Networks and cities' news

Mouans-Sartoux and its Food Project - Interview to Gilles Perole

"Every region, every city, every department, every household should be able to define its own food sovereignty." (Gilles Perole, Deputy Mayor of Mouans Sartoux)

How can gender equality be achieved in Blue Economy Entrepreneurship?

One of the key questions raised at the 2nd Transnational Meeting of BluAct 2nd Wave network which is funded by the URBACT III Programme and was organised by the Municipality of Piraeus and took place on 26 and 27 of January 2022.

"The Urban Industry 4.0 Talent Ecosystem: 7 Challenges"

"The Urban Industry 4.0 Talent Ecosystem: 7 Challenges" by Willem van Winden, URBACT Lead Expert

In many European cities, manufacturing industries are still important drivers of their economy. But the sector is in a process of transformation, under the influence of new technologies (robotisation, digitalization, new materials) and the urge to produce in a sustainable way. This transformation puts new demands on the skills and competences of people that work in the industry, but also on educational institutes in the city that educate the new talent flowing into the sector. How to create a local/urban talent ecosystem that is future proof? This article identifies seven key challenges that industrial cities face in this respect. It is based on in-depth interviews with companies, educational institutes, policymakers and experts in four industrial cities united in the AS-Transfer project: Bilbao, Bielsko-Biala, Tartu, and Timisoara.

Why should we all eat organic?

Why should we all consume more organic products? Together with the French researcher and expert Denis Lairon, we have discussed the main benefits of organic on human health as well as its impact on climate and environment 

When is a Wasteland? A Critical Understanding of Infrastructure and Residual Spaces - by Brian Rosa

Urban peripheries in Europe tend to be disorderly landscapes, and the overlay of infrastructures often create areas depicted as ‘wastelands’. In this article, Brian Rosa reflects on the definition of such spaces and the uses they host. He also looks at transformation processes that aim to repurpose these residual spaces.

Hacking our cities and testing our ideas – reflecting on 2021 in the iPlace Project

Sometimes the restrictions that limit our way of working can be turned into a positive. The ten cities who are partners in URBACT’s iPlace Project set themselves the task of giving their citizens the opportunity to ‘hack their city’ in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic with severe restrictions on physical interaction in the countries of all the partners.