"Community of Practice on Cities Newsletter" Newsletter Issues

World Urban Forum. 26–30 June 2022, Katowice, Poland (23/06/2022)

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Launch of Science for Policy report 'New perspectives on territorial disparities. From lonely places to places of opportunities' (15/06/2022)

During the event, the main findings of the report will be presented and discussed by the editors and guest experts.

New policy brief on Local taxes in EU Member States (12/05/2022)

Our JRC colleagues just released a new policy brief on Local taxes on economic activity in municipalities in EU Member States. This brief, among the various findings, identifies interesting trends between economic growth and the share of revenues from taxes on local economic activities to local budgets.

Green balance in urban areas as an indicator for policy support: a multi-level application (20/05/2022)

Our colleagues just released a new scientific article that looks at trends of urban green areas in European cities. They do so by providing a methodology to compute a new indicator to report the status of Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) under the Green City Accord.

Foreword (20/05/2022)

Welcome!

The second CoP Cities Plenary meeting - Thank you for joining! (11/05/2022)

Last month, we held our second online CoP Cities plenary meeting on April 28th.

More than 60 members joined and learned of current and new developments related to cities from within the European Commission (DG REGIO) and from Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) and the City Science Initiative (CSI).

We also presented our latest batch of policy briefs and learnt about the new methodology developed by the JRC for running the CityLabs.

World Urban Forum (26/06/2022)

The World Urban Forum is the most important global event on sustainable urbanisation and human settlement. The theme of this 11th edition is “Transforming Our Cities for a Better Urban Future”.

Our new brief on 'Urban-rural interactions' is out! (12/05/2022)

How are cities intertwined with their surrounding areas? How have their relationships changed in the past? How could they evolve in the future? Find it out in our latest CoP-Cities policy brief on “Urban-rural interactions and their territorial disparities”.

The new TERRI report is out (12/05/2022)

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) just released the TERRI Report.

This report examines the evolution of territorial and governance reforms of recent years and explores the changing nature of relationships between central and subnational governments in Europe.

Webinars on city statistics (07/06/2022)

The European Commission Expert Group on City statistics and the IAOS Standing Committee on Regional and Urban Statistics (SCORUS) are organising two webinars on city statistics.

1. City statistics: past, present and future (7 June 15:30-17:00 Brussels time)

2. Integrating available data sources for city statistics: Challenges and opportunities (8 June 11:30-13:00 Brussels time).

Launch of the Science for Policy report “New perspectives on territorial disparities. From lonely places to places of opportunities” (23/05/2022)

The launch of the Science for Policy report “New perspectives on territorial disparities. From lonely places to places of opportunities” will be held online on the 23rd of June at 14:30. The report aims at identifying places with vulnerabilities in terms of local endowment, accessibility, or connectivity, using a spatial, multi-scalar and interdisciplinary approach to places. Results can contribute to bridging local, regional, and national concepts with European policies and instruments, to make the implementation of these policies more effective.

Looking for funding for your city? Check the URBACT’s online Toolbox (23/05/2022)

URBACT just upgraded their online toolbox to help urban practitioners navigate their way from local problem analysis to new guides on funding urban projects.

CoP Special session (02/05/2022)

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CoP-Cities plenary 2022 (13/04/2022)

CoP-Cities Plenary!

Welcome to the 12th edition of the CoP newsletter (22/03/2022)

Welcome to the 12th edition of the CoP newsletter

CoP Cities Plenary 2022 - Save the date! (28/04/2022)

Dear CoP-CITIES members,

Thursday April 28th from 14:00 – 15:30 hours marks the new date and time for our annual CoP-CITIES plenary meeting. We kindly invite all of you to SAVE THE DATE and join us!

The meeting will include speakers from DG REGIO and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) as well as various European Commission policy departments, who will be updating you on relevant work on cities, such as the new policy briefs and the results of the CityLabs Exploratory Research Activity. Next to that, city networks will present some of their recent work.

