"Urban Agenda for the EU" Newsletter Issues

Editorial - July 2021 (14/07/2021)

Dear readers,

REGISTER TO OUR WEBINAR SERIES: How are urban initiatives and actions supporting Green, Just and Productive Cities in the EU? (13/07/2021)

Save the dates (20 September, 27 September, 4 October) and register for our series of webinars, organised in line with the Green, Just and Productive city dimensions established under the New Leipzig Charter (NLC), showcasing examples from cities on how to develop resilience and further the implementation of these dimensions at the local level.

Series of Articles # 3: Looking at European lessons to turn data into public data and unleash the transformative power of city data (16/07/2021)

Organised under the Productive dimension on the New Leipzig Charter, the third article of our series covers EU initiatives which promote sustainable urban development, focusing attention on how they have embedded technological advancements into city governance structures to unleash the transformative power of city data. Read the article here!

Series of articles #4: Cities’ transformation in the post COVID-19 era with a focus on urban planning (16/07/2021)

The fourth article in our series showcases practices and experiences of how different tools and funding support can help cities face their challenges in a strategic way and addresses the Green City Dimension of the New Leipzig Charter. Read it here!

Coordinators’ & Action Leaders’ Meeting 2021: laying the groundwork for the future of the UAEU (15/07/2021)

The Coordinators’ & Action Leaders’ meeting 2021 took place on the 9 and 11 June, gathering the Coordinators and Action Leaders of all the Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU) Partnerships, representatives of the European Commission and the Council Presidencies, and other key stakeholders. Read the summary here!

Outcomes of the 6th meeting of the Culture/Cultural Heritage Partnership (13/07/2021)

On the 31 May and 1 June, the Culture and Cultural Heritage Partnership held its 6th meeting, presenting intermediate results of their work so far, relevant updates, and discussions on their next steps. Read the full summary here.

Contribution of the Partnership on Culture/Cultural Heritage to the New European Bauhaus (13/07/2021)

The Partnership on Culture/Cultural Heritage has submitted an essay to the Design Phase of the New European Bauhaus (NEB), connecting their 11 Actions and findings thus far to the principles of the NEB.

Publication of the Cohesion Policy legislation 2021-2027 (14/07/2021)

The Cohesion Policy legislation for the 2021 - 2027 period is now available on the website of the European Commission. Follow the link to view the CPR, ERDF, ETC, JTF and ESF+ regulations.

Final report of the Circular Economy Partnership (13/07/2021)

The Urban Agenda for the EU's Partnership on Circular Economy worked on 12 Actions helping cities have an important impact in reaching the Circular Economy goals of member states and the European Commission. Read the Partnership's final report here!

Action 5 of the Digital Transition Partnership: DESI local (13/07/2021)

Through Action 5, the Partnership on Digital Transition has been working on developing the DESI (Developing the Digital Economy and Society Index) for the local level. Read the full report here!

Discussion papers on the Capitalisation of the UAEU (13/07/2021)

Discussion papers on the capitalisation of the work done under the Urban Agenda for the EU were drafted as input to the Coordinators' and Action Leaders' Meeting 2021, under the themes: how to successfully run a Partnership, how to ensure sustainability and momentum, how to create a tangible and lasting impact. You can find the papers here.

Urban Case Study/Focus on Action #9 (13/07/2021)

The 9th post in our series is out, focusing on promoting sustainable and active mobility behaviour through the MoMa.BIZ project, aiming to reduce car use in targeted cities by promoting promoting sustainable mobility. Read more here!

The Security in Public Spaces Partnership have 2 new deliverables on Action 5! (16/06/2021)

The Partnership have now published two new deliverables under their Action 5, which looks at measuring the impact of social cohesion and inclusion on security in public spaces of urban and peri-urban areas. The deliverables include a report on the Collective Impact Model which aims to provide innovative solutions for complex and persistent urban security challenges, and a Manual Prevention Pyramid which maps existing local policy regarding the reduction of feelings of insecurity.

New Action Plan of the Partnership on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees (16/06/2021)

The Urban Agenda Partnership on Inclusion of Migrant and Refugees has evaluated its work from 2016 to 2019 and proposed a work plan for the coming 2 years (2021-2022), with a set of new proposed Actions. Find out more here!

Outcomes from the 8th Partnership Meeting of the Partnership for Security in Public Spaces (16/06/2021)

The Partnership for Security in Public Spaces conducted its 8th Partnership meeting on 11-12 May 2021. Follow the link to read about relevant discussions, updates, and next steps for the Partnership.

