Urban waterways planning and management represent a common challenge for multi-level governance in EU cities, particularly when land ownership patterns are complex, and stakeholders’ rights and responsibilities fragmented. Sheffield (UK), which has over 240 km of waterways, uses collaborative planning and partnership to integrate strategic priorities at the city-regional level with bottom-up local participation and citizen-led action. In 2003, Sheffield formed a Waterways Strategy Group, a partnership including the City Council and relevant environmental and amenity groups. This group developed the Sheffield Waterways Strategy and Five-year Action Plan. The strategy integrates a range of joined-up measures (governance, infrastructure, design, activity, strategy, and policy) to coordinate capacity-building with communities. It includes lasting cross-sector actions at multiple levels, enabling the partners to scale up their impacts.

The Strategy tackles the problem of highly fragmented management and planning processes, representing an important microcosm of multi-level governance challenges in cities. When many different landowners and stakeholders have responsibilities and rights, it can become difficult to meaningfully engage citizens in effective action. The Strategy represents a good practice by bringing together two important solutions, (a) on the substantive issue of waterways planning and management, and (b) in terms of process, providing a transferable model for collaboration.

First, the Strategy addresses eight goals (relevant to other contexts) for people, economic opportunity, climate change, promotion, heritage, access, stewardship and wildlife. Second, it illustrates how to develop, formalise and sustain such a partnership strategy:

(i) Adopt a structured approach: explore, recast, review;

(ii) Avoid professional presumption or expert/deficit models;

(iii) Take the time to find out what the parties really want;

(iv) Expect some confusion arising from different backgrounds: internal and external conflicts;

(v) Provide time to think to avoid rushing to decisions;

(vi) Build confidence through formalised decision-making using evaluation criteria and tools; and

(vii) Be careful to give people credit for their input. Cities can adopt and adapt these simple lessons, to bring people together to deliver integration geographically, across sectors and horizontally between hierarchies.

The Sheffield Waterways Strategy approach is compatible with and complementary to the URBACT principles. The commitment to sustainable development, articulated through sustainable urban living, is visible in the Strategy Goals:

1. Place people at the heart of the waterways regeneration,
2. Help our city rediscover its wealth of waterways as an economic opportunity,
3. Adapt to climate change and manage flood risks more sustainably,
4. Promote Sheffield and its waterways,
5. Use our rivers to help celebrate the heritage, culture and rich history,
6. Secure access to a city-wide network of riverside parkways,
7. Ensure effective stewardship and encourage everyone to care for our rivers,
8. Give high priority to protecting wildlife and enhancing habitats.

The Strategy articulates values of socio-ecological urbanism, developed via an Integrated and participative outlook. The approach taken includes horizontal, vertical and territorial integration (section 2). The Strategy Group’s achievements were only possible because so much emphasis was placed on understanding one another’s views of what success would look like, and iteratively agreeing to outcomes alongside high-level goals, through a process of facilitation rather than direction. Hence, these themes should not be seen as something that can be taken from off the shelf and transplanted without careful thought and consideration to local context and needs. The process (section 2) may, however, prove highly applicable in other cities.

A cross-sector partnership was evolved, which developed its holistic approach to coordinate efforts to tackle the complex challenges. An open and inclusive approach was used to extend and strengthen social networks, to move away from central control and towards a more resilient social capital model.

Public workshops were held in community and arts venues (1), engaging people from all backgrounds in celebratory events and happenings. Advanced 3D visualisation software was used to ignite excitement and create a sense of possibility about future scenarios and achievable options (2).

A range of complementary techniques was used to create opportunities for people to express their views and passions, and to mobilise these shared strengths into effective action (3,4,5,6,7).

Simple social media platforms were used and connected together to create a dynamic movement and to associate interests, to support on-the-ground action touching people’s lives locally (6).

This enabled the people and businesses of the city to support and get involved in furthering the process themselves (6,7).

By first seeking to understand the values of different stakeholders and then going on to establish their shared principles (8), it was possible to co-create clear, agreed partnership solutions (practical projects through to policy measures).

Submissions for awards were made, and links established with national policy, to raise awareness, maintain momentum and celebrate success (9,10,11,12).

The biggest difference that the Strategy has made is to place people at the heart of the waterways regeneration in Sheffield. It has both championed this cause and involved citizens directly. The Strategy underpins successful proposals and bids for millions of pounds worth of funding from charities, lotteries, businesses, the EU and central government. The Strategy Group was instrumental in setting up the River Stewardship Company, a social enterprise which conserves, protects and improves the environment of waterways. It has provided river “place-keeping” services for over 100 businesses over six years, creating eight new jobs, 22 work placements for unemployed people and two apprenticeships. In one year, RSC worked with 364 volunteers to deliver 594 days of work worth £56 000. The Strategy has led to significant progress towards regenerating the 150 miles of waterways and played a key role in establishing the Business Improvement District to secure investment of £10 million. Many fish-passes have been built leading to the return of salmon. Another major achievement has been to become an international leader in innovation in “daylighting” or deculverting, for which Group members have been responsible for award-winning demonstrations, highly cited publications, and high-profile websites. The Strategy has facilitated rapid response to new opportunities. The legacy has been to bring together the many statutory organisations and voluntary, nonprofit groups with core interests in the city’s waterways.

The Good Practice lessons should be of interest to other EU cities in terms of both the substantive issues and the process aspects. Most cities face challenges to integrate cultural, economic, environmental and social priorities, within a place-based approach. However, this does not imply that the lessons learned are only applicable to those places. Different thematic areas (sections 3 & 10) will be of interest to different cities. For instance, the IPCC 4th report noted the need to develop mitigation-relevant adaptation strategies, highlighting the slow progress and urgent need for cities to share experiences. This Strategy is highly relevant to that challenge. In particular, cities facing the threat of flooding are likely to find use in understanding Sheffield’s approach (in 2007 a major flooding episode occurred, this was an event with a return period of >1-in-100 years. Sadly, two people lost their lives, and flooding caused damage costing over €500 million in two days). We have found productive ground working with other cities focusing on industrial heritage routes, such as Stuttgart, and green infrastructure (e.g. Copenhagen, Ruhr Region). The findings and experiences are also likely to be of importance to those working on urban water quality (Water Framework Directive heavily modified water bodies and diffuse pollution). Furthermore, the lessons on social inclusion and capacity-building are cross-cutting in nature and applicable to other planning contexts.

