Networks and cities' news

Quarto d'Altino: A Sustainable Future through Culture and Cohesion

In recent years, the Municipality of Quarto d'Altino, through the actions of its local government, has embarked on an ambitious path to address the environmental and social challenges of its territory. A key part of this effort is the URBACT GreenPlace initiative, a European program promoting sustainable urban development through collaboration and the exchange of best practices among cities.

How to involve your ULG members using a card game?

Boulogne-sur-Mer, a historic coastal city in northern France, is blending community engagement with urban revitalization through a unique card game designed for collaborative planning. Facing challenges like economic shifts, population decline, and coastal erosion, the city is rallying local stakeholders to reimagine and activate underutilized spaces. This approach has inspired new ideas for future projects, fostering deeper community involvement and turning citizen input into actionable plans for a thriving local future.

Vila Nova de Poiares: Small City, Big Environmental Ambitions

Vila Nova de Poiares, the smallest city in the GreenPlace URBACT network, with a population of around 7.000, is taking ambitious steps to address significant environmental challenges. Despite its size, this municipality in the Coimbra Intermunicipal region of Portugal has become a model for sustainable practices and community engagement, especially through its collaboration with the local URBACT Group (ULG) and its active role in the GreenPlace network.

Focus on Circular Economies and Governance

The 4th meeting of the international partners within "Green Place, Let's Do It Together" network, took place in Bucharest, on June 18th and 19th. It was focused on integrated sustainable urban development strategies and emphasizing the pivotal role of circular economies in contemporary urban planning and development. This Core Network Meeting was also aimed at gathering feedback and drawing on the visiting partners’ relevant experience. The meeting was also followed by an insightful study visit on June 20th, focused on exploring the most relevant urban regeneration projects of formal industrial infrastructures in Bucharest.

Overall, these activity packed days have provided a much needed and robust platform for knowledge exchange and debate among the international project partners and local stakeholders. 

How can temporary use contribute to the process of transformation

Temporary use has emerged as a significant strategy across Europe to address the challenges of vacancy and urban transformation. Projects such as the URBACT networks and Horizon 2020's T-Factor have highlighted the potential of temporary use to creatively repurpose empty spaces, supporting local economies and fostering social cohesion. By utilizing vacant buildings and brownfields for short-term initiatives, temporary use not only revitalizes areas but also provides a testing ground for long-term sustainable solutions.

Celebrating Limerick as a walled City!

Limerick, with its 210,000 inhabitants, is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland. The city dates back to the first Viking settlements in 922, utilising its location on the River Shannon. As a medieval city, Limerick was fortified with a wall and is one of Ireland’s fifty –six confirmed walled cities. Limericks walled town consisted of what is now known as Englishtown and Irishtown.