Action 8 - Concept note for a Circular Resource Management Roadmap (16/06/2021)

The Urban Agenda Partnership on Circular Economy developed a conceptual framework for a Circular Resource Management Roadmap. The framework was developed under Action 8 and aims to support urban authorities in implementing a circular resource management plan as part of the transition from waste management to resource management.

Web Conference - What EU funding opportunities for local and regional authorities? (16/06/2021)

Join Efus's web conference in the framework of Action 2 and 4 of the Partnership on Security in Public Spaces on EU funding opportunities for local and regional authorities concerning the topic of urban security. The event will take place on Zoom, with the participation of expert Thijs Fikken (Action 2) on the 25 June at 10h (CET).

Urban Case Study/Focus on Action #8 (16/06/2021)

The 8th post in this series focuses on Action 1 of the Partnership on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees, looking at what Member States and EU institutions can do to support cities in protecting the rights of children in migration. Follow the link to read more!

UDN webinars on the Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies: final report now available! (16/06/2021)

The final report of the UDN webinar series ‘Six Building Blocks to Sustainable Urban Development’ based on the Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies has been published on the UDN dedicated webpage. Follow the link to view the page and download report.

Editorial - June 2021 (21/06/2021)

Dear readers,

Methodological reports on the localisation of SDGs (16/06/2021)

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) presents three methodological reports on the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Europe, containing specific analyses, based on the experiences of European local and regional governments that use monitoring as a tool to localise the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. The three reports provide evidence and insights on different elements and scales of these first-generation voluntary reviews.

UDN webinars on Urban Innovative Actions: final report now available! (21/06/2021)

The final report of the UDN-UIA webinar series ‘Urban Innovative actions, achievements and future perspectives’ has been published on the UDN dedicated webpage. Follow the link to view the page and download report.

Monitoring and evaluation practices: UIA lessons learnt (16/06/2021)

Monitoring and evaluation of results is a challenging task: how to identify and adapt the key concepts of monitoring approaches within a local project, while taking into account the regional, national or global agendas? UIA projects deploy a set of innovative approaches to assess and capture the impact of innovative interventions. Find out more here!

URBACT Good Practice Transfer publication (16/06/2021)

'Good Practice Transfer - Why not my City?' shares positive stories from 23 cities that transferred and adapted urban good practices to their local contexts while learning from EU peers in the first round of URBACT III Transfer Networks. They are organised according to the three dimensions of the New Leipzig Charter — ‘Green’, Just’ and ‘Productive’ cities.

Urban Sustainability in Europe — What is driving cities' environmental change? (16/06/2021)

The European Environmental agency just published a report looking at what could make up a benchmark on how cities evaluate key drivers of and barriers to urban sustainability transitions. The EEA report is based on a survey and interviews with selected European cities. The EEA also launched in the same series, a briefing on Urban sustainability in Europe – opportunities in challenging times. You can access them through the link.

Striving towards a greener Europe: Article 2 of our series is out! (11/05/2021)

The second article of our series of articles dedicated to the Urban Agenda Partnerships is out! Organised under the green dimension of the New Leipzig Charter, the articles look at what are the climate adaptation strategies and energy transitions solutions available for EU urban practitioners.

Apply for the New European Bauhaus Prizes (22/04/1999)

The New European Bauhaus has the ambition to make the Green Deal a cultural, human-centred and positive, tangible experience. The 2021 edition of the Prizes will contribute to the design phase of the initiative. Subscribe to the newsletter by 31 May and participate in the public voting to select the best projects, and follow the link for more information and to find out how to apply!

International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme – Call for applications (22/04/1999)

This is an opportunity for your city or region and local stakeholders to pair up with cities in Asia, Australasia and Latin and North America to exchange on sustainability and innovation. Follow the link to apply by 31 May!

Launch of the Right to Housing platform! (22/04/1999)

As a result of a 1.5 year knowledge activity UIA and URBACT will explore how cities can design housing policies and practical solutions to implement the right to housing. This partnership between the two programmes will pave the way for future knowledge sharing activities in the frame of the European Urban Initiative.

Registrations for the 2021 URBACT Festival are open (22/04/1999)

The event will be held online 15-17 June. After two years of testing, exchanging and learning, over 150 URBACT cities from 23 Transfer Networks are now ready to share how they adapted good practices to their local contexts. Register here!

