Posts Tagged ‘URBACT’

Implementing Change: A New Local Agenda for Jobs and Growth

Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Right now, under the Irish European Union (EU) Presidency, it feels like all roads lead to Dublin’s fair city.

Amidst a cluster of events, the 9th annual meeting of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) LEED (Local Economic and Employment Development) Forum heads for the Irish capital on the 26th and 27th March 2013.

There, some 200 local partnerships, Government officials, community leaders, social entrepreneurs, business people and academics will convene to focus on the theme of “ Implementing change: a new local agenda for jobs and growth.”

The event title reflects the state we are in. Jobs and Growth remain the priority – particularly in Member States like Ireland, which have felt the full force of the Crisis. But there appears to be a growing consensus that jobs and growth are unlikely to come unless we adopt some fundamental changes. Thus, the reference to “a new local agenda.”

And that local dimension is also significant. Glancing through the OECD programme, there are dog-whistle messages relating to the need for homegrown and bottom-up responses to our problems:

  • “Delivering local development: strategy, system and leadership”
  • “Supporting high growth firms”
  • “Making shrinking communities more resilient”

In Ireland, for so long the Celtic tiger with its strong track record in attracting Foreign Direct Investment, the shifting emphasis reflects the changing mood music and the likely basis for stable home-led growth. And the two-split venue – between Dublin and Kilkenny – underlines not only Ireland’s strong affinity with its rural heartlands but also the interdependence between town and country. The messages around the rurban agenda in the EU’s Draft Regulations indicate that the Irish are in tune with Commission thinking here.

So what does URBACT hope to get out of this event – and what do we think we can contribute?

Of course we are going to listen, with the intention of learning from our colleagues across Europe and beyond. One of the most refreshing aspects of the OECD LEED events is their global reach and the fact that they attract delegates from all of Europe, as well as other continents. Last year in Berlin we had some sparkling inputs from stars of the future in Europe. From further afield, Sally Sinclair, Chief Executive Officer of the National Employment Services Association in Australia, shared insights into developments in Australia, and we heard from Nidya Neer, Advisor to the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security of Argentina about how Argentina had addressed its economic crisis of the 90s. The prolonged Crisis can make us introspective, so it’s good to be reminded that there is light at the end of the tunnel!

These inputs were alongside a strong plenary programme, which this year includes Laszlo Andor, European Union Commissioner for Employment, Social affairs and Inclusion  and Irish Jobs Minister Richard Bruton.

So what can URBACT bring to this debate?  

A great deal, we hope. This will be one of the first opportunities for us to share the findings of our Workstream activity and two of our themes – Jobs and Growth and Youth/Social Innovation – will be well represented. Mike Campbell, URBACT expert, will be speaking about the steps cities can take to grow jobs and sustain employment whilst I will be talking about the way in which municipalities can transform themselves to kick-start innovation and tackle the youth crisis. In addition, two of our case cities – Swindon and Copenhagen – will be sharing their experience in innovative service redesign for better results.

So, this looks like being a major event for us, where we can test out our thinking and share URBACT results with a wider global audience. You can keep track of the debate by following Mike (@mikecampbell3) and me (@Eddyca1) on Twitter and by checking the event hashtag  #JobsandGrowth.

by Eddy Adams, URBACT expert

If you wish to read more on URBACT results on the topic, you can check out the articles by Mike Campbell and Eddy Adams in the 2012 URBACT Tribune.

Photos via Wikimedia Commons : Dublin by By Hans-Peter Bock hpbock@avaapgh.de (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), Kilkenny by Andreas F. Borchert [CC-BY-SA-3.0-de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en), CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

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Once upon a time in Milan – Renovation and energy saving

Friday, February 15th, 2013

Feedback by Marco Pozzo from a visit made in the framework of the URBACT Workstream ‘Building Energy Efficiency’, which investigated and consolidated the outputs on many URBACT projects dealing with the issue of energy efficiency.

An ancient farmhouse in the centre of Milan becomes a new energy saving public space.
photo 1 BorghiWhen the 6th workstream “Building Energy Efficiency” had its last meeting in Milan, 5-6 november 2012, the core group and witnesses had the chance to visit one of the most interesting renovation project going on in that city.
An holistic approach rules an intervention that put together urban regeneration, architecture, energy retrofitting and social involvement.

