Urban Agenda for the EU

Our fifth article in our series of articles questions the definition of a just city and the role of housing. It depicts city examples framed by Urban Poverty, Housing, and Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees Partnerships, reflecting on viewpoints and solutions for the future of European housing policies, as well as how cities may benefit from the examples presented.

The Commission launched five new missions under Horizon Europe which represent a new and innovative way to work together and improve the lives of people in Europe and beyond. They will support research and innovation to deliver on the Commission priorities and find responses to some of the greatest challenges we are facing today such as living in greener cities and adapting to climate change across regions and cities. The mission on climate-neutral and smart cities is aimed to deliver 100+ climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 and inspire all other cities to follow suit by 2050. The Call for Expression of Interest for cities interested to join this mission is foreseen to be published in November 2021.

This initiative aims to develop responsible, fair and trusted growth in short-term rentals, as part of a well-balanced tourism ecosystem, and ensure a level playing field for all accommodation service providers. This will involve offering balanced solutions for cities, peer and professional short-term rental providers and platforms. This consultation is open until 14 October (today!).

The UfM Strategic Urban Development Action Plan 2040 establishes a common vision to tackling urban challenges in the region. It is the result of a 3-year collaboration between the European Commission and all 42 UfM Member States, aiming to improve the quality of life for all citizens by building better, more inclusive, climate-resilient communities. Read more here.

The action 'Raise awareness for public libraries and their new tasks on a national and European level' within the framework of the Partnership Culture/Cultural Heritage is intended to make public libraries more visible at European level. Its aim is to raise awareness among decision-makers, to recognise the importance of public libraries for Europe and to derive recommendations from this for the European level. Please contribute to their efforts by taking part in this survey!

You can now register to the 19th EURegions Week! You can expect 300 sessions spread over 4 days, almost 850 speakers from all over the EU and beyond, 365 hours of interactive conferences, more than 100 video clips and 30 stands, as well as sessions from some of the Urban Agenda Partnerships! Register now via the link.

The German Federal Ministry of the Interior for Building and Community (BMI) and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) are organising an online expert discussion, in the framework of the Partnership on Culture and Cultural Heritage in the Urban Agenda for the EU, on Wednesday, 20 October 2021 from 15:00-18:00 CET. You can view further information and find out how to register by following the link.

Equinet is hosting a conference on the 25-26 October to explore cooperation, in particular with local authorities, to promote equality and tackle discrimination at the local level. Registrations are open until 20 October, 2021. For more information follow the link below.

Our 11th post looks at an Action developed by the Culture/Cultural Heritage Partnership: Promoting the role of public libraries at the EU level, contributing to raising the importance of public libraries for sustainable social urban development and providing recommendations to the European level on how to include public libraries in its policies and programmes.

Take a look at our 10th post focusing on UAEU Actions, this time looking at a local Academy in Genova on Urban Climate Change Adaptation. This political training was developed as a response to the need for accurate and reliable data for planning and decision-making in regards to urban adaptation. Read more about this Action and its results here!

This study contributes to Action 1 of the Urban Agenda Partnership on Security in Public Spaces. In this light, the Action Plan foresees evolution of a self-assessment tool that would support EU cities and regions in urban safety and security. It seeks to diminish the knowledge gap within the urban authorities and ensure the creation of effective policies for an improved urban security.

The case studies on the impact of COVID-19 on public procurement practices were commissioned by the Urban Agenda for EU Partnership on Public Procurement, with the aim of examining to what extent (if at all) European cities changed their public procurement approach as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find the report here.

The conference documentation summarizes the in-depth discussions during the two-day event, which the Partnership on Culture and Cultural Heritage organized under the German EU Council Presidency. See the full documentation here.

This handbook prepared in the context of Horizon 2020 provides an overview of the major challenges facing NBS procurers in the EU, along with case studies of success in addressing those barriers across nine European cities. Findings may help public authorities adapt their procurement processes to procure NBS more effectively.

This report provides a mapping of the main EU Research and Innovation actions for and with cities to help them accelerate their transition towards sustainability and climate neutrality. It also maps new city policy priorities and future trends under Horizon Europe, and provides an EU quantitative knowledge base on innovative urban policies and planning, for decision makers and urban planners and practitioners.