Editorial - May 2021 (11/05/2021)

Security in Public Spaces roundtable report on Action 1 (22/04/1999)

This roundtable showcased the progress made by the city of Helsinki and JRC in developing a self-assessment tool to measure and assess security in cities. You can find the next steps and full insights from the roundtable discussion by downloading the document here!

Evaluating the impact of nature-based solutions (07/05/2021)

The Handbook aims to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive NBS impact assessment framework, and a robust set of indicators and methodologies to assess impacts of nature-based solutions across 12 societal challenge areas. Download the handbook here!

European SDG Voluntary Local Reviews: A comparative analysis of local indicators and data (11/05/2021)

The Joint Research Centre of the European Commission launched a new report which explores the use of local indicators by European Voluntary Local Reviews on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals between 2016 and early 2021. This is part of the URBAN 2030 project developed to support local governments in monitoring the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs at local level. Consult the report here.

UN-Habitat launches a Report on Cities and Pandemics: towards a more just, green and healthy future (22/04/1999)

The Cities and Pandemics Report evidences how cities can reduce the impact of future pandemics and become more prosperous, fair and environmentally friendly. It provides the basis local level action in spatial planning, poverty and inequality, the economy, and governance, and calls for the response and recovery to pandemics to be based on human rights principles.

A new step towards setting up the European Urban Initiative supported by ERDF (11/05/2021)

DG REGIO published a call for expression of interest for the selection of an entrusted entity for the indirect management of the European Urban Initiative. All documents and information about the call are available through the following link.

Final Event of the BRIDGE project! (11/05/2021)

This is the final Event of the Efus-led BRIDGE - Building resilience to reduce polarisation and growing extremism project, entitled Preventing polarisation - European Perspectives. Follow the link to register!

Editorial - April 2021 (07/04/2021)

Launch of Article series on the Actions of the Urban Agenda Partnerships! (07/04/2021)

This year we are developing a series of capitalisation articles based on the 14 Partnerships of the Urban Agenda for the EU and urban initiatives of Cohesion Policy, structured around the three city dimensions of the New Leipzig Charter. It links Actions from the Digital Transition and Jobs and Skills Partnerships, and explores the impact of the pandemic on Jobs & Skills in Europe.

Urban Case Study #7 (08/04/2021)

Enabling a circular economy transition in cities requires a much stronger focus on the role of waste prevention, repair, reuse, and recycling, as opposed to current models of disposal. In this Urban Case Study, we look at an Urban Resource Centre in Flanders showcased by our Circular Economy Partnership. Take a look!

4th Partnership meeting of the Culture and Cultural Heritage Partnership (07/04/2021)

On 10 and 11 February 2021, the 4th Partnership meeting of the Culture and Cultural Heritage Partnership took place, leading to productive discussions and concrete action points for the Partnership. Read the outcomes of the meeting here.

A new EU webpage on the localisation of SDGs (08/04/2021)

The Urban Data Platform + is hosting a new page dedicated to the localisation of SDGs, where you can also access the EU Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews and learn about on-going activities regarding European Commission support to the implementation of SDGs at the local level. Have a look!

Cities engaging in the right to housing (08/04/2021)

UIA & URBACT are organising a final event featuring the main results of the culminating activity of Cities Engaging in the Right to Housing, paving the way to future knowledge sharing within the European Urban Initiative. Event takes place on 22 April at 10.00 CET, register here!

Introducing the second phase of the IUC programme! (07/04/2021)

Register to learn about the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme and what it can bring to cities and regions! The webinar will take place on 14 April, 10:00 - 11:00 CEST.

Action 3 deliverable of the Climate Adaptation Partnership (07/04/2021)

The Partnership has been working to improve legislation, financing, and knowledge offered by the EU in the field of adaptation to climate change. Action 3 delivers recommendations to the ERDF Operational Programmes to improve the accessibility of municipalities to these funds. Read the report here!

Action 11 & 12 of the Digital Transition Partnership: External review now available! (07/04/2021)

As part of Action 11 & 12 of the Digital Transition Partnership, participating cities have developed and implemented numerous outcomes, such as living labs on merging digital technologies, funding mechanisms, and inputs for potential EU legislation and funding on new technologies. Find out more here.