For the Agence d'urbanisme Bordeaux métropole Aquitaine (AURBA), accepting that society functions as a network is central to understanding the changes at work in urban and metropolitan systems. In 2016, they produced an atlas of the metropolitan spaces of Bordeaux (FR) that not only analyses the evolution of factors like population, employment and mobility, but also shows exchanges with other territories.
The idea is that this “relational approach” to certain spaces enables the notion of changing reality to be integrated into their development and urban management. In this way territories can be understood according to their interdependency and interconnections, rather than in terms of distribution and localisation alone.
The atlas builds on the conviction that in a context of diminishing public resources and inward-looking attitudes, improving familiarity with, and understanding of, our neighbours fosters greater openness and new forms of partnership.

Metropolisation is a process. Our analysis does not focus on a finished geographic object, but rather seeks to shed light on dynamic processes and trends. Our angles of interpretation and perimeters are multiple. Pre-existing limits are discarded in favour of explorations of territories fashioned by exchange networks.

The Bordeaux metropolitan area is varied in nature - Bordeaux exchanges employees with the Arcachon basin and Libourne, patients with La Rochelle and Toulouse, clients with Bayonne and Langon, second home owners with Royan and Périgueux, spectators with Angoulême and Toulouse, engineers and editors with Paris and Lyon, tourists with Barcelona and London, students with Bucharest and Dakar, researchers with Munich and Los Angeles, and bottles of wine with the whole world. Our aim is to promote ways of developing territorial strategies in full knowledge of the forces at work, the existing stocks, interactions and exchange networks.

Whether metropolisation is to be endured or desired, ignored or regulated, it concerns everyone. The issues at stake are thus extremely numerous - demography, migration, employment, the economy, public facilities, services, the environment, tourism, local resources. In addition to exhaustive monographs of stabilised perimeters and detailed indicators, dynamic explorations are also presented, with a view to comparing and contrasting different scales, themes and objects of observation (as well as exchanges and stocks).

Over and above urban challenges, specifically territorial challenges lie at the heart of this atlas. Understanding the functional reality of a territory, by comparing and contrasting themes and scales is the raison d’être of this work, as a means of shaping a global, structuring vision of how territories function.

This approach examines a variety of interrelated themes: the environment (water resources, nature reserves etc.), the economy (links between head offices and branches, patents, exports etc.) or social factors (residential migration, utilities and public facilities, etc.). Horizontal thematic integration is essential if we are to gain a full grasp of the metropolisation phenomenon.

This comparative approach is also adopted in terms of spatial scale, as a means of exploring this subject on a comprehensive level. Metropolisation is of course a large-scale phenomenon, taking place on the European or world scale, but it is first and foremost a daily development, clearly observable in cities and neighbourhoods.

A participative approach has not been implemented in the development and production phase. The complexity of the phenomenon under study is such that it demanded the formation of an academic committee comprising researchers in the field of geography and experts in data analysis and cartography.

The most significant phase is now commencing, with the delivery of our first results for discussion. These findings were initially addressed to political decision-makers, as they are directly responsible for managing territorial resources.

The light shed on existing and upcoming partnerships makes it possible to make budget savings by offering support to ongoing dynamics (be they social or economic). The results are also of interest to people living in the areas studied. People across the region have shown a clear interest in our research and cartography during public presentations of our work.

As described above, our research aims to shed light on areas of effective partnership between territories, towns and cities. In the current climate, it is becoming increasingly necessary for services, facilities and resources of all natures to be pooled, and towns will be able to build on our findings to begin to work with rather than against each other. This will make way for the creation of new structures on which partnerships may be founded, such as the “Metropolitan Poles” already in action across France, through which territories commit to clearly defined cooperation goals in a range of precise areas (e.g. academia, culture, economic development).

Metropolisation is a process which affects the whole of Europe, both in urban, peri-urban and rural environments. While major conurbations often see it as a positive element, rural and outlying areas seem to endure rather than control it. Tracing the contours of the process shows that, in reality, all territories have their part to play and that rather than merely modifying the size of our towns, a whole set of measures and policies of an inherently local nature are driving this trend.

If metropolisation is inevitable, then it is important that it be understood by all, and that all territories should play their role to the full.

The Municipality of Genoa (IT) adopted the City Tax Management System in 2012, based on an official agreement between City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the tourism sector. Under the Genoa City Tax Management System, the City Tax is considered as a way to improve the marketing, communication and branding strategies and the hospitality services of the city. It is perceived as an opportunity and not as an obligation. 

The agreement’s operational instrument is the City Tax Working Group (CTWG), which defines and implements strategies to promote the city using these tax resources. Coordinated by the Deputy Mayor for Tourism and Culture, the CTWG is composed of representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, associations of hotel owners and tourism stakeholders. 
Each year, the Chamber of Commerce submits the Marketing and Communication Plan guidelines to the City Council. It is elaborated and shared among the members of CTWG, approved by the City Council, and implemented by the City Marketing, Tourism, International Relations Department of the City Hall, in collaboration with CTWG members. Results are regularly monitored during the year.

This good practice offers an effective solution to the potential conflicts between public and private sectors. It creates confidence among partners, empowering each member and avoiding useless discussions, focusing on results. It guarantees a specific budget to promote the city, and it proves, through the close and strategic cooperation between all the partners, that tourism is a strategic asset for the economic development of a city. Some of the effective solutions offered by the good practice are:

• Coordination of marketing, communication and media relations plans of all the tourism stakeholders in the city;
• Coordination of the different Departments of the Municipality in charge of road services, public transport, mobility, protection and maintenance of the urban heritage, parks and gardens, according to tourism priorities;
• Support for the implementation of new services and tourist products by independent local operators, with economic benefits and growth of employment;
• Sharing strategies, tasks and commitments between the city administration and stakeholders, in order to offer citizens a unique and incisive programme of city promotion; and
• Strong involvement of local press and media.

One of the most important challenges for a city is to face complex problems with an integrated approach. This approach is a pillar of the URBACT method. Our method includes the involvement of stakeholders and citizens, as well as the work of several municipal departments, like City Marketing, Culture, Economic Development, Public Works and Transport. The CTWG is a real public-private partnership (PPP), which shares common goals. Different opinions and professional backgrounds become a benefit.

EU institutions often stress the importance of creating PPPs to reach shared goals in urban governance. The quick and sustainable growth of Genoa as a tourist destination since the institution of the City Tax in 2012 (a 25% increase in bed nights in four years), proves that the model is the most effective way to create, in a few years, a new perspective for the city.

