Networks and cities' news

Youth work starts where young people are - but how can youth workers get there?

Young people spend more and more time online. But do youth workers know where? And more importantly, how can they get there to provide them with the help they need? 

9 Cities – 9 Stories: Cities for Sustainability Governance

Nine European cities pioneer Sustainability Governance to close the action gap towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

“Cities are as strong as their communities”. This was one of the main lessons drawn by Lead Partner coordinator Ville Taajamaa, responsible for 2030 Agenda work in the City of Espoo, after the first in-person meeting of the Cities for Sustainability Governance (CSG) network held in Tallinn, 15-16 November 2023. “After hours and hours of crunching expert urban sustainability talk, work and walk, the most important thing we had in our mind was our citizens. How cool is that!”, he concluded.

For 2.5 years, nine partner cities – Agios Dimitrios (Greece), Braga (Portugal), Espoo (Finland), Gabrovo (Bulgaria), Jablonec nad Nisou (Czech Republic), Kosice (Slovakia), Mannheim (Germany), Tallinn (Estonia) and València (Spain) – will join forces to discover and design how ‘sustainability governance’ can answer to the well needed renewal of commitment, trust, action and hope, to achieve the world we want by 2030.

Cities paving the way for a circular transition

In 2020 and in line with the Communication on the European Green Deal, the European Commission adopted the new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP 2). The ultimate goal is to stimulate markets for climate-neutral and circular products and services, modernize the EU’s economy and reap the benefits of the transition in the EU and beyond. The seven key areas set by the Commission CEAP 2 to achieve a circular economy are exactly plastics, textiles, e-waste, food, water and nutrients, packaging, batteries and vehicles, buildings and construction.

Can Urban Sports Hubs transform youths communities and regenerate urban public spaces? Follow the Re-Gen URBACT cities pioneering sport-based solutions engaging teens for a Better Future.

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.

Civic participation is a process, not a project

Local democracy is undergoing a change, a transition. And just like any other transition process, it has its ups and downs. 

Beyond the Urban: A Bold Initiative to Transform Europe's Urban-Rural Dynamics by looking beyond the car!

In a groundbreaking effort to transform Europe's urban-rural dynamics, the URBACT initiative Beyond the Urban embarks on a three-year journey to tackle key challenges in connectivity. This ambitious program, co-funded by the European Union and led by Creacció from Vic, Spain, unites a consortium of ten partners representing cities across Europe including Bram (France), Bucharest (Romania), Hradec Králové (Czechia), Kočani (North Macedonia), Machico (Portugal), Szalbolcs 05 (Hungary), Santa Maria da Feira (Portugal), Tartu (Estonia), and Treviso (Italy), as well as Osona (Spain) as a Lead Partner.