New translations available for the Handbook of Sustainable urban development strategies (07/04/2021)

You can now access the translations for the Handbook, developed as methodological support to augment knowledge on how to implement integrated and place-based urban strategies under cohesion policy, in BG, ES, EL, IT, HU, PL and RO.

Innovation in Urban Mobility in the 2020s (08/04/2021)

The UIA Urban Mobility journey began February 2020 together with UIA mobility cities exploring the innovation concepts applied to urban mobility challenges and seeking to understand how to address mobility issues related to urbanisation and urban resilience challenges. Gain insights on innovative experiences and practices in this final report.

Survey on Action 4 (08/04/2021)

Please contribute to our Security in Public Spaces Partnership by taking 10-15minutes to complete their survey on Action 4: Development of a capacity building training scheme about integrated sustainable urban security.

Register for the first online high-level Conference on the New European Bauhaus (12/04/2021)

This event will take place on 22 and 23 April 2021, gathering a number of high level speakers including the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Parliament, several Commissioners, and key stakeholders involved in this initiative. Register here!

Editorial - March 2021 (03/03/2021)

Outcomes from the online webinar on Public Procurement E-learning modules (02/03/2021)

On February 2nd 2021, the Partnership on Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement held an online webinar. The focus of the session was to present and answer questions about the Partnership's free E-learning modules. Follow the link below to view the webinar and presentations.

7th Security in Public Spaces Partnership meeting (02/03/2021)

The Security in Public Spaces Partnership held its 7th Partnership Meeting online from the 27-28 January 2021. The focus of the meeting was on the implementation of Actions, a process which has now started. The implementation phase follows the Partnership publication of its Action Plan. Read the full article here.

The EU Affordable Housing Initiative: How can we bring it to the ground? (04/03/2021)

On January 27th, the City of Vienna organised a webinar on the “Affordable Housing Initiative” of the EU, announced by the European Commission as a cornerstone of its renovation wave strategy. Read the full report and see the presentations from the webinar here!

UDN webinars on Urban Innovative Actions: material now available! (02/03/2021)

On 3, 10 and 17 February 2021, the UDN jointly with UIA held the webinar series ‘Urban Innovative actions, achievements and future perspectives’. Follow the link below to view presentations and video recordings.

An initial review of the PACTESUR project on the security of public spaces (02/03/2021)

How can cities better protect vulnerable public spaces? That is the question that the PACTESUR project, led by the City of Nice, which also Coordinates the Urban Agenda Partnership on Security in Public Spaces, has been exploring since January 2019. Read the article here!

URBACT Time to Share! Campaign (04/03/2021)

Time to Share is an opportunity for 23 URBACT networks and more than 160 city partners to share their key results and findings of the transfer practice, in a series of events culminating in the flagship URBACT City Festival on 15, 16 and 17 June 2021. Registrations open in April. More details here!

Reinventing Cities - Reshaping the urban future after COVID-19 (02/03/2021)

This innovative edition of the EUROCITIES annual report takes into us to the city of Eurocity, exemplifying the best examples from real cities all over Europe, including stories of over 70 cities and more than 25 Eurocities initiatives and projects.

City-wide Public Space Assessment Tool Toolkit (02/03/2021)

The Global Public Space Programme of UN-Habitat have developed a toolkit to guide cities when conducting a city-wide public space assessment, which can help cities understand the state of the quantity and quality of public spaces, specifically the network, distribution and accessibility.

Co-designing the New European Bauhaus (02/03/2021)

The New European Bauhaus initiative connects the European Green Deal to our living spaces. It calls on all Europeans to imagine and build together a sustainable and inclusive future. Find out more and participate in the co-designing phase of the initiative here!

Survey on Action 1: Developing a Framework for a Self-Assessment tool (02/03/2021)

The Security in Public Spaces Partnership is constructing a framework for a self-assessment tool on security and safety aimed at local authorities in EU Member States, with the ultimate goal being the creation of a joint dashboard urban authorities can use to gauge their progress and/or weaknesses to overcome.

Survey on Action 3: the use of Artificial Intelligence technologies in EU cities and regions (02/03/2021)

The Security in Public Spaces Partnership, coordinated by the City of Nice, has launched this survey to find out about the current uses of AI technologies and the challenges faced by cities and regions in developing and/or implementing them, in the context of their 3rd Action.

Survey on Action 5: Future recommendations for public libraries (02/03/2021)

The Partnership On Culture and Cultural Heritage is putting forward a survey under its Action 5 "Raise awareness for public libraries and their new tasks on a European and National Level".

