Archives for 2019

A sinking city: the case of Berezniki in Russia

Have you already seen the pictures Berezniki (RU), being swallowed by the sinkholes? If you have not, here they are in the following post. Sinking city How come Berezniki is literally being swallowed by sinkholes? To answer this question, we have to take a quick look at the history of the city. Berezniki was formed […]

By Olga Suslova, on June 30th, 2019 at 20:40

Amarante: improving the city with pioneering actions

How can a small city like Amarante (PT), located less than one hour from medium-sized urban centres such as Braga (PT) or Guimarães (PT), or even from the metropolitan area of Porto (PT), become a competitive economic centre with the well-being for its citizens at its heart? Thanks to a number of innovative actions, Amarante […]

By Ana Resende, on May 23rd, 2019 at 10:32

Matosinhos, where the past and the future intersect

With the neighbouring cities of Porto (PT) and Vila Nova de Gaia (PT), the city of Matosinhos (PT) is part of the Atlantic Front of Porto. The three municipalities have signed a “Letter of Commitment” as an inter-municipal tool for the implementation of the territorial policies’ strategy in key areas, based on an integrated approach. […]

By Ana Resende, on May 9th, 2019 at 10:02

How to accomplish the “right to housing”?

Laura Colini, URBACT Programme Expert, PhD in Urban and Territorial Studies at the University of Florence (IT), specialising in post-socialist German cities, explains what cities can do to improve access to the “right to housing”, using examples from Berlin (DE) and Barcelona (ES). “The right to housing does not mean that everyone is entitled to […]

By Laura Colini, on April 25th, 2019 at 11:07

Mapping Urban Alternatives collaboratively

Hana Grgić of Political Critique reveals how the Urban Alternatives online mapping cooperation came into being. Cities are the scene of resistance, innovation and alternatives: the place where social protests erupt and mutual cooperation unfolds, where street mobilisations and cultural creation and productive innovations emerge. The online map Urban Alternatives emerged from the cooperation between […]

By Hana Grgic, on April 11th, 2019 at 11:09

The story behind Warsaw’s new LGBT+ declaration

Amy Labarriere meets activist Oktawiusz Chrzanowski, who prompted city officials to write a declaration supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights in the Polish capital. “Everyone is equal before the law. No form of discrimination is allowed, and Warsaw should be open to everybody.” This is how the City of Warsaw (PL) announced Mayor Rafał […]

By Amy Labarrière, on March 28th, 2019 at 11:48

Porto, the URBACT city par excellence!

The city of Porto (PT) is the URBACT city per excellence amongst Portuguese cities! And why? On the one hand, it is the city with the largest participation in URBACT networks over the last 10 years: six, in total. On the other hand, it is a city that registers a strong involvement of various departments […]

By Ana Resende, on March 21st, 2019 at 13:27

Meet Mitja Kolbl

In 20 years, we want Ljutomer (SLO) to be a city of “friendly traffic” Mitja Kolbl has been employed at the Municipality of Ljutomer for 15 years. In addition to the regular assignments he has as transport infrastructure manager – from investments and maintenance to winter service – he participates in three European projects. He […]

By Petra Očkerl, on February 28th, 2019 at 18:44

Online tools for urban practitioners

Political journalist, Jamie Mackay, takes a look at URBACT’s choice of digital tools, a fundamental part of how we work today. Innovation in urban development is first and foremost about people, about how citizens imagine the future of their local communities, and how specialists realise this. It is, by extension, a question of organisations, of […]

By Jamie Mackay, on February 21st, 2019 at 13:51

The Women We See … and don’t see

Last year marked the centenary of the passing of the Representation of the People Act, extending to the right to vote for the first time to (some) women in the UK and Ireland (it would be another ten years until universal suffrage was introduced). To mark this anniversary, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched […]

By Siobhán McKenna, on February 14th, 2019 at 11:55