Networks and cities' news

Social isolation: a silent and nearly invisible epidemic that needs to be broken

Humans are, by nature, social creatures. We, humans, need social interactions. We need to talk, to laugh, to cry, to play, to share. Of course, we also enjoy, sometimes, to withdraw and take a break from social interactions. This is the need for solitude. And it’s just fine and a rather healthy practice. Because it’s temporary, it’s about taking time just for yourself.

But what happens when one does not get any social interaction, at all? And when it’s not by choice? When a person has, completely, and for a long period, no meeting, no sharing, no exchanging with his/her fellow human? What happens when one gets truly isolated, left alone? What happens to our society when more and more people get isolated, feel left out, abandoned, unfit for society?

Is citizen engagement a waste of time in policymaking? Never!

The URBACT Action Planning Network Action Planning Networks | urbact.eu  is all about unlocking the green potentials of citizen action. Being a network of city administrators, we know we need help. We need help to understand what green citizen action can look like and how we as an authority can co-create with our citizens. This is the reason why we have formed the network COPE. Together we will explore and test how we can engage with our citizens in making changes in our local environments in favour of the climate and biodiversity in a way that considers equity and justice. And not least how we can administrate these activities within our governance framework.

Unifying Efforts for Bringing One Health in Cities

A European collaboration for human, animal and environmental health

In the face of diverse health and environmental challenges across European regions and globally, the One Health 4 Cities Network emerges as a beacon of collaboration and knowledge exchange looking for holistic solutions in cities.

The need for systemic approaches that support not only the current states of living but safeguard our environments for the future is very prominent. The One Health approach will bring us solutions that never were so urgent before.

Unique of its kind, the Network brings light on how to implement the One Health approach in urban public policies, strategies, and projects. It recognises that the perception of the One Health concept may vary according to EU regions and cities and it aims to refine and propagate this transformative approach by bringing together partners representing a wide variety of local contexts.

Comprising cities with varying levels of experience in One Health, the network fosters a collaborative environment where the nine partners come together to learn and share experiences: Benissa (ES), Elefsina (GR), Kuopio (FI), Lahti (FI), Loulé (PT), Lyon (FR), Munich (DE), Eurometropolis of Strasbourg (FR) and Suceava (RO).

Youth work starts where young people are - but how can youth workers get there?

Young people spend more and more time online. But do youth workers know where? And more importantly, how can they get there to provide them with the help they need? 

9 Cities – 9 Stories: Cities for Sustainability Governance

Nine European cities pioneer Sustainability Governance to close the action gap towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

“Cities are as strong as their communities”. This was one of the main lessons drawn by Lead Partner coordinator Ville Taajamaa, responsible for 2030 Agenda work in the City of Espoo, after the first in-person meeting of the Cities for Sustainability Governance (CSG) network held in Tallinn, 15-16 November 2023. “After hours and hours of crunching expert urban sustainability talk, work and walk, the most important thing we had in our mind was our citizens. How cool is that!”, he concluded.

For 2.5 years, nine partner cities – Agios Dimitrios (Greece), Braga (Portugal), Espoo (Finland), Gabrovo (Bulgaria), Jablonec nad Nisou (Czech Republic), Kosice (Slovakia), Mannheim (Germany), Tallinn (Estonia) and València (Spain) – will join forces to discover and design how ‘sustainability governance’ can answer to the well needed renewal of commitment, trust, action and hope, to achieve the world we want by 2030.

Cities paving the way for a circular transition

In 2020 and in line with the Communication on the European Green Deal, the European Commission adopted the new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP 2). The ultimate goal is to stimulate markets for climate-neutral and circular products and services, modernize the EU’s economy and reap the benefits of the transition in the EU and beyond. The seven key areas set by the Commission CEAP 2 to achieve a circular economy are exactly plastics, textiles, e-waste, food, water and nutrients, packaging, batteries and vehicles, buildings and construction.