Networks and cities' news

Transforming Public Spaces with Youth Engagement in Pula

As part of the Re-Gen project, Pula is transforming underused public spaces into vibrant sports centers, promoting creativity, collaboration and a sense of belonging among the city's youth. By reusing these areas, Pula is breathing new life into its urban landscape. Through workshops, events and creative actions, the project has become a cornerstone of urban revitalization and active community participation.

Have you ever tried beehive therapy? Have you ever met a biodiversity officer?

In this edition, we dive into the transformative work of Local Authority Biodiversity Officers in Ireland, explore urban beekeeping as a tool for engagement, and discover how public parks can evolve into climate-resilient biodiversity hubs. We also take a closer look at groundbreaking initiatives like Limerick’s first Natural Play Area, permaculture gardens in Slovenia, and innovative tree and park management in Budapest.

SCHOOLHOOD’s fourth stop on its journey to safe, green and happy ways to school

Accessible and Inclusive Public Spaces: Foundations for Thriving Communities

Public spaces are the core of urban community life, offering people a place to observe each other, connect, and share goals, needs, and stories. When designed with human diversity in mind, these spaces have the transformative potential to foster social cohesion, enhance quality of life, and support sustainable urban living. They serve as platforms for community interaction, cultural exchange, and recreation, contributing in the long term to healthier, more equitable cities. Public spaces should be accessible to all citizens and not create discrimination caused by the built environment. However, although accessibility and inclusion are recurring topics in numerous EU documents and reports, they are still too often treated as add-ons rather than integral components of urban planning. This leaves many spaces inaccessible or unfriendly to diverse user groups and leads to missed opportunities for building an equitable society.

To build on this, GreenPlace, one of Urbact’s networks that aims to develop a set of activities for "recycling" unused urban areas using social participation tools having a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, recently held a workshop titled “Equitable Cities—An Inclusive Approach” in Nitra, Slovakia. The participants examined how the built environment can contribute to social segregation and generate disabilities even where there are no permanent ones. They discussed the importance of shifting accessibility from being viewed as a "special case" ¹ to becoming a core priority in public space development. 

The S.M.ALL Ad-hoc Serie - Issue 1 - Io and the Cities

Welcome to The S.M.ALL Ad-Hoc Series, where we explore how small and medium-sized European cities empower themselves to reshape local mobility to be more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable. Through this series, our Ad-Hoc Experts will share key insights, practical approaches, and success stories emerging from this collaborative journey.

SCHOOLHOOD’s third stop on its journey to safe, green and happy ways to school