Survey on Action 6: Developing guidance for architectural and spatial design (02/03/2021)

The Security in Public Spaces Partnership is collecting information on current security by design approaches by EU cities and regions put to include them in a hands-on guidance leaflet.

Action 3 deliverable: Recommendations to the ERDF Operational Programmes to improve the accessibility of municipalities to funds (02/03/2021)

The Climate Adaptation Partnership has published it's Action 3 deliverable, with the objective of contributing to the 2021-2027 MFF, and resulting in this report addressed to managing authorities of the OPs and to the different European institutions.

Addressing Finance And Capacity Barriers For Nature-based Solutions (03/03/2021)

The report on "Addressing Finance and Capacity Barriers for Nature-based Solutions Implementation at City Level" advocates for global action by cities to champion the call for a global policy directive for nature-based urban solutions to be at the core of cities' economic growth trajectory in the next 5 to 10 years. Read the report here!

UIA event: Rethinking Monitoring & Evaluation practices (02/03/2021)

In 2020 UIA and Ecorys explored different approaches of ongoing UIA projects to measure their innovative interventions. This event will share the findings! Follow the link below to register and gain insight into innovative and flexible monitoring processes, taking place on 11 March 2021 from 10:00-12:00 CET.

REPAiR project virtual exhibition (02/03/2021)

This exhibition presents some of the results of the H2020 research project REPAiR - Resource Management in Peri-Urban Areas: Going Beyond Urban Metabolism.

JPI Urban Europe Call for Proposals (09/03/2021)

The ERA-NET Cofund Urban Transformation Capacities (ENUTC) invites researchers, cities, municipalities, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders to build transnational consortia to create challenge-driven innovation and research projects that enable and support capacity building for urban transformations. Application deadline for pre-proposals: 15 April 2021.

EKLIPSE Call for Requests (02/03/2021)

EKLIPSE has launched it's 6th Call for Requests inviting policy, research, or NGOs to identify topics or evidence needs relating to biodiversity and ecosystem services of EU policy relevance. Application deadline: 19 March 2021.

Editorial - January 2021 (26/01/2021)

Please contribute to Action 3 of the Security in Public Spaces Partnership! (26/01/2021)

In the framework of their Action: “Evaluate the Application of Artificial Intelligence”, please help the Partnership by filling in a quick survey on the challenges that cities and regions face in developing and/or implementing AI technology.

The 5th newsletter of the Public Procurement Partnership is out! (26/01/2021)

In this 5th edition of the newsletter you can find news on their new e-learning module, insights into the relationship between public procurement and the EU Green Deal, details for online training on public procurement, and much more!

Register now to the ‘UDN webinars: Urban Innovative Actions, achievements and perspectives’ (21/01/2021)

The Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) and the Urban Development Network (UDN) are organising three webinars on 03, 10 and 17 February 2021, which will showcase UIA achievements, promote their experience, explore synergies with the wider Cohesion Policy and draw perspectives for its renewal as part of the European Urban Initiative for the 2021-2027 period. Find out more and register!

EU city prize winners of 2021 (21/01/2021)

These cities are making ingenious efforts to go green, be more innovative, and to make a difference to the lives of people who call them home and those who visit.

UIA Knowledge activities in motion (28/01/2021)

Discover what will happen in 2021 and get an update on UIA cities reflections and experiences on innovation and mobility; European cities engaging in the right to housing and UIA city practices to capture and evaluate the results and impact of innovative interventions.

URBACT online course on strategic procurement (26/01/2021)

The URBACT Knowledge Hub brings together good practices from across the EU to make sure that learning is within everyone's reach. In this context they've developed a free online course targeted at anyone with an interest in procurement and changing the way it is undertaken in cities.

Action K3 deliverable from the Climate Adaptation Partnership (28/01/2021)

The Partnership has proudly presented the final compilation document: 'Political training on climate adaptation', under the Better Knowledge priority. The document combines material from the six political training academies on climate adaptation including the last session held on 4th December 2020.

Action 2 deliverable from the Security in Public Spaces Partnership (26/01/2021)

Congratulations to the UA Partnership who has developed "Recommendations on EU security strategy, multi-level, participatory and innovative governance and funding" in the context of their second Action! Read the declaration below.