Participation and awareness of citizens ensures the sustainability of tourist growth, avoiding the risks of an invasive tourism that may damage the environment, authenticity, local culture and quality of life. Furthermore, tourism is an incentive for the improvement of local services, and a chance to change the look and the atmosphere of the city. The new identity of the city results in a new sentiment of belonging and pride in citizens. In short: the use of an integrated approach to promote tourism can provide permanent benefits for the urban community and the whole territory.

The City Tax Agreement sets rules and ways of partners’ involvement. The CTWG involves stakeholders at every step of the decision-making and operational processes: addressing their priorities through the “Guidelines document”, approving the “Marketing and Communication Plan”, implementing and updating it with municipal departments and monitoring the results through previously accepted criteria.

The involvement of restaurant and bar owners has been crucial to improve the level and the quality of all aspects of hospitality. Encouraging a habit of working together between institutions and stakeholders, the City Tax Management System has created the conditions for a widespread enhancement of ancient commercial and local gastronomic traditions and the creation of the historical shops’ register. Smaller thematic working groups have been created for organising big events, conferences, communication campaigns, social media, marketing and promotional actions.

The Genoa Social Media Team (strongly connected to the URBACT III Action Planning Network Interactive Cities, led by Genoa) has been created to involve citizens in the social media strategies and to coordinate and co-promote web communication actions. A working group has been created to enable citizens to propose to the city administration specific projects of public works that can be implemented using City Tax resources, i.e. restoration of monuments, maintenance of historical buildings, public gardens and parks.

The City Tax Management System has positively affected relations and cooperation between the administration, stakeholders and citizens. Furthermore, it has helped to re-establish confidence between the parties. These results confirm the importance of the integrated approach to the development of tourism implemented by Genoa. Tourism has become an important part of city governance.

From the economic point of view, the results of this good practice are strong and evident, in terms of the number of bed nights (2,000,000 in 2016, up 7.34%), the level of internationalisation of tourism in the city (51.48% on the 49.40% of Italy), the number of tourists visiting the Tourist Information Centres (358,000 in 2016, up 28.72% from 2015), time spent in Genoa (2.3 days in 2016, in 2012 it was 1.98), economic impact on the city (€491,360,000 in 2016), level of employment (approximately 1,500 new jobs in five years).

There are evident results also in terms of brand visibility, positioning and reputation of the city on the tourism market. This can be demonstrated by several indicators: press release numbers, the results of the digital campaigns, visitors to the official website www.visitgenoa.it, results achieved on social media (quality of the contents, statistics about user numbers and engagement rate) and destination reputation analysis: the City commissioned a consultancy to analyse Genoa’s reputation on the web; from 2014 to 2016 its Reputation Index grew from 35 to 74/100.

Many cities are facing the problem of relations between the city government and stakeholders as they seek to promote the city and attract tourism, talent and investments. Tourism can create an important leverage effect by boosting investments. networks and associations, like European Cities Marketing, unite a lot of cities to work together in this field and lobby the EU institutions. The importance of tourism in economic and urban development is clear, also considering the growing attention EU institutions pay to tourism by putting it as a priority in Territorial Cooperation Funding Programmes.

In several European projects, including City Logo and Interactive Cities, we have met and discussed with other cities about the right way to include tourism in their strategic planning of economic development. The economic crisis is forcing cities in this direction. Many cities are already asking us to share with them our experience, explain our City Tax Management System and help them to adopt a similar method to promote their cities as tourist destinations.

Many cities in Europe have already established a City Tax, but are dealing with the problem of managing it without the consent of hotel owners, stakeholders and citizens. Despite the economic crisis, many cities are investing resources in tourism development. This good practice, through cooperation, participation and commitment, helps achieve good results with limited funding.

The Intermediation Service for People in the Process of Evictions and Occupancies (SIPHO) is the last phase in an intervention by the Unit Against Residential Exclusion under Barcelona Municipality's 2016-25 Right to Housing Plan. Its objective is to coordinate relevant actors and resources for urgent, integral intervention.
The service intervenes in cases where eviction orders are being executed, and debt settlement arrangements and income continuance have either not been explored or not been accepted. Its functions include:

• Mediation between landlords and tenants, and between lenders and mortgagees;
• Options to assume the existing debt and arrears and allow occupants to remain in place;
• Arrangements for legal aid;
• Advice and assistance;
• And competency to allocate alternative housing where evictions are unavoidable.

In 2016 the service helped more than 1,570 families, representing 80% of the total cases in the city.

Traditionally, homelessness has been addressed as a social services issue. It is evolving from a “staircase” model, where the person has to meet certain conditions in order to gradually have access to better and more stable housing, toward the “housing first” model, based on direct access to long-term housing together with social support. This latter has proved more cost-effective and with better results.

The SIPHO programme takes this same logic but applied to preventive measures deriving from housing policies. If “housing first” puts housing at the centre of social integration, this same principle should remain when evictions take place in case of vulnerability and exclusion.

This programme is the last resource against homelessness. Its objective is to coordinate all the actors and resources involved through an integral intervention on urgent cases.

The functions include: mediation, options for assuming debt and allowing occupants to remain, arrangements for legal aid, advice and assistance, and authority to allocate alternative housing.

The interventions involve cases where eviction is underway and debt settlements and income continuance have not been explored or were rejected. This practice belongs to the Unit Against Residential Exclusion of the Right to Housing Plan wider plan of Barcelona.

The practice presented by Barcelona Municipality embraces the URBACT principles of sustainable urban living. The objective of this practice is to reduce homelessness through preventive measures on eviction processes, therein linked with poverty and social exclusion.

Homelessness is often the outcome of the complex interplay of a series of vulnerability factors. However, unemployment and household over-indebtedness remain major risks across Europe, according to the 2016 European Commission Research project “Homeless prevention in the context of evictions”.

The SIPHO practice is also a relevant example of the integrated and participative approach principles. Its objective is to reduce eviction through effective interventions that often include the coordination of a wide array of services, both horizontally (social services, housing offices, emergency services, health services, educational services at the local level) and vertically, with metropolitan, provincial and regional organisations.

The coordination with other civil society organisations is equally essential. In the case of Barcelona it constitutes a key element at different stages: at the time of identifying the cases, when neighbourhood associations or the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) report cases, and also while finding solutions, when non-governmental organisations provide emergency housing alternatives or emergency aid funds.

To a great extent, interventions in urgent evictions were previously carried out by civil society organisations, like the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages and other NGOs. However, the profile of the evicted people has changed since then, now mostly affecting rental and social housing and precarious occupancies. In this regard, Barcelona has now joined the most common profile of evictions in most EU cities.

