What's new

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.

How does a “sponge city” work?

In the early 2000ies, Western and Northern European cities faced heavy rainfalls causing huge damage in the dense urban fabric. Since then, new housing estates have been built in frontrunner cities without using grey infrastructure to collect rainwater, and water retention has been an integrated part of urban development. We explain the key lessons and challenges since droughts experienced in the last years almost everywhere in Europe make the theme more essential than ever.

“Extensive green rooftops (made up of a very thin - 8-15 cm - layer of substrate with shallow-root and resistance plants like sedum, herbs, mosses, and grasses) can absorb 70-80% of the rainwater, it protects the roof and boosts its insulation capacity - thus we created our Botanical Roof Garden, one of the biggest green rooftop complexes in Europe, on the rooftop of the communal utility company, to promote different techniques” - says Ms Helen Johansson, director of the Green Roof Institute during a study visit organised in the frame of the URBACT Summer University (2023). 

Addressing Housing Challenges in Albacete, Spain

Albacete is a vibrant cultural center located in the Castilla-La Mancha region, one of the most dynamic agricultural regions in Europe. Due to its strategic location, Albacete attracts a large number of seasonal migrant workers. The city strives to meet the specific needs of migrant workers and their families, some of whom live in informal settlements. Thus, as part of the WELDI project, the municipality hosted the third transnational meeting of the network devoted to the theme of housing.

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.

If these walls could talk: democratic values through dissonant heritage

With the European elections in full swing, let’s look at how controversial heritage sites can foster democratic values in European cities.

CALL FOR EXPERTS