01/04/2025 30/09/2026
URBACT Pioneers Accelerator is the bespoke learning programme for cities from EU accession countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Participating cities are tackling specific urban challenges with solutions in line with the EU integrated sustainable urban development policy framework, values and best practices.
The URBACT Pioneer Accelerator is a structured and inspiring learning journey that helps cities lead sustainable change. It supports them in understanding EU urban development policies while fostering innovation through integrated and participatory approaches and the implementation of small-scale pilot actions.
Cities are organised within 4 thematic clusters - Urban Nature, Waste Management, Mobility and Sustainable Tourism. All 27 cities follow the same methodological - URBACT Accelerator framework which consists of three learning dimensions:
Participating Cities
- Arandjelovac - Serbia
- Subotica - Public Enterprise PERMUPHS - Serbia
- Sremska Mitrovica - Serbia
- Tuzla - Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Tivat - Montenegro
- Himara - Albania
- Shtip - North Macedonia
- Herceg Novi - Montenegro
- Backi Petrovac - Serbia
- Novi Pazar 2 - Serbia
- Kamza - Albania
- Mostar - Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Trebinje - Development Agency - TREDEA - Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Bijeljina - Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Banja Luka - Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Doboj - Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Niksic - Montenegro
- Vinica - North Macedonia
- Zrenjanin - Serbia
- Kragujevac - Serbia
- Kakanj - Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Široki Brijeg - Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Lezhë - Albania
- Smederevo - Serbia
- Senta - Serbia
- Nis - Serbia
Network Contact
Timeline
1 April 2025: Start of the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator journey. First Gathering at the URBACT City Festival in Wroclaw.
EMBRACE - STEP 1 - Discover Stage: 3-4 July 2025 Online: Focus on Data collection, Stakeholder mapping, thematic scope of the problem;
ACT - STEP 1: August - September 2025: First Stakeholder Meeting in pioneers cities
EMBRACE - STEP 2 - Define Stage: 16 -18 September 2025 - Milestone event in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Focusing on visioning and setting clear goals.
EXPLORE - Define Stage: October - November 2025, first round of Thematic expeditions (Study visits) in EU cities (Munich, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Vienna&Zlin)
ACT - STEP 2: December 2025, Action Labs in Pioneer cities (Objective: Vision Pitch)
EMBRACE - STEP 3 - Develop Stage: 23 January 2026: Starting with Cocreation & Ideation, how to design and facilitate ideation processes with local stakeholders, how to generate a wide range of ideas, and how to prioritise them through an integrated approach, ensuring they are realistic, supported, and impactful.
EXPLORE - Develop Stage: February - March 2026; Second round of Thematic expeditions (Study visits) in EU cities (Braga, Maribor, Guimaraes, Budapest&Szeged).
ACT - STEP 3 : February - March 2026: Action Labs in Pioneer cities (Objective: Action ideas prioritisation)
EMBRACE - STEP 4 - Develop Stage: March - May 2026: Planning actions, making ideas visible and gaining endorsement.
Stories
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Article
URBACT Pioneers Interim Results - Turning Urban Ambition into Local Action
Over the past 9 months, 27 cities from the Western Balkans have been quietly reshaping what collaboration looks like. Through the URBACT Pioneers
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Article
Waste Management Cluster & First thematic learning expedition in Munich
From Bavaria to the Balkans: How Munich’s Circular Vision is Energizing URBACT Pioneers.
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Article
Sustainable Tourism Cluster & First thematic learning expedition in Rotterdam
Porting post-industrial sustainable tourism practice: lessons from Rotterdam and the resilient delta for our URBACT Pioneers