Despite this, the structures, procedures and lessons learned from the large number of evictions due to foreclosures have greatly contributed to developing this local practice. Their participation has been essential in both the design and the implementation of the practice.

Participatory bodies like the Housing Advisory Board (Conseill d´Habitatge), the Local Eviction Network (Taula de Desonaments), the District Housing Meetings or the Local Social Emergency Network (Mesa de Emergencia Social) have been set up to assess cases and prioritise access to alternative accommodation. These bodies have a watchdog role in implementation and accountability processes.

According to the Unit Against Residential Exclusion (UCER) of the Housing Department, where the SIPHO operates, 679 families were assisted in 2014, 1,020 families in 2015 and 1,574 families in 2016. That means an annual increase of almost 50%. This number does not correspond to an increase of eviction cases, quite the contrary. In 2016, the number of evictions decreased by 8%. However, it remains extraordinary high, with 30 evictions a week just in Barcelona. Nonetheless, this last data should be read with caution, as they are not disaggregated between first homes and other kinds of real estate.

The increase of families assisted by this homelessness prevention project corresponds to the local administration’s firm commitment to strengthen this service. Today, 80% of eviction processes involve this service. It should be noted that data on eviction is extremely hard to collect as it is frequently dispersed, not disaggregated or is even non-existent. Due to the extraordinary number of evictions in Spain since the beginning of the economic crisis, Spain has some of the most accurate data in the EU, according to the experts that coordinated the European Commission report, “Homeless prevention in the context of evictions”.

A large share of the population cannot access adequate housing, especially low- and lower-income households. Housing affordability is becoming a great concern in urban contexts across the EU, with more than 17.3% of the population facing risks of poverty, 11.4% of the population living with burdensome housing costs and with dropping investment in social housing (EUROSTAT). The widespread increase of homelessness is one of the outcomes of these factors (FEANTSA).

Homelessness carries an enormous human cost for the individual or the family affected, but it also carries a large cost for public budgets. Keeping a family in their home is a much more cost-effective approach than paying for inappropriate emergency housing. According to European Commission research mentioned in former sections, in countries like Austria and Germany, it has been estimated that each €1 spent on prevention services may save €7 of costs for temporary accommodations and rehabilitation for homeless households.

In addition, a number of national experts have identified deficits in the availability and accessibility of eviction prevention services, according to the EU report, and cities are best equipped to conduct this preventive intervention. Finally, in order to meet the priorities of the Urban Agenda of the EU, the New Urban Agenda of the UN Habitat World Conference as well as the forthcoming European Pillar of Social Rights, this practice should be incorporated.

Over five years of collaboration, citizens and representatives of the urban government elaborated a holistic strategy for the future urban development of Korneuburg (AT). First, an urban mission statement with common values and goals for sustainable development was formulated. On this basis, the “Masterplan Korneuburg 2036” was developed, comprising more than 100 implementation measures for nine fields of urban life. These are: urban planning, economics, education, mobility, energy, participation and communication, social issues, leisure and quality of living, as well as culture.
Finally, a charter for citizen participation, i.e. an agreement on future collaboration, was elaborated, building the groundwork for long-term collaborative structures and collective action for future urban development. Besides the tangible project outputs, the process contributed considerably to an open and trustful atmosphere and shared responsibility for urban life. The whole process was accompanied by an interdisciplinary team of external experts and scientists.

1. Visionary urban development goals: in close collaboration and in a creative process, citizens, representatives of urban government and external experts developed a common orientation (urban mission statement) for the cities’ future development. It is now binding for future urban decision-making and helped to create a common identity. A broad participatory process ensured a high social and political acceptance of the vision.
2. Long-term strategy for implementation of development goals: it was obvious to everyone involved that the mere elaboration of a common orientation wouldn’t be enough to undergo a meaningful urban transformation process. Thus, specific steps of implementation, based on the formulated development targets, were elaborated. The resulting master plan for future urban development comprises implementation measures for all dimensions of urban life (short-, mid- and long-term measures).
3. Building resilient structures and securing future dynamic development: as the trusting collaboration was a core success factor, a charter for future citizen participation was elaborated. With this, the urban government commits itself to a regulatory framework for long-term urban co-management between the city and its citizens.

The centrepiece of the charter is a steering committee that supervises the implementation and dynamic adaption of the master plan and the mission statement as well as long-term citizen participation.

The project started with developing goals for sustainable urban development by illustrating a picture of how the city – being sustainable in all segments of urban life – should look in future. The mission statement and master plan take into account all dimensions of urban life (urban planning, education, mobility, economics, energy, participation and communication, social issues, leisure and quality of living as well as culture), and thus differ from other urban development strategies, which often focus on spatial planning or economic development. They build on a holistic view of urban life, including knowledge of the citizens and also considering the inseparability of issues.

While elaborating these development goals and implementation measures, it became obvious that political, environmental, and social conditions may change over time and that it is at least as important to design flexible and adaptive instruments (dynamic documents) as well as learning structures and institutions, which allow for ongoing adaption to changing frameworks.

A close collaboration between all urban actors (citizens, civil society, political and administrative representatives) ensured a high quality of the development process, and allowed for a profound learning process among all participants. The agreement to continue this collaboration ensures learning structures for the future. Today, the city is just beginning to take steps towards networking with other cities on the national level.

As this profound urban development process (now ongoing for more than five years) traces back to a citizens’ initiative, the participative approach is a centrepiece of the process. Citizens and municipal actors were equally represented in a steering committee, as well as experts from different disciplines.

The quite exhaustive undertaking comprised more than 45 meetings in the steering committee and approximately 50 meetings in sectoral working groups. The more surprising it was, that fluctuation among people involved was quite low. All participants, who voluntarily committed themselves to the project for such a long period, spent by far more time and effort on the project, than their regular obligation would have required. It is more than just a case-related participatory endeavour, but rather laid the foundation for long-term urban co-management.

The process can be characterised by a trustful collaboration on eye-level, allowing for creativity and intense social learning processes. With implementing the charter for citizen participation and a long-term steering committee, acting as an advisory board for the city council, the city committed itself to future urban co-management.

The project has developed from a citizen initiative to a broad participatory process, involving all groups of urban actors. It ended in a long-term collaboration agreement between citizens and the municipal government and generated considerable self-reinforcing tendencies over time. Each and every step gave an impetus for further development and for searching ways to consolidate newly evolving ideas and structures.

