Social data management

Cities across four URBACT Action Planning Networks (One Health 4 Cities, U.R. Impact, NextGen YouthWork, and Cities@Heart) identified a shared challenge: social data was being collected, but rarely used systematically to diagnose problems, target interventions, or measure real impact. The networks joined forces to pool their experience and co-develop practical answers. Between January and February 2026, four public webinars were organised, bringing together city practitioners, experts, and policymakers from across Europe.

This first session mapped the evolving data landscape cities are working with today from census and administrative records to sensors, satellite imagery, and participatory platforms; and the persistent gaps that remain despite this abundance. Participants discussed the common obstacles cities face: data quality, fragmentation across departments, protecting sensitive information, and the know-how needed to turn raw data into policy decisions. With Bologna, Granada and Sligo.

Watch the recording of the event and stay tuned for more to come!

Social data only drives change if it is collected and organised systematically. Fragmented processes, inconsistent methods, and unclear responsibilities limit its potential. Defining what to measure, how often, and how to manage and store it ensures data is reliable, comparable, and directly informs policy priorities.

The session looked at how cities choose between ready-made sources and custom-made data collection, and the infrastructure, capacity, and governance choices that determine whether data can actually flow to where it's needed. Cities shared how they combine institutional data with participatory approaches to reach populations that formal systems often miss. With: Kuopio, Vila Nova de Famalicão and Lyon.

Watch the recording of the event and stay tuned for more to come!

Data alone does not shape policy, actionable insight does. Social data identifies priorities, guides stakeholder engagement, and enables co-creation. Translating evidence into targeted, inclusive policies ensures interventions address real community needs and achieve measurable results.

In this session participants explored how cities move from citywide assumptions to place-based interventions. Targeting resources where they're needed most rather than treating every neighbourhood the same and how some are beginning to use modelling and scenario analysis to anticipate challenges before they become crises. With: Oulu, Heerlen.

Watch the recording of the event and stay tuned for more to come!

Measuring social impact means asking a harder question than outputs alone can answer: what difference did this make, for whom, and would it have happened anyway?

The closing session looked at how cities build evaluation into their work from the start rather than adding it once a project ends, combining quantitative and qualitative evidence to capture change that numbers alone cannot convey. Participants also discussed why consistency matters more than sophistication: the cities that understand their communities best are those that have been measuring, year after year, not those with the most advanced tools. With: Cinisello Balsamo, Glasgow and Sligo.

Watch the recording of the event and stay tuned for more to come!