One of the side projects that would equip the territory of Milan to deal with the event of the expo 2015 was “100 cascine”: a network of historic farmhouses scattered in Lombardy, semi or fully abandoned, to be recovered in order to provide accommodation during the expo and, in the future, to provide opportunities for reviving the agricultural landscape and face the consumption of fields.

That plan, like many others related to expo 2015, has been set aside by public bodies, leaving any possibility of renaissance in the hands of volunteers or young entrepreneurs. Fortunately, one farm has attracted the interest of a number of virtuous associations who already have some experiences in recovering degraded urban areas.
This is a tale about romantic and smart people who want to prove that work for the community is profitable.

An old Farmhouse declared unfit reinvested thanks to citizens groups
Cascina Cuccagna is an old farmhouse built in 1695.
Cascina is the Italian expression for farmhouse and Cuccagna refers to a mythical country of culinary delights and the term is useful for the current destination.
In 1881 the farmhouse was sold to a Family of grocers and the norPhoto 2 Borghithern part of the farmhouse was transformed in “casa di ringhiera”, traditional dwelling in Milan with open common balcony. In the ’40s and 50′s, every room hosted an entire family. The same room was used as a living room, a dining room, and a sleeping room at the same time. In the balcony people shared the running water and the bathroom.
In the ’60s Cascina Cuccagna was well known in Milan for a tavern that remained open all night long, called “Osteria dei naviganti e sognatori” (Sailors’ and deamers’ tavern).
In 1980 Cascina Cuccagna was sold to the municipality of Milan which declared it unfit for use. We had to wait more than 20 years and the work of various organizations and citizen groups to get a new project of restoration.

 

A rehabilitation project led by 10 associations joining in a consortium

photo 3 Borghi

In 2004 ten associations operating in Milan have joined together in “Associazione Consorzio Cantiere Cuccagna” and developed a program to embody the rehabilitation of the farmhouse in a multifunctional collective space for the city community.
In the same year the Consorzio participated to a public competition for the management of the farmhouse; and in 2005 it formally obtained a 20 year grant for the use and cunduction of the farmhouse with the constraint of the conservative renovation.
The transformation of the Cuccagna Farmhouse in a multifunctional centre required an investment of 3,5 million euro. Thanks to the financial support of foundations and banks the Consorzio was able to begin works (November 2008). Since then a permanent activity of fundraising has been carried out. A very important role has been played by the citizens of Milan. Thanks to their generosity almost 100.000 euro have been collected through donation and individual contributions.
Actually fundraising is more active than ever as there are still many works to be paid and many other to be done.
In the coming years, a great challenge for the Cascina Cuccagna will be to achieve complete sustainability and economic balance between incomes from commercial activities contained in its spaces (bar, restaurant, food store, hostel and services for children), and a permanent fundraising from companies, institutions and other partners.

A restauration respectful of the building
photo 4 borghiThe restauration is held under the Regional Council of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Environmental Conservation. Therefore a conservative restoration was chosen to be respectful of the building’s history.
The restoration works have been aimed to the preservation of the building (original lombard terracotta floors, original wooden beams), but new facilities have been added at the same time, participating in the symbolic stratification of the architectural elements. It also includes the use of new sustainable technologies such as hydro-geothermal heating system and ecological insulation. All decisions are in accordance with the European GreenBuilding Programme.
Cuccagna is constrained by the Regional Council of the Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Assets. Therefore a conservative restoration was chosen to be respectful of the building’s history.photo 5 borghi
Restoration works were aimed at preservation of the building (the original Lombard terracotta floors, wooden beams), but new facilities were added at the same time, participating in the symbolic stratification of architectural elements. This procedure also includes the use of new sustainable technologies such as hydro-geothermal heating and ecological insulation and walls coating. All decisions are in accordance with the European GreenBuilding Programme.

Cascina Cuccagna is today a multipurpose space and a meeting point between generation and cultures
Cascina Cuccagna is the most centrally located of the 60 farmhouses owned by the municipality of Milan. photo 6 borghiIt’s only 4 subway stops away from Piazza Duomo.
It consists in more than 2000 square metres of roofed area and 1500 square metres of green areas and courts. It is a multipurpose space for the neighborhood and the city, and a meeting point between generations and cultures.
Nowadays Cascina Cuccagna keeps running many activities:
A Ciclofficina, a permanent workshop where everyone can learn how to repair their bicycle. A Farmers’ Market (that takes place every Tuesday afternoon, since 2009) and a food store that sells only local products. A restaurant that serves only recipes made with the best local seasonal products. An Ethical purchasing group (GAS) to easily purchase food and other commonly used goods directly from the producers. A Banca del tempo, a  local exchange and trading system.
Cascina Cuccagna is also a location for events and, in the coming days, also a 12-bed hostel will open along with a permanent service for children and families.