In the mission statement, the vision of a new cooperation culture between citizens and municipal government was identified as a central pillar for future urban governance. Thus, when elaborating the master plan, the issue of participation became a cross-sectional topic considered in implementation measures in all of the nine fields of action. Finally, a collaboration agreement, including rules and quality criteria for future citizen participation (Korneuburger charter of citizen participation), secures the commitment of all parties to share responsibility for future urban development.

In all project phases, citizens collaborated on eye-level with representatives of the municipal government in a very open and trustful atmosphere. Although the mayor’s party even increased the overall majority within the local council at the middle of the project, they continue to focus on cooperation and consensus between all political parties and urban actor groups. The process noticeably changed the understanding of how to govern and develop the city towards shared responsibility.

Sustainability and resilience of urban systems heavily depend on the ability of urban actors to interact, deliberate and collaborate as well as to continuously adapt and transform their institutional structures. Allowing for long-term and reliable but flexible and forward-thinking collaboration among citizens, politicians and municipal administration seems necessary to build networks of adaptive capacity.

Of course, as each and every city has its own identity, frameworks and prerequisites, we don’t think, that there is a “one fits all” solution, which can be applied for all urban locations. Nevertheless, cities may connect themselves and learn from each other’s experiences.

Based on this understanding, the Korneuburg way of urban development might inspire the design of long-term collaboration agreements. It provides knowledge about crucial issues when designing co-management strategies and offers experience in moving beyond traditional forms of case-related citizen participation. Also in terms of holistic strategy-building for urban development (master plan) the city may offer empirical know-how. Experiences with the development of scenarios as a basis for strategy building (guided by scientific experts) may as well be of interest for other cities.

Longford Town and County (IE) faced immense problems associated with a high number of unfinished housing developments – with health and safety risks including unlit streets, unfinished roads and improperly connected sewage. Longford County Council established a dedicated multi-disciplinary team tasked with addressing this issue within the county. The team was delegated powers authorising it to agree with developers on finishes within the development.
This ensured a one-stop shop and a consistent approach across all housing developments. While legal action was sometimes required, the team adopted a collaborative approach at all times, working together to find a solution to resolve the issues. This collaboration included working with developers, receivers, banks and residents of estates whose living conditions were directly affected. The end result was to improve the quality of life for residents and to establish pleasant places where people wish to live, work and visit.

Longford County Council was faced with an immense problem in terms of the scale of the unfinished estates within the administrative area of the municipality and had amongst the highest number of unfinished estates per head of population in the country.

The good practice comprised of:

• Establishment of a dedicated multi-disciplinary project team, the first such team in the country, comprising;
• Ensuring the team had the authority to agree with developers on finishes and certify all works were completed to standards required by Longford County Council;
• Establish a list of priorities and updating that regularly;
• Obtaining good legal advice - which fed into National Guidance;
• Engagement with stakeholders at all levels and at all stages, including developers, receivers, financial institutions and residents, but also the Department of Environment at national level;
• Open communication and integrated approach by the Municipality - it was very important to keep all stakeholders informed throughout the process;
• Calling in financial securities - using legal means where necessary but adopting a collaborative approach, rather than adversarial where possible;
• Establishment of a Strategic Planning Group where needs of the area surpassed physical works.

The problems faced by Longford County Council affected the social, economic and physical environments of the town and county and its inhabitants.

The good practice sought to address environmental issues, e.g. sewerage issues, health and safety issues, and making estates that had been deserted and abandoned by developers viable and attractive places to live, thereby protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for residents.

The work of the Unfinished Estates team, in addition to the physical works to bring the estate back to a standard fit for purpose, was also to give those residents a voice, to listen to them and take their concerns on board in the development of Site Resolution Plans and to ensure at the end of the process that they had an improved quality of life.

The Unfinished Estates team meant that there was a one-stop shop for both developers and residents, ensuring strong communications throughout the process both locally and nationally.

Site Resolution Plans were drawn up using an integrated and participative approach, ensuring all voices were heard. The team adopted a collaborative approach when dealing with these. The Elected Members also had an important role in informing the process.

The development of a Strategic Working Group in a specific area further ensures integration and a shared response to problems, supporting the many families that experienced problems due to the conditions of their area.

The Longford County Council Unfinished Estates team established a file for each unfinished development it addressed and kept records of all communications, including minutes of meetings, with the various stakeholders involved in the process. This record clearly sets out all the communications, how they were involved in the various stages of developing the Site Resolution Plan, the ongoing work on the site and any arising issues as work progressed.

A very positive and public acknowledgement of the participatory approach was evidenced in the judge's comments concerning the case of work at Edgeworthstown; he noted that the town is underpinned by a very committed and astute local group that has an impressive list of achievements. But it was the strategic and collaborative approach adopted that really impressed the judge.

From an environmental and economic point of view, these estates were a blight on the landscape. People living in them lived in constant fear due to health and safety concerns, roads were not finished, public lighting was not installed, sewerage was not properly connected and there were areas of estates that were still building sites, with exposed unfinished developments and open holes presenting serious concerns. All of these priority issues, in terms of health and safety in particular, have been dealt with. These areas, which once were no-go areas in many instances are now attractive places to live and provide a safe environment for people to go about their business.

On a social level, it has ensured that estates in which people were living in fear are now good quality places to live. This affects the quality of life of the residents. The team has helped establish residents associations, many of which have continued even after the Local Authority completed work in the area. The authority provides support and a social outlet for residents, many of whom may have been new to an area. Establishing a Strategic Working Group to address issues in Edgeworthstown has had a significant impact on the residents of the town through better integration, improved services and support and an improvement in the infrastructure in the town.

This initiative would be very interesting for many other European cities. There are many cities and towns throughout Europe who have experienced a decline in construction and more abandoned areas, particularly those that suffered most due to the economic crash, e.g. Spain, Portugal and Greece. However, outside those countries there are also many cities where particular areas may have suffered similar problems, albeit not at the scale to which Longford did.

Longford County Council's approach to dealing with the issue, identifying priorities - ensuring open communication between all stakeholders at all times, providing a one-stop shop for contact, having the power of decision-making within the team to ensure that matters were dealt with in a timely manner - can be applied to many different examples of unfinished developments across a broad spectrum.

It has also been very important to identify areas of particular problems and establish a Strategic Working Group and focus on that area. This clearly illustrates that the team did not solely focus on the physical issues within estates but also looked at the impact on people's lives and how the work they do can improve the quality of life for those people.

