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

  • Group of Urban Echo at Cork

    From neighbourhood presence to meaningful participation: Ghent shares its approach at URBACT Univeristy

    As Lead Partner of the URBACT Transfer Network URBAN ECHO, the City of Ghent joined the URBACT University 2026 in Cork, bringing together city practitioners and local stakeholders from across Europe

  • Playground in neighbourhood of Ledeberg (Ghent)

    Six cities, one echo

    An echo is not a copy. In its first stage, URBAN ECHO worked out which parts of Ghent's twenty years of neighbourhood renewal can actually travel to five very different cities, and why the answer