Networks and cities' news

From Loneliness to Connection: How Bielsko Biała Turned Culture into a Shared Urban Experience

In Bielsko-Biała, culture is no longer treated as a calendar of events. It has become a living process that happens between people, in everyday places, and through shared experiences. This shift shaped the city’s Testing Actions developed within the URBACT IV REinventing Culture in Urban Places project’s network. 

Bielsko-Biała began not with assumptions, but with listening. Through its URBACT Local Group, the city gathered cultural institutions, artists, NGOs, community stakeholders and reprsentatives of municipal departments, to examine one of today’s most urgent urban challenges: loneliness.

Loneliness was understood not only as a personal feeling, but as a structural issue affecting many European cities. The ULG group identified several causes: weakened social ties, lack of belonging to place and community, difficulty initiating contact with others, growing individualism, digital overstimulation leading to isolation, reduced sense of safety in public space, and limited influence over shared urban environments.

This diagnosis led to the creation of the “Tree of Loneliness” – a participatory tool mapping the roots and consequences of social isolation. More importantly, it created a clear direction for action. The city chose to test whether culture, when designed as a participatory and place-based experience, could rebuild relationships between people, neighbourhoods and nature.

PODCAST: Trebinje (Bosnia & Herzegovina): "It's about building digital infrastructure for future generations"

In the latest episode of the Residents of the Future podcast, URBACT Lead Expert Tiago Ferreira speaks with Tamara Dursun from the city administration and Slobodan Vulešević, URBACT Local Group (ULG) coordinator. Their conversation reflects both the structural causes of shrinkage and the practical steps Trebinje is taking to respond.

Final Article: How to embed Gender Considerations and Clauses into Procurement

On Wednesday 29th October 2025, the URBACT funded GenProcure Action Planning Network (APN) holds its final conference in Zagreb, Croatia. The conference will be an opportunity for our 9 Partners to celebrate and showcase the work they have done over the last two and a half years around the topic of Gender Responsive Public Procurement, and to also detail how they will continue to work on this topic through their Integrated Action Plans (IAPs).

Highlights from the 4th RECUP Core Network Meeting in Bielsko Biała

Earlier this March, representatives from the RECUP network gathered in the vibrant Polish city of Bielsko‑Biała for the 4th Core Network Meeting. Over two days (4–5 March 2026), partners immersed themselves in workshops, peer‑learning sessions, study visits, inspiring cultural experiences, and reflective discussions on loneliness, art, and community well‑being.

Hosted by the Municipality of Bielsko‑Biała—recently named Polish Capital of Culture 2026—the meeting offered an excellent backdrop to explore how culture can reshape urban spaces and strengthen social connection.

Mancomunitat l’Horta Nord: Connecting a Territory Through a Shared Cultural Platform

Within the URBACT RECUP (Reinventing Culture in Urban Places) project, the Testing Action of the Mancomunitat l’Horta Nord was born from a shared diagnosis across its ten municipalities: the territory enjoyed a rich and diverse cultural life, yet lacked the cohesion, visibility and coordination needed to fully harness it. Cultural activities were often developed in isolation, with fragmented audiences, duplicated efforts and limited collaboration between cultural officers, libraries and local actors.

The challenge was clear: cultural vitality existed — what was missing was a shared system to organise, amplify and connect it.

Waste Management Cluster & First thematic learning expedition in Munich

From Bavaria to the Balkans: How Munich’s Circular Vision is Energizing URBACT Pioneers.