We will dedicate some time for open discussions and questions and invite all participants to initiate and/or collaborate on future short publications on relevant urban topics.

Eddy Adams from URBACT will moderate the event.

Please, note that the detailed agenda will be shared with a special edition of the newsletter when the event approaches.

Our new policy brief on 'Cities fit for the digital age' is out! (22/03/2022)

What are the latest trends and challenges for cities in the digital age? How can new technologies and applications help enhance services and contribute to improving the urban environment and the overall quality of life of its citizens? We are delighted to announce the release of our latest CoP-Cities policy brief on “Cities fit for the digital age”.

New report on housing affordability (24/03/2022)

In collaboration with the University of Porto, the JRC has recently published a new report on housing affordability and property investment in Porto and Lisbon, which have lately witnessed significant changes, becoming more and more attractive to tourists and investors. The contribution highlights the outcomes of the regeneration of some inner-city neighbourhoods, observing in both cities increasing socio-spatial segmentation and decreasing housing affordability.

Planning for thermal networks in cities (22/03/2022)

Decreasing our dependence on fossil sources will require cities to better plan their heating systems. This recently released report illustrates the best practices for the planning and construction of thermal networks.

How green are European cities? (22/03/2022)

The EEA just released a new briefing on 'Who benefits from nature in cities'. Check it out!

EU cities acting for just transitions and climate adaptation (27/04/2022)

UIA & the city of Seville are organising a 2-day on-site event on April 27- 28 to discuss how EU cities can contribute to green and just transitions and showcase concrete experiments that help build resilient cities. Among others, Mikel Landabaso, Director of Growth and Innovation, Joint Research Centre - European Commission will join the high-level opening panel on April 27

Welcome to the 11th Edition of the CoP-Cities Newsletter (18/01/2022)

Dear Members of the Community of Practice on Cities,

Our latest policy brief on Shrinking Cities is out! (19/01/2022)

If you thought all cities were growing, you better read this...We are delighted to announce the release of our latest CoP-Cities policy brief on 'Shrinking Cities'.

We are grateful to all the colleagues who participated in its elaboration, and we also want to thank the city councils of Ostrava, Genova and Kaunas for their valuable inputs. This is the first of our spring batch of policy briefs, other issues coming soon.

Results from the Future of Cities - Next steps survey (19/01/2022)

As anticipated in the last newsletter, here are the results from our survey on what topics the CoP should look at in 2022. Thank you very much to those of you who participated in our survey to help us identify the priorities for our next round of policy briefs.

JRC Future Mobility Solutions Living Lab (19/01/2022)

This report illustrates the outcomes of the Future Mobility Solutions Living Lab (FMS-Lab) developed at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). This work promotes an innovative, human-centric approach to new policy and mobility solutions. More specifically, the report highlights the living lab methodologies applied, shares the journey of implementing a mobility Living Lab in Ispra (Italy), and also provides lessons learned and recommendations to take into account when setting up a Living Lab.

New JRC publication: A place-based approach to migrant integration (19/01/2022)

A new report from our colleagues at the JRC Territorial Development and Demography, Migration and Governance units illustrates the outcome of exploratory research about migrant integration in European municipalities. Results of this study suggest that sustainable urban development strategies, and in particular urban regeneration policies that address disadvantaged areas, can be used to foster migrant integration in the long run. Several case studies based on local urban data are also presented in the report.

New insights for sustainable development: Designing for planetary boundary cities (19/01/2022)

This newly-released report from ARUP illustrates the concept of planetary boundaries and describes some of the directions on how to design the built environment within the ‘safety rails’ established by the Stockholm Resilience Centre’s Planetary Boundary Framework (PBF). The report introduces the nine Earth system processes of the PBF, describing their importance; the drivers of degradation; the enablers of regeneration; and the actions that cities can take to bring us back into a safe operating space. It also sets out 20 regenerative actions to help achieve sustainable development within these limits, whilst restoring natural systems.

