USER

Edited on 28/07/2025

01/05/2012 30/04/2015

Closed
  • Action Planning Network
  • Participative governance
  • Climate action
  • Disadvantaged neighbourhoods
  • Participation
  • Urban renewal

A core USER idea is that the design of urban public spaces and the main goals of urban planning are challenged by rapid changes in how cities are used. New trends in how public spaces are used, what the new users’ needs are, increasing malfunctions and conflicts among uses, etc., are challenging the way the city is usually “produced”, designed and managed.

Summary

Timeline

Project launch
Project completed

Partners

Lead Partner : Grenoble - France
  • Copenhagen - Denmark
  • Dresden - Germany
  • Krakow - Poland
  • Lisbon - Portugal
  • Lublin - Poland
  • Málaga - Spain
  • Pescara - Italy
  • Riga - Latvia

Introduction

Changes and conflicts in using public spaces

 

A core USER idea is that the design of urban public spaces and the main goals of urban planning are challenged by rapid changes in how cities are used. New trends in how public spaces are used, what the new users’ needs are, increasing malfunctions and conflicts among uses, etc., are challenging the way the city is usually “produced”, designed and managed. This approach entails a process of users involvement as a crucial dimension of public spaces planning and management. Indeed “users experience” is one of the main inputs to understand how the spaces are used and what kind of conflicts are taking place. The USER project will work on the three main aspects that, according to us, constitute a "good public space":

 

a) Friendlier and more interactive social-public spaces by solving malfunctions and conflicting uses,

 

b) Safer public spaces in a friendlier city

 

c) Cleaner, better-maintained and upgraded public spaces for a more efficient city.

 

Articles

  • Articles

    Το ταξίδι της Κύπρου στην Προεδρία του Συμβουλίου της ΕΕ ξεκινά: κατευθυντήριες γραμμές για την αστική πολιτική

    Τι επιφυλάσσει η Κύπρος σχετικά με τις πόλεις και τις αστικές προτεραιότητες για τους επόμενους έξι μήνες;

     

    Η Κυπριακή Προεδρία, η οποία ξεκίνησε την 1η Ιανουαρίου 2026, έρχεται σε μία στιγμή μετάβασης

  • News
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    Președinția Ciprului la început de mandat: viziuni pentru politica urbană

    Ce planuri are Ciprul pentru orașe și pentru prioritățile urbane în următoarele șase luni?

     

    Președinția Ciprului, care a debutat la 1 ianuarie 2026, marchează o etapă de tranziție, în care lecțiile

  • Articles
    Breaking Isolation Journey

    Breaking Isolation Network comes to an end - Final network article

    By Christophe Gouache, Lead Expert of the Breaking Isolation network.

     

    In June 2023, when the Breaking Isolation network got approved as one of the new URBACT Action Planning Network cohort, we had no