Networks and cities' news

WELDI Journal Number 4 (03-2025)

Hydro-Heritage Cities: Unearthing stories of water, identity and resilience

Sandra Rainero, Hydro-Heritage Cities' lead expert, narrates how an idea made it "from a napkin sketch to a flowing legacy" of innovative practices, giving new life to urban areas with water related cultural heritage.

FROM LARISSA TO INDIA: HOW GREEN INNOVATION AND MANDALAS CONNECT EUROPE

It’s a sunny March morning in Larissa, Greece. A bus pulls up in front of a modern, striking building. As the doors open, around forty people step out, some still shaking off their early morning sluggishness, others pausing to take in their surroundings. The scene before them—a vibrant courtyard with colourful chairs and tables—could belong to a trendy café in Brussels or Barcelona. But this is no ordinary venue. A bold purple ‘J’ marks the glass façade of Joist Innovation Park, a place where creativity, entrepreneurship, and circular economy principles come together.

Just hours later, the same group finds themselves painting mandalas inside the building. But this is no student art class—it’s a group of urban professionals working towards Europe’s green transition. So, what exactly links the In4Green network, Larissa, mandalas, and India?

1st Hydro-Heritage Cities meeting: Deep dive into Chalandri’s Cultural HIDRANT project

On 16 - 17 January the city of Chalandri welcomed the teams of the partner cities of Elche, Roeselare, Rome, Serpa and Sombor and shared with them the results, practices and challenges of the UIA, Cultural H.ID.RA.N.T. project. 

BiodiverCity Project Showcased in Finland during Erasmus+ STEAMCRAFT Meeting

Future STEAM Cities: Local Ambitions, Global Challenges, and the Role of STEAM in Shaping Tomorrow

In a world facing unprecedented turbulence where geopolitical instability, climate breakdown, rapid technological shifts, growing inequality, and democratic backsliding are testing our societies in ways not seen in decades, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) has never been more critical. But beyond education, can STEAM be a tool for resilience, innovation, and new forms of collective intelligence? This is the question at the heart of the Future STEAM Cities network, where five European cities—Aveiro, Alytus, Kolding, Oulu, and Płock—are tackling local challenges that echo some of the greatest dilemmas of our time.

Each city’s ambition is not just about transferring knowledge but about reshaping the role of education, industry, and governance in a world that demands urgent solutions. By looking at their efforts through the lens of global challenges, we see how Future STEAM Cities are not just adapting to change but actively pioneering new models of urban innovation.