The Ljubljana Agreement: a step towards an updated Urban Agenda for the EU (19/01/2022)

The Ljubljana Agreement and its Multi-annual Working Programme, adopted from EU ministers in November 2021, represents a concrete step towards renewing and updating the Urban Agenda for the EU, with a common goal to make it more impactful and efficient. The adoption of the agreement is also complemented by several operational parameters and steps supporting the implementation of the next phase of the initiative.

CITIES FORUM 2023 – Last call for hosting cities (19/01/2022)

DG REGIO opened the call for applications to host the 5th edition of the CITIES FORUM that will take place in the first quarter of 2023. The 5th edition will be organised in a physical and hybrid format and will welcome around 700 participants for 2 days.

Cities interested in hosting and co-organising the CITIES FORUM together with DG REGIO can show their interest by submitting their application by 31 January 2022. Further information is available in the link below.

Current trends of homelessness in European cities (19/01/2022)

Our colleague Sjoerdje Van Heerden presented the JRC's work on adequate housing and homelessness at the EUKN (European Urban Knowledge Network) Urban Voices seminar series.

Self-Assessment Tool for Sustainable Urban Development strategies (21/01/2022)

The Self-Assessment Tool for Sustainable Urban Development strategies (SAT4SUD) is a tool intended to be used by Local and Managing Authorities of EU Cohesion Policy. It helps to verify to what extent a strategy builds on an integrated and participatory approach. The tool focuses on a self-assessment as an important learning practice to assess the strategy’s completeness and quality, from its design and implementation, to its monitoring and evaluation.

E-learning course on Cities taking actions against climate change (19/01/2022)

Recently launched, the online course “Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy - Cities taking actions against climate change” gives participants the opportunity to discover successful stories, gain know-how and skills to develop a strong Climate Action Plan, and deliver into practice local climate ambitions. Three modules, focusing on the GCoM framework, local approach to climate change mitigation, and adaptation, are already available online. New modules on cross-sectoral questions and co-benefits and Energy access and poverty will be available in the coming month.

Welcome to the 10th edition of our Newsletter! (16/11/2021)

Welcome to the 10th Edition of the CoP-Cities Newsletter.

The CoP on Cities needs your help! (26/10/2021)

Our 2019 report on the Future of Cities was a success and now that we start recovering from the COVID pandemic - unexpected when the report was written - we would like to identify the most pertinent and relevant topics for our next round of policy briefs.

Policy briefs are short documents (6-8 pages) that make use of data, case studies and past experience to help informing policy makers of upcoming issues.You can find examples of our previous briefs here.

Three new policy briefs will be launched early next year, and include: Shrinking cities, Cities fit for the digital age and Urban-peripheral relationships.

Help us choosing the best topics for the next briefs: fill our survey.

New report on Building Urban Datasets for the SDGs (22/11/2021)

The report, launched at the WRC 2021, describes the experience of 6 European cities in monitoring the 2030 Agenda.

The new Urban PM2.5 Atlas is out! (22/11/2021)

In this Atlas, the spatial (e.g. urban, country) and sectoral (transport, residential, agriculture…) contributions of PM2.5 are quantified for 150 urban areas in Europe.

Commissioner Breton to meet with EU Mayors on the 2nd of December (02/12/2021)

Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton  will engage in a dialogue with EU Mayors from the Living-in.EU movement and the Intelligent Cities Challenge on the green and digital transformation and socio-economic resilience of cities and communities.  

The dialogue will focus on the cities’ priorities, challenges, and expectations in relation to the transition pathway of the city and community towards a sustainable future.

Presentation of report "A place-based approach to migrant integration" (09/12/2021)

Our JRC colleagues will present the findings from the JRC Exploratory Research Activity on "International Migrants in Functional Urban Areas", the agenda includes:

the presentation of the JRC report; interventions of representatives of the European Commission on measures supporting migrants’ integration at local level; a discussion with distinguished scholars concerning the integrated urban strategies of five urban case studies.