The Sustainable Land Use Partnership has produced their Action 9 Deliverable (26/01/2021)

Here you can find the conclusive report from Action 9 from the Partnership on Sustainable Land Use and Nature Based Solutions, which sets out relevant, easily adaptable and easy-to-implement sets of targets and indicators for cities. Take a look!

Nature-based solutions towards sustainable communities - Analysis of EU-funded projects (29/01/2021)

This report examines how far Nature based Solutions can contribute to transformative action for sustainable communities, how such initiatives enable participation and inclusion in the design and implementation of sustainability at the local level, and the transformative potential of NBSs for communities.

Online webinar on Public Procurement E-learning modules (26/01/2021)

The Urban Agenda Partnership on Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement is hosting an online webinar on Tuesday, February 2nd, from 10.00 to 11.30 CET, where you can gather information on it's free E-learning module on Public Procurement.

Editorial - Dec 2020 (01/12/2020)

Action Plan: Security in Public Spaces (01/12/2020)

The Action Plan aims at providing directions on how to face global and local challenges of our times to create safer cities and public spaces and to bring real European added value. The Actions are driven by technology for smart, sustainable, and safe cities and managing security and sharing public spaces in urban and peri-urban areas.

Action Plan: Culture/Cultural Heritage (30/11/2020)

The Partnership on Culture/Cultural Heritage published its final Action Plan! 11 Actions have been developed under the overall mission to improve the management of the historic built environment of European cities, promote Culture, and preserve the quality of urban landscapes and heritage.

New E-Learning module on Public Procurement (30/11/2020)

The Urban Agenda Partnership on Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement published the link to their e-learning module. The module will guide you through 7 topics under the theme of responsible and innovative public procurement.

Roadmap for Circular Resource Efficiency in cities (30/11/2020)

The Roadmap for a Circular Resource Efficiency Management plan offers cities and urban areas a structured, step-by-step approach to develop a substantiated plan of action that improves resource efficiency and drives the transition to a circular economy.

Urban Case Study #2 (30/11/2020)

The 2nd Urban Case Study on decreasing residential segregation is out, looking at a successful case of Roma integration based on multi-level cooperation in Pécs, Hungary. Take a look!

Urban Development Network webinars: Urban Innovative Actions, achievements and perspectives (07/12/2020)

The Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) and the Urban Development Network are joining forces to organise three webinars on 03, 10 and 17 February 2021. The webinars will showcase UIA achievements, promote the UIA experience and capitalisation efforts, explore synergies with the wider Cohesion Policy and draw perspectives for the its renewal as part of the European Urban Initiative for the 2021-2027 period.

JPI Urban Europe’s Policy Conference ‘Stepping up the Game – Driving Urban Transitions’ (07/12/2020)

Close to 500 participants from 40 countries joined the conferencce and listened to panel discussions with representatives from among others cities, regions, the EU Green Deal and the Leipzig charter and to together define the upcoming years priorities and challenges in urban transitions. Follow the link to find information about the conference, its presentations, the DUT partnership and its three pillars, and to contribute to the concept board!

International Urban Cooperation: Sustainable and Innovative Cities and Regions (30/11/2020)

The IUC-North America regional Cooperation includes 20 EU cities and 20 North American cities which are collaborating on topics such as sustainable urban mobility and circular economy through the formation of national partnerships. Read the report for further information!

World Cities Report 2020 now available! (30/11/2020)

This UN Habitat report analyses the intrinsic value of cities in generating economic prosperity, mitigating environmental degradation, reducing social inequality and building stronger institutions, and explores the role of innovation and technology, local governments, targeted investments and the effective implementation of the New Urban Agenda in fostering the value of sustainable urbanisation.

Call for projects: UIA Transfer Mechanism (01/12/2020)

Building on the success of the URBACT Transfer Network model, URBACT and Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) have developed a pilot transfer mechanism for completed UIA projects. The pilot will finance up to four networks whose aim will be to adapt the UIA innovations and develop an investment plan to fund their implementation. Apply by 1 February 2021!

Call for Applications: Green Solutions Awards 2020-2021 (30/11/2020)

Professionals are invited to submit their best projects on efficient climate solutions in buildings, districts and infrastructures, with the aim of boosting their adoption and thus accelerate the ecological transition of the sector.

