One cannot shut eyes to people’s social needs, the demands associated with jobs and living environment, the issues of technological development, the spread of means and channels of info-communication. Digitalisation has growing influence on people’s everyday life. Mariann Majorné Venn have asked Béla Kézy and David Bartók, representatives of the URBACT TechTown project, how these issues are […]
Archives for 2018

Send a Summer Postcard to Eurocities
It’s Time for Change At a time when Europe is striving to retain its legitimacy and relevance in the face of growing disillusionment and Euroscepticism, cities can provide a critical link with citizens. It’s time to change the way things are done in Europe. In a recent interview, Anna Lisa Boni, EUROCITIES Secretary General, emphasised […]

Cascais (PT) bets on its young people and involves them in its governance
Young people have something to say about their school conditions and their environment but often lack access to governance structures that take them into account. That is why the Portuguese City of Cascais has chosen to invest in involving its young people (from 10 to 17) in its democratic governance (Good Practice – Bridging the […]

5 Reads and a podcast on integrated urban planning to read over the summer
Is the office quieter than usual? Would you have some time to catch up with some food for thought on urban integrated development or are you looking for the best book to take with you for the holidays? From an interview with Renzo Piano to readings about how women will save the planet, here is […]

Share your City Story on the URBACT Blog
The URBACT Blog is open to contributions from city practitioners, academics, grassroots activists from all around Europe (and the world) who would like to share their practice, research and amazement on integrated urban development issues. The topics must be of interest to the community of URBACT Blog readers: international readers interested in sustainable integrated urban […]

A Call for a European Fund for Municipalities to Welcome Refugees
Can cities become a space for a new European conception of transnational solidarity? In this interview by European Alternatives, German politician and professor Gesine Schwan, proposes the idea of a European Fund for municipalities to welcome refugees. This article is an extract from an article published on Politicalcritique.org on 21 June 2018. You have a […]

11 Unusual places reviving thanks to URBACT and the 2nd Chance Network
Discover spaces and brownfields of the 11 partner cities of the 2nd Chance Network, as well as ideas and good practices for the sustainable reuse of emblematic places of urban development. All these were at the core of the Integrated Action Plans presented by partner cities in Naples (IT) during the Network’s final conference. Walking […]

Welcoming Mayors Stand Up
International laws and conventions ignored After rescue procedures were arranged by the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center (MRCC) of Rome, the “Aquarius” boat (of SOS Méditerranée and Doctors Without Borders, with 629 people on board including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 other children and seven pregnant women) was prevented from disembarking in “a place of safety”. […]

Community mapping: when an app boosts urban regeneration
The city of Longford (IE) has developed an application – Longford Nua – which seeks to engage all citizens in the town in gathering and sharing memories and stories of the city, what citizens value about their town for the present days and ideas for the place in the future. Longford Nua is a community […]

Intelligent air pollution meters and smart cameras
Take aways, inspirations and learning from URBACT by the city of Miskolc (HU) “Around 2010 an important paradigm-shift has taken place in the mind-set of city managers, policy makers and industry leaders. Cities realized that building sustainable systems needs to include industry and technology providers to a far greater extent than originally thought. At the […]