Networks and cities' news

Catch up on the latest updates from cities working together in URBACT Networks. The articles and news that are showcased below are published directly by URBACT’s beneficiaries and do not necessarily reflect the programme’s position.

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  • National Theatre_ Tirana

    The Unconventional Architectural narrative of Albania

    Author: Dr. Doriana Musaj, Tirana

    The collapse of the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the downfall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, marked a significant turning point in the historical narrative of Albania. After declaring independence from the Ottoman Empire just prior to World I, Albania’s development as an independent nation-state was hijacked by a prolonged period of brutal repression under the 46-year reign of an oppressive Stalinist regime led by Albania’s dictator, Enver Hoxha.  For the last decade of Hoxha’s reign (1975-1985), Albanians lived in complete isolation from the global community. The communist ideology that governed the nation for half a century initially eradicated the concept of God, subsequently fractured familial bonds, and established an intricate system of internal surveillance, reshaping society into distinct categories of party members and perceived adversaries of the state. Under these circumstances, the period of transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic system has been – and remains —fraught with challenges. Despite the passage of over three decades, the nation has not engaged in the necessary work of reflecting on past events in order to understand how the dictatorship arose, its consequences and ongoing effects, or the significance of these things to contemporary social, cultural, political and economic life.  This reflection is urgent and imperative.  
    This article begins reflecting on the past by exploring Albania’s dissonant architecture through a narrative perspective.  Dissonant architecture possesses the unique ability to uncover and examine historical narratives embodied in architectural styles and spaces.  As such, it serves as a conduit that connects past and present and so exposes the links between generations (links that oppressive regimes intentionally annihilate). In order to fully understand the various aspects of dissonant architecture in Albania, it's crucial at first to understand the historical context in which this architecture emerged. This article uses 2 architectural case studies to explicate this historical context and explore the stories of past and present that dissonant architecture tells: the Pyramid of Enver Hoxha, and the National Theater of Albania.

    Stefania Rovereti

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  • The Green Student Parliament discussed sustainability in Veszprém

    As part of the BiodiverCity project, the Green Student Parliament gathered in Veszprém's City Hall on 26 November 2024 to engage in discussions on environmental and social sustainability. This unique biennial forum, which has been running for 16 years, serves as a platform for young people in Hungary to voice their concerns and propose solutions for pressing sustainability issues.

    András Merza

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  • FEMACT-Cities 3rd Quarterly Report...Moving toward action !

    Rosalie Lakatos

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  • Investment Attraction - Tiago Ferreira

    The Power of Investment in Small Cities: Keeping Residents and Attracting New Talent

    Small cities across Europe are at a crossroads. Many are seeing young people leave for larger urban centers, chasing better job opportunities and lifestyles. This phenomenon, known as urban shrinkage, threatens the vitality of these communities. Investments create new job opportunities, support local businesses, and improve the quality of life. When people see their city as a place with potential, they’re more likely to stay and others are more likely to move in. Attracting investments into small cities is a huge challenge. How to attract investors? Where to find them? What should we offer? How to distinct good investments from the bad ones. And what does it even mean? 

    Tiago Ferreira

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  • Municipality of Vratsa organized the third ULG meeting under the "BiodiverCity" project

    On 11.11.2024, the third meeting of the URBACT local group was held in the Municipality of Vratsa within "BiodiverCity: Communitybased approaches to foster urban biodiversity" project. The purpose of the meeting was the joint planning of the upcoming activities that should be implemented on local level within the project. Some of these activities include the organization of URBACT festival, as well as small-scale pilot actions, such as afforestation in the neighborhoods of the city of Vratsa and the planting of a forest using the Miyawaki method.

    András Merza

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  • URBACT Campus Croatia 2024

    Šibenik’s Green Agenda: Driving Climate Literacy Through URBACT Collaboration

    How green is your IAP? These days, when the development of the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) is in full swing, most of the URBACT IV networks face the same challenge. We all know that, to be sustainable, our IAP must be “green”. But what that means in real life? Why is that important? How can we convince our ULG partners to give up some simpler and cheaper project ideas and follow the harder path? All thes questions were tackled on URBACT Croatian national campus, held in Zagreb, 24th and 25th of October. Climate literacy workshops have become a kind of standard today. But just few years ago, it wasn't a case. Here is the story from Šibenik. 

    Krešimir Grubić

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