This project, active since 2010, boosts the cultural and creative sector in the Emilia-Romagna region (IT) using a simple formula: small grants + spaces + tailor-made services. Known in Italian as INCREDIBOL! (l’INnovazione CREativa DI BOLogna – or “Bologna’s creative innovation”), the scheme involves a network of 30 public and private partners. It is coordinated and managed by the Municipality of Bologna and financed by the Emilia-Romagna Region. 
Every year INCREDIBOL! launches an open call for projects in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) sector. Through this call, selected cultural and creative professionals in their startup phase receive small grants, rent-free spaces, promotion and tailor-made training and consultancies to fill any gaps in their entrepreneurial skills. INCREDIBOL! also provides constant feedback and evaluation of the winning projects. The aim is to retain the region’s creative talents and promote CCIs as a driver for innovation and economic development.

INCREDIBOL! acts through different policies and actions:

• Strategic use of the public heritage: through the spaces provided to its winners, INCREDIBOL! regenerates different areas of public real estate creating small "creative clusters";
• Integrated and participative approach: INCREDIBOL! is based on a large public-private partnership, which over the years has also been extended to the winners of the previous editions, who have become mentors for new CCIs;
• Vertical integration: INCREDIBOL! is a project of the City of Bologna, but acts in close cooperation and with the support of the Emilia-Romagna regional government throughout the whole regional area;
• Environmental problems: INCREDIBOL! encourages the development of new economies based on CCIs, usually "green" and characterised by a low impact on the environment;
• Social inclusion: promoting social and non-technological innovation, INCREDIBOL! helps the implementation of inclusive policies and actions on the city;
• Sustainable economic development: promoting "spillovers" between the creative sector and traditional sectors, INCREDIBOL! helps the innovation of the traditional economic sectors.

INCREDIBOL! features an integrated approach that takes into account economic development, culture, urban regeneration, youth policies, social innovation. A good example of INCREDIBOL!’s integrated approach is the strategic use of public heritage: free spaces offered to young creatives in some deprived areas of the city have given young entrepreneurs a chance to set up their activity in a physical place. At the same time, the areas have experienced the settlement of a small creative cluster and small-scale regeneration processes have started.

On a bigger scale, the major presence of creatives enhances social cohesion and safety in the areas. The project features a win-win holistic approach: based on the cooperation of dozens of different actors from different fields, and an audience of active stakeholders, its effects have become relevant for the whole city, not only for the target group. The "INCREDIBOL! approach" has demonstrated its success and has been adopted in other initiatives as a good practice.

INCREDIBOL! is an ever-evolving network of public and private partners (30 at the moment, including the local university, Academy of Fine Arts, Chamber of Commerce and many private partners including entrepreneurs, consultants, incubators, training providers) which offer free services and participate in defining the evolution of the project.

Each partner contributes, according to its own specialisation, in a win-win approach able to create positive effects with a small budget, which includes dedicated support staff and a strong communication campaign. Several “senior winners” are actively involved in the project, dedicating their specific expertise to projects selected in recent rounds of the INCREDIBOL! call.

INCREDIBOL! has been the first support scheme for CCIs established in Italy, and since 2010 it has been evolving according to the changing needs of the sector. INCREDIBOL! is based on an integrated and holistic approach that considers creativity not only as a sector, but also as a driver for economic development, urban regeneration, quality of life, social innovation and city attractiveness.

So far, INCREDIBOL! has selected 82 winners aged under 40 through five calls for entrepreneurial projects, and has been upgraded to a stronger regional dimension thanks to the support of Emilia-Romagna region. It has assigned 27 public buildings to creative professionals and companies in Bologna. Lastly, it has supported, through dedicated calls for internationalisation projects, small urban regeneration projects and has provided assistance to more than 100 beneficiaries per year.

The mortality rate of INCREDIBOL! winners after three years is now 4% of the total, a very low index compared to other entrepreneurial sectors or support schemes.

In addition to the issues addressed and solutions offered, which are of interest to most European cities, INCREDIBOL! has set a new approach for the public sector: more horizontal, informal and flexible and less dependent on high budgets (the average financial budget per year is 100,000 euros, but the global value of the project has been estimated at 500,000 euros).

It is also able to speak the language of the creative community and to shape the identity of the project according to their needs, becoming a good example of what Charles Landry has termed "creative bureaucracy". We also like to call it an example of "frugal innovation", a demonstration of how small-scale projects can generate bigger impacts with a win-win approach.

The Living Library is an informal activity set up in Valongo (PT) for students from 14 to 18 years of age, with the slogan “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. The organisers took the concept of the Living Library held at Denmark’s Roskilde Festival in 2000, and adapted it for a school audience. It allows an informal and constructive dialogue between students and ‘Human Books’ – volunteers who are frequently the recipients of prejudices and stereotypes.
The Living Library also creates the opportunity to promote an interpersonal relationship between groups that are usually not able to interact. It enables participants to challenge their own stereotypes and prejudices in a structured, protected environment, and in a limited time. More than 4,200 young people have taken part since Valongo’s Living Library was launched in 2010, and the project has been extended to six schools.

The physical space is decorated just like a normal library. In the project there is an element of itinerancy, as it visits the different schools. Before the implementation of the activity, a meeting with a teacher takes place. During this meeting the necessary steps to prepare the activity in each class are explained.

Afterwards, each teacher debates with the class the goals of the Living Library and prepares in advance some questions to present to the books. This ensures that the youngsters do not become blocked during the interaction with the Human Books. At the same time, NGOs are contacted and partnerships are made. These NGOs identify Human Books, volunteers who will participate in the project and will assume a stereotype. The Human Books should have personal experience, as well as technical and scientific preparation so that they are able to challenge stereotypes.

To help them in this process, the municipality trains them and helps them to anticipate difficulties, problems, and how to face challenges. On the day the activity takes place, different Human Books are available to be read. There is a librarian who creates four sub-groups in each class, gives out the instructions, and makes sure the activity is evaluated. Each group talks to the Human Book, posing questions for about 20 minutes. When this period of time ends, the groups exchange Human Books and restart reading them. This process continues until every group has made contact with all the books.

Those of us who attempt to initiate programmes that promote intercultural dialogue are frequently faced with the challenge of coming up with something innovative. We are constantly looking for something that can attract the attention of many and make a real difference to those involved.

