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How community-based social activism can develop, retain and attract young creative-tech talent in Europe’s cities

GEN-Y City is an URBACT III Network exploring how European cities can develop, retain and attract the young creative-tech talent they need to thrive and prosper. One of the major findings coming out of the project is that the way in which city administrations engage and collaborate with young people on the design of the city and delivering public services can influence young people’s career choices and their commitment to stay in a city. Here Jim Sims, Lead Expert for GEN-Y City, offers commentary on young people’s attitudes and behaviour related to urban activism.

Jim Sims
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10 ways to engage SMEs in procurement

Historically Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have faced a range of barriers in accessing procurement opportunities and in winning contracts. These barriers include: contracting authorities being unaware of SMEs and the types of goods and services they can potentially provide; SMEs viewing the procurement process, often rightly, as overly bureaucratic; SMEs not having the capacity to bid for opportunities and compete with large business; and the process of procurement often being undertaken on the basis of cost thus ruling out the ability of SMEs to demonstrate their wider value.

sbamber
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From non integrated to integrated urban development: an illustrated story

There are many ways to explain what integrated urban development is, or should be. One of the ways is to show examples on the opposite, i.e. on non-integrated solutions for urban development. Here we bring up three examples in the areas of poverty, ageing and economic development and reflect further on what integrated urban development is and how to put it into practice.

Ivan Tosics
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Cities in Article 7 – From Planning to Implementing and Funding

This network article reflects on some reference elements of integrated urban development in the European funding period 2014-20. Under Article 7 new tools of implementation and funding of interlinked actions have been introduced. Managing Authorities (MA) and cities need to act as partners to fulfil the objectives developed in the Operational Programmes. This task leads to an innovative question of multilevel governance and co-operation, based on an analysis of interests of the involved stakeholders in the decision-making processes. The step from planning to implementation and funding with shared responsibilities is a new challenge which the partners of the “Cities in Article 7” (CIA 7) URBACT Implementation Network want to explore together.

Petra Potz
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Expectations of cities participating in CIA 7 Implementation Network

The starting point for the “Cities in Article 7” (CIA 7) Implementation Network is to explore how 9 cities in 8 EU Member States benefiting from ERDF funding for the implementation of integrated urban strategies under Article 7 of the ERDF regulation are facing the mentioned challenges and potentials. Lead Partner is the European Metropole of Lille, France.

Petra Potz
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ReGeneration and the inter-generational approach

Initial reflections on the implementation network challenges after first visits to the partner cities.

Lorenzo Tripodi
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An innovative approach to cultural heritage management

When thinking of economic development in small-medium size cities, cultural heritage always plays an important role in any city strategy, particularly in the historical towns where the valorisation of cultural heritage remains one of the best tools to promote social and economic development. However several factors such as lack of funding, lack of management expertise, are preventing these cities to fully exploit its potential, limiting the capacity to valorise these important assets.

Pedro Soutinho
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Towards new approaches and methods for poverty reduction in deprived urban areas

As almost all the European cities, partners of URBinclusion are threatened by the increase of social polarisation, which is a consequence of many parallel processes: a growing volatility of employment (due to increased global competitiveness challenges) and a recent boom in migration to Europe and its cities. These factors are complemented by a progressively retreating welfare state and privatisation of services in several countries leading to higher costs for basic needs. Demographic changes also plays a pivotal role in shaping the urban landscape.

Fernando Barreiro
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Tune to implementation

It’s easy enough in principle to start doing new things. It happens every day, in every walk of life. But it often happens in isolation; one thing over here, another over there. More rarely is there a successful attempt to get everything on the same wavelength and coordinate the implementation of new things, particularly when we are talking about putting complex new polices into practice within cities.

Ian Graham
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Women and the City: Be Bold For Change on International Women’s Day

8 March is International Women’s Day (IWD) and the campaign this year is #BeBoldForChange. IWD is a worldwide event that celebrates women’s achievements –from the political to the social – while calling for gender equality. The day is marked around the globe with performances, talks, rallies, networking events, conferences, marches and even strikes.

Gender equality is a fundamental value of the European Union, enshrined in the Treaty of Rome. It is one of the cross cutting themes to be taken into account by all the Urban Agenda for the EU thematic partnerships. Gender equality and empowerment of women is also one of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015.

What needs to be done to make cities more gender-equal? What are the key challenges? The actions and solutions required will vary in different parts of the globe, but there are many threads that relate to urban governance, and that are particularly linked to the integrated and participatory approach promoted by URBACT. Here are just a few.

Sally Kneeshaw
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