Kostas Karamarkos

Summary

Having 32 years of experience, I was selected as an Urbact III Lead Expert (May 2015) and Urbact IV (April 2023).

After working as supporting expert with some municipalities in the URBACT calls up to 2018, I was finally selected by the City of Rome as Lead Expert to support twice in the 2 Waves Transfer Networks called RU:RBAN, since the 1st Wave was considered as very successful and JS gave the network a 2nd fund to work on a 2nd Transfer Wave of 4 more cities. 

I followed the Urbact Method guiding the 11 participating cities and their ULGs to transfer the policy topic of the project since April 2018. https://urbact.eu/networks/rurban.  I was also the core Technical Advisor for the city of Trikala in the VILAWATT UTM project: Innovative local public-private-citizen partnership for energy governance, among the only 5 projects approved for this special call that succesfully compined UIA and URBACT programs https://urbact.eu/networks/vilawatt.  

In addition to my strong involvement in URBACT III i took part in many other activitiies for the URBACT III JS, with direct contracts like:

1. Transfer Network Campus moderation, being evaluated as the best moderators in all countries Campuses 

2. URBACT City Festivals (Lisbon and Paris),

3. Moderating capacity building online workshops for cities representatives        and also 

4. The official evaluation of the EU National URBACT Points for their performance during URBACT III period (in high program level).

5. The adaptation of the new URBACT IV TOOLBOX AND TOOLS FOR EFFECTIVE TRANSFER, along with 6 other very experienced Lead Experts.

I am a business expert in sustainable integrated urban development (from 1992). Mine specialties are in urban & regional development, integrated and participatory policies, EU Structural Funds programs support, Multilevel governance, Integrated approach for urban regeneration and Regional RIS3. The last 2 years i worked as project manager and fascilitator in 2 massive exchange programs by EU, having prepared the proposals and the exchange framework: 

A. The International City Partnerships: Acting for Green and Inclusive Recovery is a project of the European Union and managed by DG REGIO of the EU -      City pairings with Gwangu & Athens Metropolitan Areas  https://c.ramboll.com/international-city-cooperation     Themes of Cooperation: Air Quality & Climate change  

B. International Urban Cooperation programme (IUC) (2016-2020), IURC aims to lead and develop a form of decentralised international urban and regional cooperation in the fields of sustainable urban development and innovation. Region pairings with Attica, Greece & Colima,Mexico.  https://www.iurc.eu/about/

Regarding URBACT IV i will mostly focus on supporting cities looking to grow knowledge-based digital and tech ecosystems, to involve young people on enterpreneual policy issues (just - digital and green transition), and to focus on climate change and green solutions .

Having an extended network of cities and regional level organisations, i always inform and support them in any interesting new challenges of urban and periurban cooperations.

more can be found:  https://kkc.gr/