Call for Applications: Climate Smart Cities Challenge (30/11/2020)

This open call is an opportunity for cities to participate as implementation partners in a city-based open innovation competition, alongside a global pool of technologists, businesses and investors to develop, test and scale solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A new chapter for EU urban development: the New Leipzig Charter (09/12/2020)

An initiative of the German Presidency of the Council of the EU, a New Leipzig Charter was adopted and stands as a key framework document for integrated sustainable urban development in Europe. It is accompanied by an Implementing document which intends to guide the next phase of the Urban Agenda for the EU according to renewed parameters.

Register by 30 October for the first sessions of the Urban Development Network webinars (26/10/2020)

The webinars will take place on 3, 9, 13, 19 and 25 November 2020, and provide insights from policy makers and expert speakers on how to tackle the main challenges to designing and implementing sustainable urban development strategies as supported by Cohesion Policy.

Call for City Partnerships to promote North-South MED exchange (26/10/2020)

The Efficient Buildings Community is supporting six city partnerships: municipalities from the South-Eastern shore of the Mediterranean sea will have the opportunity to connect with peers from the North sharing the challenges of energy transition in the public building sector. Apply by 11 December 2020!

Eurocities position paper: Renovate to innovate Europe’s green ambitions (26/10/2020)

The Renovation Wave Initiative is an essential instrument for Europe to become climate neutral by 2050. Europe’s cities fully support this ambition and are ready to work in partnership with the Commission and other stakeholders to make it a reality.

Digital Transition ABC's: Main principles, components and best practices for the development of local digital governance (26/10/2020)

This document lists some of the essential principles and components that serve as necessary preconditions for the digital transformation process to provide user-friendly online services and involve citizens in the policy-making process.

Unfolding Dilemmas of Urban Public Spaces report (26/10/2020)

From June 2019 to July 2020, JPI Urban Europe organised a series of AGORA Stakeholder activities with the aim to unfold the dilemmas of public space development and maintenance. The outcome was this report which breaks down the complexity and provides an entry point to address dilemmas of urban public spaces.

How city governments co-create sustainable urban mobility: reinforcing multi-level cooperation and governance (26/10/2020)

Every city faces the challenges of urban mobility: how can we make sure that citizens can get around quickly and safely every day, while also not harming the environment? Our Urban Mobility Partnership published a new report on how cities can co-create mobility projects alongside other levels of government.

#1 Urban case study: Temporary use of buildings - Riga (26/10/2020)

Since the 1990's, the city of Riga has lost about a quarter of its population, which has had a significant impact on land use in the city. Follow the link to read more on this case and on the topic of sustainable and circular use of spaces and buildings in a Handbook developed as a result of direct collaboration by our Circular Economy and Sustainable Land Use Partnerships! (now in EN and IT!)

Green Deal? Achieve it through Procurement! Key insights from the European Week of Regions and Cities (29/10/2020)

This session organised by the Partnership on Public Procurement at the European Week of Regions and Cities took place on 14 October and presented the work of cities on procurement, their goals and challenges and the role of the Urban Agenda in supporting these efforts.

Reboot your city in a circular way: the Circular Economy Partnership at the EWRC 2020 (29/10/2020)

During the workshop, held on Tuesday 20 October, various speakers discussed how cities and regions that invested in circular economic systems became more resilient during the COVID-19 crisis, and how cities and regions can contribute to the implementation of circular economy initiatives.

The Partnership on Culture/Cultural Heritage at the EWRC 2020 (29/10/2020)

On 14 October 2020, at this year's European Week of Regions and Cities, the Partnership on Culture/Cultural Heritage contributed with a virtual interactive workshop focusing on how culture and cultural heritage can act as driving factors for sustainable urban development.

Editorial October 2020 (29/10/2020)

Urban resilience after the COVID crisis: Security in Public Spaces Partnership at the EWRC 2020 (29/10/2020)

The workshop took place on Friday 16 October and asked the following question: “how will the Partnership’s Action Plan address the role of cities in protecting citizens and building cities’ resilience?”

EWRC workshop of the Partnership on Sustainable Use of Land & Nature-Based Solutions (29/10/2020)

This session took place on Wednesday 14 October 2020, looking at several Actions developed by the Partnership and their outputs, with the goal of achieving efficient and sustainable use of land and natural resources to help create compact, liveable and inclusive European cities for everyone.

The Partnership on Housing at the EWRC 2020 (29/10/2020)

A workshop on ‘How to implement the right to housing?’ organised by URBACT and UIA on Wednesday 14 October 2020 explored cities’ engagement in the design of housing policies and solution to implement the right to housing.

