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Railway Hubs: Changing track in stakeholder engagement

Railway station locations are increasingly being re-invented as vibrant, multi-functional, multi-modal urban attraction poles. This inspired the URBACT ENTER.HUB network to explore opportunities which the “Railway Hub” concept can bring to cities. This innovative transformation can also help in understanding new governance and participation models.

Temporary use European good practices

In occasion of the TUTUR final conference some good practices on Temporary Use Agencies from around Europe were invited to share their experience with the participants and allow for the enrichment of new ideas and insights. During the TUTUR project the experience from the ZwischenZeitZentrale in Bremen was the basis for the work developed in Rome and Alba Iulia, but in occasion of the final conference the idea was to look also into other models, such as the case of the Lakatlan from Budapest, Meanwhilespace from London, Coopolis from Berlin and Stipo from Rotterdam. What was particularly relevant of these other examples is that, unlike what was developed by TUTUR, these are agencies initiated by private bodies and only partially connected to public administration, therefore providing a valuable comparison of approaches within the discussions of the conference. 

Participation or Inclusion?

According to planning guidelines the more participative urban planning is, the better the outcomes are. However, in reality the link between more/deeper participation of residents and more positive social and environmental outcomes is not at all straightforward – public participation has many pitfalls, as shown on examples of public square planning in Budapest and Berlin.

New labour markets: how cities could lead

Wingham Rowan, Director of Beyond Jobs, argues that cities have a key role to play in making new labour markets work.

“I agree, if city governments really grasp this, it would change everything. But I don’t think they will.” The speaker – last Friday – works for one the world’s biggest technology companies. Now he leads their thinking around the future of “Sharing Economy” transactions.

The crude image of governments slow to adapt to changing labour markets is widespread. It is a problem because Silicon Valley is channeling billions of dollars on the assumption public bodies are either irrelevant to “Sharing Economy” markets, or just a problem to be overcome.

But this part of city economies is important. Demand for hour-by-hour labour and resources could total 5% of GDP when World Bank data is analysed. Bookings are in sectors like: on-demand care at home, collecting a neighbour’s shopping, people doing odd hours at peak times in a café/shop/bar/distribution centre, babysitting, renting out possessions or accommodation, ad-hoc cleaning, repairs or home tutoring. There are thousands of categories like this where citizens seek non-regular earnings.

Crowdfunding City Futures?

What has crowdfunding got to do with urban development? What part of the future funding mix could crowdfunding play for European cities strapped for cash yet needing to respond to change and deliver sustainability?

Why ‘Think Global, Act Local’ is no longer enough

How can cities refresh the message ‘think global, act local’ and build common purpose amongst stakeholders – citizens, communities, elected representatives, businesses, civil servants – to achieve the impacts that are needed in towns and cities across Europe and across the world?