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

    Guimarães Hosts Final Dissemination Event of the BiodiverCity

    Guimarães has successfully delivered the Final Dissemination Event of its Integrated Action Plan (IAP) within the European URBACT BiodiverCity project. Held at the Landscape Laboratory, the event

  • Articles
    Word cloud illustrating participants’ responses to the question: “What should be the next step to accelerate green economic development in your local context?”

    Iarba e întotdeauna mai verde: cinci perspective URBACT către o economie urbană verde și prosperă

    În data de 13 noiembrie 2025, 134 de practicieni urbani, experți și susținători ai economiei verzi s-au întâlnit pentru a răspunde unei întrebări esențiale: „Cum se conturează o economie urbană verde

  • News

    Előzetes betekintés a 2026-os URBACT City Festivalra

    2026. március 31. és április 1. között az URBACT City Festival több száz településfejlesztőt fogad majd Nicosiában (Ciprus), ahol lehetőség nyílik a tapasztalatcserére, a közös tanulásra és európai