Capacity-building

URBACT believes that all local stakeholders can be actors of change in their communities – from city officials and decision-makers to inhabitants and associations. That’s why URBACT empowers city-makers with the right skills to be at the forefront of sustainable and integrated urban development. Cities involved in Networks set up their own URBACT Local Groups, with relevant actors of change, who benefit from a range of training opportunities to put the URBACT Method into practice.  

URBACT’s flagship capacity-building event brings together hundreds of city enthusiasts, in-person, over several days to work on pressing urban challenges. URBACT Networks and Local Group members join forces to find and develop practical solutions. These events provide participants with the tools and skills to co-design local Integrated Action Plans and long-term strategies in line with Action Planning Networks.

URBACT Summer Universities are announced internally to URBACT beneficiaries.  See below the past editions of this event!

URBACT consistently adapts its support to city-makers’ needs and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic was no exception! Alongside Summer Universities, URBACT has developed the e-University training format where cities and local stakeholders from Networks can connect online across Europe to learn about URBACT’s key tools.

Through a set of modules, delivered over a few days, hundreds of participants engage in tailor-made masterclasses and work together in small groups to dive deep into urban challenges. URBACT e-Universities have covered the integrated action planning process (2020) and how to mobilise finance and resources needed to implement cities’ ideas (2022).

Although online live sessions and exercises are exclusive to URBACT beneficiaries, all recordings and materials from these events are made available to city practitioners worldwide. See below the past editions of this event!

Collaboration at national and regional levels can be vital for cities to achieve integrated urban development. A National Campus engages URBACT members with their national, regional and metropolitan partners to jointly develop the skills necessary to bring about change and push for multi-level governance models.

With the support of the National URBACT Points, these seminars provide an opportunity for cities to share experiences with peers who understand their language, context and specific urban challenges.

Designed specifically for Transfer Networks, this training event is held in different countries and is exclusively open to URBACT beneficiaries. If you are interested in public URBACT events in national languages, keep an eye out for URBACT’s Info Days and other National URBACT Points’ activities.

URBACT also supports Networks with many tailor-made activities for cities, from in-person meetings and training for URBACT cities and Experts to webinars open to all.  URBACT meets the needs of its cities by bringing together elected city representatives to discuss shared challenges, supporting cities in collaborating with local stakeholders and sharing best practices.

URBACT pays particular attention to three crosscutting themes: digital, green and gender. URBACT is increasing its own internal capacities, while also providing training modules to all and mainstreaming knowledge about them.

URBACT’s tools, guidance and learning material are at the fingertips of urban enthusiasts across the globe. You can access this wealth of resources in the URBACT Toolbox, where the action-planning cycle is broken down into five stages – analysis, planning, resourcing, implementing and measuring – and the crosscutting actions of engaging stakeholders and sharing knowledge.

As the journey from URBACT cities progress and their needs evolve, the Toolbox is regularly being enriched. Stay tuned to see more.