It’s an unique space because it brings the most tangible aspects of the countryside into the city centre. And it’s the perfect space to develop a new concept of green metropolitan life and citizens’ active participation.
As evidence of this it has become a cultural landmark during the Milan design week, that in April of each year catches the attention of the world.
… and they all lived happily ever after.

 

To read more on the Energy Efficiency Workstream, you can refer to the article by Antonio Borghi published in the URBACT Tribune

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A Success for URBACT Social Media Turn

Thursday, December 20th, 2012

URBACT has long been active on social media. Its Facebook profile is now well established and is now a meeting point for 1750 fans. As for twitter, URBACT has now 1 099 followers and the URBACT National Dissemination Points tweet from their own accounts about URBACT in national languages.

But the great digital turn has been realised in the last months when URBACT invested even more social media, with the creation of its FLICKR account for instance, and decided to bet on digital exchanges to offer the possibility to those not able to physically attend the URBACT Annual Conference in Copenhagen to follow the discussion and take part.

The Urban Annual Conference Website proposed a live streaming of the discussions and presented the last tweets on URBACT. It also links to FLICKR and proposes a work space in which all the subscribers will have access to the conference material in the coming month: PowerPoint Presentations, videos and workshops results.

All in all, this has been a great success!

On twitter #URBACT2012 has been very popular with about 30,000 impressions per 24 hours.

And the URBACT Storify gathered tweets and feeds from other social media. It reached 231 832 views since it was created. It’s an impressive result!

So impressive that we decided to investigate more to understand what is exactly behind these numbers. But so far, we’ve found only supporting evidence. Great news since it means that URBACT goes more and more participative!

Welcome to all of you and let’s build together the urban sustainable policy of tomorrow!

Ségolène Pruvot

 

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International Conference : Urban Energies

Wednesday, October 31st, 2012

What are the questions that will concern our cities in the future? Will a new balance be struck locally between civic involvement and political responsibility? Who must do what today to make sure our cities remain a success model for the future?

These are some of the question addressed by the International Conference Städtische Energien/Urban Energies hosted last October 11 and 12 by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development.

Haus der Kulturen der Welt

The conference took place in the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin and was attended by more than 1300 delegates from 30 countries.
Many national and international speakers presented exemplary projects and planning processes and open discussions with the participants took place in parallel “arena” sessions.

The Conference marked the 5th anniversary of the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities, the document adopted by the EU on May 2007 under the German Presidency. The charter recognizes the important social, cultural and economic role that cities play.

Today in Europe almost 80% of the population live in urban areas (it was less than 10% in 1700). And, while when we think of cities we normally refer to the capitals and large urban areas, the majority of people live in medium and small cities. In EU 27 there are about 500 cities or urban agglomerates of more than 100.000 people.

Urban Energies opening plenary session

Talking about Urban Energies means to address the cities as living and ever changing organisms. Saskia Sassen, urban sociologist, introduced the idea of thinking of cities through their “urban capabilities”, described as the mix of incompleteness and complexity, of people and space. She called for an “open source urbanism” to avoid the risk of obsolescence and keep track with the rapid urban changes. “The city is a hacker” said Sassen. “A hacker of spaces, of technologies, of individual’s self interest, of excessively rigid technological systems”.

Prof. Jørgen Randers

Jørgen Randers, author of the report to the Club of Rome 2052, A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years, described his concept of “Ecomodern City”, a urban model forced to confront contemporary challenges like declining  fertility and growing age while dealing with new constraints like no growth, need for energy efficiency, optimisation of waste cycles. In the Ecomodern City the use of virtual services will be growing (teleconferencing, shopping, entertainment, social interaction). Long term strategies will have to include wise solutions that have short term advantages. In the social field, efforts shall be made to avoid conflicts between young and old.
Jaime Lerner, former mayor of Curitiba, Brasil, called for a strategic vision and for the joint responsibility of all the actors of the urban scenario. According to Mr. Lerner local sustainability “is an equation between what we save and what we waste”.

