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Partners work towards critical Local Action Plan stage

Edited on

14 February 2017
Read time: 1 minute

One of the key stages in the URBACT markets programme is currently underway: creating Local Action Plans that will shape the future of partner cities for the coming years. At the end of 2013, URBACT thematic guideline experts from Barcelona, Torino and London published their analysis on the state-of-the-art in each of the key areas under the URBACT Markets umbrella: employment and entrepreneurship, low carbon environments and town centre regeneration. Now partners are incorporating some of these ideas into their Local Action Plans.

Local Action Plans have to be completed by the beginning of 2015 so making sure that markets are on the local political agenda is key to the success of the project. The thematic guidelines and knowledge generated by the lead thematic experts will be fundamental to the creation of these local action plans because it is through these that knowledge transfer can effectively take place.

These thematic guidelines published on the role of markets and their benefits in terms of urban regeneration, employment and entrepreneurship, and as tools to create more sustainable low carbon environments provide local support groups new inputs.

Also high on the URBACT markets' priority list over the next quarter is the lobbying of local managing authorities. These oversee the development of urban markets so it is fundamental that decision-makers and those with political authority for markets get to understand what URBACT markets’ best-practice looks like, how this can be incorporated into Local Action Plans for markets, and finally what positive effects are likely to be on the key areas of sustainability, employment, and urban development.

Importantly, partner cities are currently planning study visits like the one organised by Barcelona last autumn, with Wroclaw next 3-4 April and London, in July, already scheduled.