The Living Library is an innovative approach to equality and diversity because it addresses the broad subject of prejudice without emphasising one specific case over others. At the same time, it manages to successfully navigate around some of the sensitivities that accompany anti-prejudice work, while maintaining an element of fun and interaction that makes the project immensely appealing to both potential organisers and participants. The Living Library, implemented since 2010, is a way to help young people reflect about the world, equality and interculturality. It is also an excellent opportunity to deconstruct stereotypes, to develop self-awareness about the importance of cultural diversity, interculturality, plural democracy and human rights. It also allows the sharing of life stories and experiences, the aids to the fight of multiple discrimination and sensitises youngsters to the importance of social diversity and human rights.

The Living Library is a project that was strongly supported by the National Mechanism for Immigration. It is only possible because of the participation of different stakeholders: schools, NGOs (ACAPO – blind and nearsighted people; Associação Luso-Africana Pontos Nos Is – immigrants; ILGA – gay, lesbian, transgender people; MEDesTu – intercultural and interreligious; Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro – cancer survivors; Centro Hospitalar S. João – hospital that cooperates with us to identify people with mental disease; AMI – poverty and homeless volunteers, as well as volunteers who are able to share the importance of human rights to the fabric of our democracies and the responsibility of the individual citizen in realising abstract human rights in his or her everyday life. This is achieved by creating a safe environment for Readers and Books to engage in open dialogue whose explicit aim is to discuss topics that in almost any other setting would be considered too delicate. At the Living Library these discussions are possible, indeed, they are surprisingly easy. Becoming one half of that exchange is a rare privilege and one that leaves no one who experiences it unaffected.

Some of the results of the project are:

• Sensitisation and raising awareness regarding different issues that indirectly contribute to the increase of intercultural competence;
• The creation of opportunities as well as of non-traditional ways of fostering intercultural discussion and how to challenge stereotypes;
• The dissemination of the potential, difficulties and culture of migrant communities among non-traditional target audiences and different age groups;
• The promotion of dialogue between different actors of organised and non-organised civil society in Valongo;
• The deconstruction of stereotypes regarding ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, disability, etc;
• The promotion of interculturality issues in the local community, especially through media;
• The high level of satisfaction of participants in qualitative questionnaires (the average results vary between 4.9 and 5 on a scale of up to 5 points, in which 1 is the lowest and 5 the highest);
• School communities consider the Living Library one of the most interesting activities implemented in schools. Other quantitative results are:
• Six schools were involved in 2010 and eight in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016;
• More than 10 volunteers were present at each Living Library edition;
• Since 2010 more than 4,200 youngsters have participated in the project.

This programme has been recognised for its efforts to address discrimination by breaking down stereotypes and promoting interculturality. What began as a project of three schools and 150 students has now spread to six schools, more than 800 students each year and engages at least 10 volunteers – an impressive record in this small city and new immigrant gateway. The Living Library has been recognised by the National Mechanism for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue as a best practice and is being replicated across Portugal in cooperation with NGOs such as Pontos Nos Is and Amizade de Leste. The methodology was also recognised as a good practice by the following entities:

• Inclusion of the Living library in the European Web Site on Integration – 2013, a European Commission initiative that targets people who work in the integration field and promotes the exchange of good practices;
• Inclusion of the Living Library in the booklet of Good Practices in the Porto Metropolitan Area – 2013, a document that gathers good practices identified as innovative and socially entrepreneuring;
• Recognition as a good practice by the International Association of Education Cities at the congress that took place in Rosario, Argentina, in 2016. Transferability, easy implementation and low budget are some of the reasons why it has been considered a good practice by many institutions.

Schiedam is situated near Rotterdam, in the Netherlands' most densely populated urban area. With a predominantly low-income population of 78,000, Schiedam decided to promote upward social mobility by improving its housing stock and facilities, encouraging talented, economically successful citizens to stay in the city. 
In 2010 Schiedam seized the opportunity to use the roof of a 2.5 km motorway tunnel to relocate sports facilities and redevelop their former sites. Schiedam was "unlocked" in close cooperation with citizen groups and sports clubs, as well as private companies, to ensure the feasibility of plans produced in the participative process. It also minimised public financial risks and was combined with a smart procurement strategy and room for private initiatives. 
This programme supports social cohesion and inclusion by developing new multifunctional sports facilities while adding 640 sustainable dwellings to facilitate local housing for citizens.

The good practice offers the following solutions:

• Efficient spatial integration of main national infrastructure;
• Substantial mitigation of air pollution and noise compared to the effects achieved by a traditional approach to motorway construction;
• Improved urban green areas that are well connected to the rural areas outside Schiedam by walking and cycling routes;
• Stimulating a healthy, active life style by building new and multi-functional sports facilities with added features like physiotherapy, a childcare centre and a (1,200 pupil) dance school;
• Vital sport clubs organising activities that contribute to social cohesion and inclusion;
• Development of 640 new, all-electric apartments and houses that contribute to a sustainable, differentiated and higher quality housing stock;
• Retaining higher income groups in the city by improving public facilities and housing stock;
• Supporting a local housing career for Schiedam citizens as a contribution to upward social mobility.

Schiedam in Motion is an example of a sustainable and integrated approach to tackling urban challenges, both horizontal and vertical. The approach is horizontally integrated because it covers multiple dimensions of public policy, i.e. sports, public health, social cohesion and inclusion by enabling local housing careers. The vertical integration shows a multilevel governance approach through the interaction between the national, regional and local levels of public administration.

The package deal about the building and local integration of the A4 motorway was the result of a 40-year history of deliberation between local, regional and national governments. Since its start in 2010, Schiedam in Motion has interacted closely with public and private stakeholders for their input and commitment to a feasible and sustainable plan and decision-making process.

A lean procurement strategy was designed in which transactions with developers were limited to the sale of land. The contracts contained very little detailed and formal requirements about the development itself, other than the general rules of the municipal zoning plan. This proved to be successful in mobilising market creativity and keeping a high pace in the process.

With investments, capital and running costs as well as savings for long-term maintenance and renewal, Schiedam in Motion is fully integrated in the municipal budget for the next 30 years.

The evidence of the participatory approach is (among other things) to be found in reports to the city council with recommendations of consultation groups of citizens and sports clubs as a result of several years of periodic meetings with these groups. There are also reports to the city council with advice and propositions from private companies (developers, building companies) about the redevelopment of the former sport sites in an environmentally sustainable way.

Early engagement of citizens in the new developments and their production of written reports (recommendations) resulted in adaptations of plans and an effective contribution to the final development. Furthermore, the participation process was provided with the findings of expert groups who advised about the latest trends in sport (how it will be organised, what are the consequences for new accommodation).