Institutionalising citizen engagement at local levels (23/11/2021)

On October 13th, our colleagues from the Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy, organized a Participatory Lab to address the following question: “What does it take to mainstream citizen engagement and deliberative democracy in public institutions?”

Smart City Expo World Congress (22/11/2021)

The Smart City Expo World Congress was held from the 15th to the 17th of November in Barcelona. It brought together city representatives and industry partners from across the globe to help empower cities and collectivize urban innovation.

Collective Housing Transformation debate (22/11/2021)

On the 11th of October the Collective Housing Solutions Platform hosted a debate on Collective Housing transformation to discuss learnings from their report on Upcycling Buildings.

OECD: Green Growth & Sustainable Development forum (22/11/2021)

From the 16th to the 18th of November, the OECD held its annual forum on Green Growth & Sustainable Development. The main theme this year was "A green recovery: rethinking the build environment and transport".

Invitation: launch of the SAT4SUD Self-Assessment Tool for Sustainable Urban Development strategies (25/11/2021)

Dear members of the CoP-Cities,

Self-Assessment Tool for Sustainable Urban Development Strategies (SAT4SUD) (22/09/2021)

The JRC in collaboration with DG REGIO is drafting a Self-Assessment Tool for Sustainable Urban Development Strategies (SAT4SUD).

European Week of Cities and Regions 2021: “European cities localising the SDGs: experiences and lessons learned” (14/10/2021)

Organized by the city of Seville with the JRC, this workshop will present and discuss the experiences of Seville, Porto, Valencia, Bratislava, Regio Emilia, Oulu, Seville on integrating the SDGs in their local strategies and actions.

These cities, which participate to the URBAN2030 project of the Joint Research Centre, have been working on an evidence-based approach to SDGs and on supporting their policies decision by meaningful data-based analysis. Cities will report and engage with the audience on how to improve the participation of stakeholders and communities in the efforts to achieve the SDGs, considering recovery plans and actions.

European Week of Cities and Regions 2021: “Lonely places and shrinking areas: challenges and opportunities for the future” (13/10/2021)

The workshop will focus on challenges and opportunities in lonely places and shrinking areas, with particular attention to cohesion policy support. The event will present 2 forthcoming reports: “From lonely places to places of opportunities” from the JRC, and “The ERDF support to areas confronted to population decline” carried out for DG REGIO by Spatial Foresight Europe.

A panel discussion will then involve representatives from Youth organisations, The European Rural Development Network, members the European Parliament and the European Committee of the Regions.

CityLabs Exploratory Research Activity (22/09/2021)

The Joint Research Centre is going to deploy between next October and April 2022 a new Exploratory Research Activity called:‘Space matters: How to develop a common methodology for CityLabs’.

Webinar: How are urban initiatives and actions supporting Green, Just and Productive Cities in the EU? (21/09/2021)

The webinars will showcase examples and initiatives from cities on how to develop resilience and further the implementation of the Green, Just and Productive city dimensions at the local level, and provide a space for discussing achievements, remaining issues and future opportunities to help cities face their challenges in a strategic way and thus contribute to sustainable urban development.

Dear members of the community of Practice on cities, (20/09/2021)

Affordable Housing: Challenges and Prospects seminar (01/10/2021)

The Community of Practice on CITIES invites you to the seminar 'Affordable Housing: Challenges and Prospects' where we will present and discuss a recent department paper by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) titled ‘Affordable Rental Housing: Making it Part of Europe’s Recovery’ as well as selected scientific work on housing from the European Commission.

JRC online tools on urban and territorial strategies (22/09/2021)

Two JRC online tools for knowledge and methodological support on urban and territorial strategies have been updated.

EU Digital Autumn School on the Protection of Public Spaces (23/09/2021)

Our JRC colleagues are organizing the second EU Digital Autumn School which will offer 5 sessions, including specialized workshops, on a broad spectrum of topics related to the protection of public spaces.