Networks and cities' news

Can artificial and social intelligence work together?

The Residents of the Future project, among other things, intervenes in the area of digital transformation of the involved cities by considering all the advantages and disadvantages of adapting these cities to a population that works remotely. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has “regrouped” remote workers and that today everyone (from Generation X to Gen Z) works remotely, it is important to note that this can have negative consequences for cities, such as empty office spaces, reduced local spending, and potentially decreased social interaction if people work exclusively from home.

Saldus, Latvia: An Idea Seeks a Place and a Place Seeks an Idea!

Can an old and abandoned building become a catalyst for reversing negative trends? Can it retain young people in Saldus and attract some new ones?

By: Marita Melvere

Residents of The Future Quarterly Report: What have we learned from The Baseline Study?

After the activation phase, the project partners were dedicated this period to the conclusion of the Baseline Study and to the implementation of the Urbact Local Groups.

ART as the inspiration for urban actions of sustainable change: The municipal theater of Plasencia hosts a play about depopulation

Art has always been a powerful tool and has had a strong voice in describing important social issues. That's why the City of Plasencia, member of Residents of the Future URBACT network, hosts a play in municipal theater that deals with depopulation, and to which the members of the local ULG have been invited. 

Through URBACT, we are seeking answers to the question of how the city can retain existing residents and attract new ones

City of Šibenik has an extensive experience implementing EU funded projects, including the URBACT programme. In the previous period, Šibenik was partner in four citizens networks. Now, they took a role as a Lead Partner in the network "Residents of the Future". On this occasion, we spoke with Nikolina Gracin, a representative of the City of Šibenik and the coordinator of the Network. The interview was conducted for URBACT Croatia by Lucija Jusup, an advisor at the Association of Cities in the Republic of Croatia. You can find the entire article in Croatian language at the following link: >> URBACT Croatia

Small cities, the potential best place to live in Europe?

For most of human history, most people across the world lived in small communities. Over the past 500 years, this reality has shifted dramatically, and in 2015, 73.5% of Europeans were already living in urban areas. People's concentration leads to some challenges related to quality of life, such as lack of safety, housing problems, pollution concentration, and poverty.

According to the Report on the Quality of Life in European Cities, a 2023 European Commission study, smaller cities are perceived as being better places to live. The study shows that the happiness and well-being of people increase in cities smaller than 250.000 inhabitants.