Editorial (14/09/2020)

Public Procurement: Green Deal? Achieve it through procurement! | 14 October (16/09/2020)

Housing: How to implement the right to housing? | 14 October (16/09/2020)

Sustainable Land Use: Sustainable Use of Land & NBS in Europe | 14 October (16/09/2020)

Culture/Cultural Heritage: Interactive presentation of Action Plan | 14 October (15/09/2020)

Security in Public Spaces: Urban resilience after COVID crisis | 16 October (16/09/2020)

Circular Economy: Reboot your city in a circular way | 20 October (16/09/2020)

Cohesion Policy rebuilding EU solidarity | 12 October (16/09/2020)

Urban Agenda for the EU Partnerships in the Spotlight | 13 October (16/09/2020)

National urban networks towards urban agendas | 13 October (16/09/2020)

European Urban Initiative State of Play | 14 October (16/09/2020)

Launch of the UAEU LinkedIn account! (08/09/2020)

Our LinkedIn account is now live! Take a look, follow, and we look forward to connecting with you there!

Update of the Monitoring Table of Actions (08/09/2020)

Thanks to our Partnership Coordinators, the updated version of the Monitoring Table of Actions is now available online! Follow the link to see the public version.

Coordinators & Action Leaders’ Meeting 2020: a renewed impetus for the Urban Agenda for the EU (08/09/2020)

The Coordinators’ and Action Leaders’ meeting 2020 was the 5th of its kind, held as online meetings over a 4-day event in June. Read the full article here!

UIA monitoring & evaluation (14/09/2020)

In 2020 UIA and Ecorys are exploring the different practices, methodologies and techniques developed by on-going UIA projects to capture the impact of the innovative interventions. Discover the most promising approaches among ongoing UIA projects.

Results of first UIA capitalisation workshop on urban mobility (14/09/2020)

This UIA article presents the first results and findings of the capitalisation workshop organised in the frame of one-year knowledge activities on urban mobility issues, and focuses on how UIA projects deal with data as a resource to support sustainable mobility strategies.

Call for applications for the European Entrepreneurial Region Award (14/09/2020)

The EER award is a label awarded by the European Committee of the Regions each year to up to 3 cities or regions with outstanding, future-oriented strategies to support SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups. Apply by 28 October!

A Handbook to boost your urban strategy (17/09/2020)

An EWRC workshop focusing on the relevance of European Structural and Investment Funds in implementing urban development strategies. There will be a presentation on the Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies recently published by the JRC, offering methodological support to cities, managing authorities and relevant stakeholders involved in the design and implementation of urban strategies under cohesion policy.

Save the date for the UDN webinar series! (23/09/2020)

On the same topic, this webinar series on ‘Six building blocks to sustainable urban development’ is also based on the Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies. The 6 sessions target Managing Authorities and Local Authorities of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies as well as other interested urban stakeholders, and will be held on the 3, 9, 13, 17, 19 and 25 November. More information coming soon!

9th European Conference on Sustainable Cities and Towns (15/09/2020)

30 September - 2 October: ICLEI and the City of Mannheim will bring together local and regional leaders, European and international institutions and some of the brightest minds working on cutting edge research, businesses and the civil society to forge a more sustainable Europe.

European Mobility Week (14/09/2020)

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign will run from 16-22 September, and provides the perfect opportunity to present sustainable mobility alternatives to local residents and to explain the challenges that cities and towns are facing.

Platform Economy – Decent Work in Times of Digital Transformation (15/09/2020)

On the 21 September 2020, the Berlin’s Senate Department for Integration, Labour and Social Services will host an European digital conference with a focus on how decent work can be achieved in the ongoing digitalisation process. Register by Friday 18 September!

Urban Mobility Days 2020 (14/09/2020)

From 29 September - 2 October this inline conference will allow policymakers, local authorities, academics, NGOs, urban transport practitioners, urban planners and all those putting the SUMP concept into practice to share their experiences using a virtual forum.

Toolkit for establishing "Pay-as-you-throw" schemes in cities (08/09/2020)

Our Circular Economy Partnership has developed a toolkit to help cities implement PAYT schemes, which have been identified as the most effective option for waste reduction, source separation and an essential first step to recycling. Download the toolkit for free!

2 days left to contribute to the draft Action Plans of the Partnerships on Security in Public Spaces and Culture / Cultural Heritage! (02/09/2020)