The sun shone brightly; the sky was blue. Good weather makes a difference to most towns and this was certainly the case with Braine l’Alleud, the Belgian municipality just 20 kilometres south of Brussels where the TOGETHER partnership held its 5th joint meeting at the end of March. The project is exploring new ways of […]
Archives for 2012

The European urban fabric in the 21st century – Interesting discussions
Some 300 people came together in Copenhagen on 22-23 March at the Fifth European Summit of Regions and Cities. The Summit titled as “The European urban fabric in the 21st century” was organized by the Committee of the Regions (COR), partly for politicians (mayors and presidents of regions from EU countries), partly for leading architects, […]

Roma mass exclusion from the labour market
It is a combination of complex factors that are responsible for the very high and concentrated levels of Roma unemployment. Low education no qualifications; out of date skills; living in settlements with poor transport links; isolated communities with limited access to jobs or information about jobs. Individually each one is a real barrier and obstacle […]

From creative industries to creative places
Small and medium size cities are also interested in the way they can foster local economic development through on innovation and the creation of creative places. Clusters have been a main theme of interest in regional and urban planning theory since the 80’s, with the attention paid to the region Emilia- Romagna for instance. The […]

Eltis – The Urban Mobility Portal gives you the knowledge to deliver new mobility solutions
“Interested in Know How on Urban Transport?” “Change urban transport” “Take action to make it more sustainable” “Find out what you need to really make a difference” “Inspire others – and be inspired by them” “Build your network to help you deliver” “Share your experience to build better urban transport” Just log on to eltis.org […]

Are Electric vehicules sales falling flat?
Recent coverage in the UK media has questioned the viability of the electric cars with the observation that there are now more charging points than cars registered in the UK. Given the nascent state of the market, this is a point that is likely to be closely followed. Most research indicates the ‘chicken or egg’ […]

Architecture and Heritage in the Netherlands by Job Roos (TU Delft)
URBACT LINKS network is focused on the ways to conciliate cultural heritage and city development Job Roos is a rare example of Dutch architect dedicated to the retrofitting of existing buildings. His expertise has become highly requested now that it has become clear the urgency of adapting our cities for sustainable development and that the […]

Heritage values versus modern needs
How realistic is it, when restoring historic buildings, to manage a balance between the preservation of their values and the necessary alterations for their adaptation to modern needs? What are their values and what are modern needs? The literature in this field is quite rich, especially when referring to values. The debate goes back as […]