Revitalisation of declined first line neighbourhoods of European medium cities.

Faubourgs between the old town and the city periphery of medium cities like Girona are losing weight in terms of economy and commerce. These neighbourhoods are “obliged” areas of the urban public policy intervention. These declined neighbourhoods have also been harmed by 2 factors. First, by the attractiveness of the historic centre of the cities, which are more friendly for the citizens and with more offers; and second, by the growth of large-scale commercial areas outside the densified city. As regards the city of Girona, the street named “del Carme” is an example of this situation: a gateway through the old town that has been losing shops in recent years. The City Council of Girona proposes to participate in a project whose aims are to co-think, co-analyse and share experiences in order to identify the symptoms and good praxis, as well elaborate strategies and action plans that allow to revitalize these faubourgs. It is proposed to focus this project through the following topics: 1. Growth of sustainable mobility, in particular the use of bicycles. 2. Development of a bicycle friendly commerce. 3. Creation of accessible, quality public spaces that are elaborated according to a co-creation process with citizens and users. 4. Structure of the commercial offer based on the development of the local economy and the km0 products. 5. Social innovation and energy transition (in the broadest sense) as a transversal concept to all initiatives.