NeT-TOPIC

Edited on 28/07/2025

21/04/2008 19/07/2011

Closed
  • Action Planning Network
  • Participative governance
  • Urban planning
  • Urban-rural

NeT-TOPIC is addressed to medium sized (intermediate) cities located close to a major city within a metropolitan area. As a result of their location, these cities face today some common challenges, such as territorial fragmentation or the need to adapt to the new demands for uses and activities in the process of post-industrialisation and of new tertiary activities.

Summary

Partners

Lead Partner : L'Hospitalet de Llobregat - Spain
  • Barakaldo - Spain
  • Haidari - Greece
  • Kladno - Czech Republic
  • Nanterre - France
  • Sacele - Romania
  • Salford
  • Sesto San Giovanni - Italy

Timeline

Project launch

Project completed

Introduction

NeT-TOPIC Thematic Network is composed of European peripheral cities in transformation, with shared problems including industrial decline, territorial fragmentation and social polarisation. Located near to major cities, they are transforming to more attractive urban areas: focusing on developing their own urban identity, offering a greater quality of life, improving citizen integration and social cohesion to fulfil a new role within their metropolitan areas.

 

One of the biggest challenges faced by these cities is the use and promotion of new tools and approaches relating to territorial governance and urban planning processes at local, regional and national level to improve urban transformation processes. The network provides these cities with a platform to reflect on changes in the city model to increase the strategic value of its territory.

 

NeT-TOPIC’s network aims to foster the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices among its partners.  The project seeks to enhance the role of peripheral cities in territorial governance and urban planning processes to achieve their desired new city model.

Articles

  • How does participation lead to transformation?

    Give teenagers €1,000, no strings attached, trust them to make their city better, step back and watch what happens.

    That was the bet Cluj-Napoca made in 2015. A decade later, it has paid off more than

  • Articles

    47 cidades URBACT colocam em prática os aspetos económicos da transição verde

    Desde espaços esquecidos até às indústrias mais sustentáveis e à circularidade, as cidades URBACT estão a dar vida à economia urbana verde

  • Articles

    For the love of data: can social data make better cities?

    What does it take to make social data work for cities? Discover the new URBACT Knowledge Hub on Social Data Management.