Roundtable Cities in Europe: Successes of a Shared Development Policy

The roundtable Cities in Europe: Successes of a Shared Development Policy included Emmanuel Moulin, Director of the URBACT Secretariat. Mr. Moulin stressed the need of integrated management and multi level governance and pointed out the different development levels of European cities, where for instance in Eastern Europe participation is a new experience. “The exchange of knowledge and expertise across Europe has not worked well” he said. Mr. Moulin also described the uniqueness of URBACT, the only program financed both by the Commission and the Member States.

The conference wrap up included the adoption of the Memorandum Urban Energies – Urban Challenges where four major tasks for sustainable urban development are singled: “firstly, the cautious ecological renewal of buildings and neighbourhoods; secondly, the technological regeneration of urban infrastructures; thirdly, developing a new mobility and fourthly, social integration. These four major tasks have been discussed at length but are usually separated from one another, moreover in various professional and political circles. They must be brought together. The energy transition and the fight against climate change requires not only renewing cities and regions, changes in urban infrastructures, new mobility and social integration but also new economic and financial bases and respect for cultural identity. And only when the city and its surrounding hinterland are brought considerably closer can the necessary conversion be successful.”

The Memorandum proposes “an alliance for a sustainable city” and calls “upon those responsible in cities, regions, states and international organisations as well as associations, businesses and initiatives to undertake their own programmes and projects to foster a sustainable urban development taking into account the cultural, social, economic and environmental dimensions of cities”, concluding that “the sustainable city is climate-conscious and energy-efficient, adaptable and socially just, economically efficient and, last but not least, creatively unique and beautiful.

The sustainable city of tomorrow is the result of our actions today. Conditions, means as well as outcomes of this action are Urban Energies.

Emilio D’Alessio, Architect, Town Planner, URBACT Workstream Contributor

 

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Eight Cities in a Kitchen!

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

How can one gather eight cities in a kitchen and what would they cook?
This sounds as a bizarre question, but it is the starting point for the final product of the URBACT ESIMeC project, which focused on boosting sustainable economic growth in small and medium size cities.

ESIMeC gathers eight European cities: Albacete and Sabadell in Spain, Basingtoke and Deane in the UK, Besançon and Cherbourg in France, Bistrita in Romania, Debrecen in Hungary, and Gävle in Sweden.
Together, as Europeans often do, they decided to cook. They elaborated eight common recipes, which themselves and other cities can use as tools to boost economic development through various methods:

  1. Effective partnership working: 1st recipe;
  2. Stimulating workforce development: 2nd recipe (triple helix co-operation in workforce development);
  3. Developing green growth and jobs: 3rd recipe;
  4. Preparing young people for the world of work: 4th recipe;
  5. Position well medium-sized cities using marketing: 5th recipe;
  6. Create cultural and creative growth and jobs: 6th recipe;
  7. Develop integrated approaches to workforce and economic development: 7th recipe;
  8. Forecast skills at city level: 8th recipe.

If after reading this post and recipes you’re still hungry for more, you’re welcome to Come and Dine with ESIMeC during its Final Conference on the 7th of November in Brussels.

Ségolène Pruvot

 

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Call For Evidence – Building Energy Efficiency

Friday, June 1st, 2012

The building sector accounts for 40% of the total energy use and for 36% of Europe’s CO2 emissions. It generates 9% of the total EU 27 GDP and 8 % of the total employment. Since the EU aims at reductions in domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 80% by 2050 (compared to 1990 level), the building stock – in particular the housing sector -  can play a major role in achieving the 20-20-20 strategic targets.
The URBACT workstream on “Building energy efficiency”, set up for exploring how cities can contribute to energy efficiency, will try to address the above challenges and will deal with the manifold aspects of reducing energy footprint in the buildings sector, with specific focus on the housing sector as its most representative and sensitive component.

Professionals, research centers, public authorities, associations, and individuals are invited to submit their contributions- good practices, case studies, suggestions, ideas and dreams- about an energy efficient (and high quality) housing sector. Innovative practices will be published in the URBACT Tribune 2012 and will be discussed during the URBACT Annual conference in Copenhagen December 3-4, 2012.

If you wish to share your point of view please contact me: antonioborghi@gmail.com

Antonio Borghi
Coordinator of Workstream “Building Energy Efficiency”

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