its main objective to develop a series of recommendations for the improvement of the coordination of area-based urban  regeneration policies and regional or metropolitan planning. It will have to take into account two major elements. On the one hand the importance of the relationships between urban regeneration and these sectoral policies with a spatial impact designed at a regional or metropolitan level, such as housing or transport infrastructures. On the other hand the difficulty that these distinct policy elements are defined by several agencies often belonging to different administrative levels, and thus lacking of connection and interaction.

The Nodus Working Group wants to tackle the issue of how urban regeneration projects are taken into account in the regional spatial planning processes and how do the latter determine urban regeneration and related sectorial policies.

• Are spatial planners taking into account local urban regeneration policies as an input in their work?

• Which are the feedback effects between strategic/spatial planning and the definition or the impact of local urban renewal projects?

What motivates you to be part of the URBACT adventure ?

In 2004 the Catalan regional government started an ambitious programme on urban regeneration. That was one of the first initiatives of urban regeneration from a regional perspective and, therefore, there were not many references to learn from. The objective when deciding to lead the first Urbact adventure was just to exchange this Catalan initiative with other initiatives undertaken by regional administrations. Thus, a threefold objective was achieved. First, the Catalan programme would be shown to the rest of European cities, regions and states, in order to modestly contribute with new ideas to those interested in the topic. Second, Catalonia would learn from other regions and, thus, it would be possible to improve its own programme in further editions. Three, this 'European experience' would increase the acknowledgement of the programme itself in Catalonia, which would lead to a bigger interest among the towns and cities the programme is addressed to.

Who would you like to benefit from the work achieved in your project?

As expressed above, the beneficiaries of this experience would be, first, the Catalan regional administration as well as the regional administrations from all around Europe interested in carrying out urban regeneration programmes. And, as a result, all these towns and cities which would benefit from an 'Europan-enriched' programme.