Networks and cities' news

“Gazdagréti Ünnepelő” - Preparing for the holidays together in Gazdagrét A Month of Community, Creativity, and Celebration in Újbuda

Between 28 November and 20 December 2025, Gazdagrét came alive with Gazdagréti Ünnepelő – preparing for the holidays together, a vibrant Testing Action within the RECUP project. What began as more than 40 ideas from the Local Action Group (ULG) grew into a full Advent Calendar of community‑driven programs—each one designed to reflect local needs, encourage participation, and strengthen neighbourhood bonds.

Voices from the stage: Interview with Alicia Piquer, deputy mayor of Rafelbunyol

The URBACT RECUP Network continues its journey across Europe, collecting stories, insights, and lived experiences from cities committed to strengthening local communities.

II Quarterly Network Journal: A Deep Dive into the RECUP Network’s Season of Experimentation

Across Europe, cities are asking themselves a fundamental question: what if culture were treated not as an “extra,” but as essential urban infrastructure?
Infrastructure that can fight loneliness. Creates connections.
This is the mission of the REinventing Culture in Urban Places (RECUP) network — and the latest Quarterly Journal captures an incredibly dynamic phase of that journey.

Over the past months, partner cities have moved into the Adapt phase, where ideas become experiments and evidence. What emerges is a picture of cities learning by doing, guided by shared tools, reflection, local creativity and transnational collaboration.

URBACT Pioneers Interim Results - Turning Urban Ambition into Local Action

Over the past 9 months, 27 cities from the Western Balkans have been quietly reshaping what collaboration looks like. Through the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator (UPA), they’ve moved from curiosity to confidence - exploring, defining, and now preparing to act. 

Can Urban Sports Hubs Transform Youths Communities and Regenerate Urban Public Spaces?

Contemporary cities face challenges in providing adequate spaces for youth socialization and recreational healthy activities. The Re-Gen Project tackles these issues by leveraging abandoned public spaces for planning and testing innovative models for urban regeneration. Engaging youngsters, schools, cultural and sport associations in co-creating new Urban Sport Hubs redefines urban participative process, fosters sense of a shared responsibility for common goods and promotes multifunctional spaces. These hubs, centered on street sports, symbolize a progressive shift in policy towards inclusive community development and vibrant urban spaces reconnecting also aesthetics with ethics.

Sport Urbanism: A New Paradigm for Urban Regeneration and Sustainable, Beautiful Cities for All

Sport urbanism is emerging as a powerful concept in the transformation of our cities. This approach advocates for integrating sports into urban design as a green, inclusive solution that enhances the beauty and functionality of public spaces. Sport-based solutions doesn't just make cities more attractive; they also turn public areas into vibrant hubs that promote well-being, public health, and environmental sustainability. By placing sports at the heart of urban regeneration, we can create spaces that are aesthetically pleasing and serve as collective spaces for communities, fostering social connections and improving the quality of life for all residents.