Schiedam is a member of Eurotowns, the European network for medium-sized cities. We realise that this practice addresses issues that many European medium-sized cities face:

• How to optimise the use of limited space in densely populated urban areas;
• How to combine public health demands (air pollution, noise) with spatial development tasks and ambitions like the integration of large (national) infrastructure;
• How to engage citizens and other stakeholders in an early stage of development, thereby ensuring commitment to new developments and mobilising their ideas and creativity for the continuity of the process, as well as the quality of the final plans;
• How to facilitate social cohesion and inclusion and use investments in sports, housing, public health and green recreational areas as a means to do so. In March 2017, Hastings Borough Council (UK) visited Schiedam to learn from the Schiedam in Motion experience. They proved the transferability of the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mo5NGo9D8k

Schiedam is a member of Eurotowns, the European network for medium-sized cities. We realise that this practice addresses issues that many European medium-sized cities face:

• How to optimise the use of limited space in densely populated urban areas;
• How to combine public health demands (air pollution, noise) with spatial development tasks and ambitions like the integration of large (national) infrastructure;
• How to engage citizens and other stakeholders in an early stage of development, thereby ensuring commitment to new developments and mobilising their ideas and creativity for the continuity of the process, as well as the quality of the final plans;
• How to facilitate social cohesion and inclusion and use investments in sports, housing, public health and green recreational areas as a means to do so. In March 2017, Hastings Borough Council (UK) visited Schiedam to learn from the Schiedam in Motion experience. They proved the transferability of the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mo5NGo9D8k

The Town Team was set up to drive the revitalisation of Monaghan Town (IE). Initiated by the local authority, the Town Team concept enables stakeholders (local authority, businesses, landlords, community groups) to work collaboratively to design and implement a plan for reinvigorating town centres, re-engaging with citizens and customers alike. This Town Team plan takes account of all stakeholders’ needs and must express the vision for the town, the actions required and who is responsible for what. The Team focuses on three key areas:

• The Offer (in this instance, retail and hospitality Investment);
• Citizen Engagement (for residents to view their town as their own);
• And the Public Realm (including standards and security). Communicating with the wider public and reminding people that the town is theirs to enjoy and support is key to engagement and to retaining their support for activities.

The Town Team concept offers a collaborative approach to stakeholders who have a common goal of improving the vibrancy and vitality of their town centres. The local authority, Monaghan County Council, has realised the need for intervention and to support town centre development by appointing a Town Team coordinator from local authority resources to service a Town Team. The Team comprises a core membership of approximately 10 members from the local authority, retailers, landlords, employers, business associations, residents, tourism groups, An Gardai (police), community groups and education. The coordinator takes responsibility for the preparation of the Team Town Plan and through tools such as a SWOT analysis devises realistic, prioritised and costed actions. As a multi-agency approach to revitalisation, the process allows for effective idea generation and for communication among stakeholders to identify issues that are affecting the vitality and viability of the town centre. Furthermore, in recognition of the "common good", the process can generate the support for necessary, yet often unpopular, local authority interventions, for example the suspension of zero-rated property rates for vacant properties. Communication and information-sharing with the wider memberships of stakeholder groups and the public is critical to ensuring confidence and wider support for the Town Team, as well as an information hub for events and activities and to mobilise the community.

The Town Team concept is a strategic and holistic approach initiated by the local authority to address the deterioration of the well-being of the town centre. The team is integrated, bringing together the economic, social and environmental interests and facilitating a participative approach to promote genuine solutions to sustain and revive the town centre. The Town Team is an enabler of cities, promoting activities and events to get citizens engaged and using their town centres for their well-being. It is a capacity builder, collectively bringing the knowledge and experience of differing interests to provide solutions to the problems. The collective capacity of the Town Team has the ability to influence and shape local policy, for example encouraging the local authority to promote greater emphasis on public realm initiatives and to encourage an active approach by the local authority to addressing vacancy and dereliction in the town centre. The team is the framework for providing a holistic overview of the current situation and by operating through consensus is a mechanism for facilitating solutions to the town centre challenges, and most importantly, mobilising its citizens to actively participate and enjoy their town centres.

The Town Team process represents active citizen engagement and allows for the production of a Team Plan through co-governance, with stakeholders determining a shared strategy and setting these into clear, realistic and achievable actions that are costed and prioritised. Having appointed a Town Team coordinator, the local authority held a public information meeting with stakeholder groups and the general public. From expressions of interest and with a balance of the economic, social and community pillars, the Town Team was formed. With the initial membership in place, a SWOT analysis was carried out with a focus on revival of the town centre, and this was used to inform the preparation of the Town Plan. The key focuses of the Town Team monthly meetings are:

• To progress the actions of the Town Plan (achievements and next steps);
• To review the actions within the plan (are these still relevant; what are the existing/emerging inter-relationships between action points);
• To allocate tasks within the Team to ensure that actions can be progressed (who is responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of next steps, key action points). Another key participatory element of the Town Team is communication with the local business people and the general public. Communication is through an email mailing list, the http://monaghanhasit.ie/ website and https://www.facebook.com/monaghanhasit Facebook page which provides a link to what activities are happening within the town.

The Town Team has documented a number of achievements which have created confidence within the membership and positivity within the citizens and allow for continuing vision for the benefit of the community. Successes include the establishment of a Town Voucher scheme, retaining money locally; Monaghan Business Awards evening, promotion of Monaghan as a Top 10 Foodie Destination, adoption of Age-Friendly town; coordination of festivals and improved ratings in the national Tidy Towns competition. These activities have served to mobilise the community in positively engaging in their towns. The mutual support between community and local authority for the revival of the town has resulted in the recent delivery of a 4.5 km walk/cycle greenway along a disused towpath of the Ulster Canal funded through the national Smarter Travel programme together with a Biodiversity Management Plan. Action plans are also currently being prepared to mobilise activity on underutilised backlands. These achievements are a great success in Monaghan, a town slowly emerging from the economic recession. Monaghan, given its proximity to the Border with Northern Ireland, has always had a cautious approach to investment as it suffers from the impact of unpredicted currency differentials between the euro and the pound sterling. The impact of the UK's intention to leave the EU (Brexit) has created an unprecedented level of uncertainty around investment, yet the Town Team perseveres and achieves success.

Cities are constantly facing challenges to sustaining the well-being of their town centres, from major economic crises, changing lifestyle patterns, demographic shift and maintaining environmental quality. The challenges experienced in Monaghan may be of interest to many other border communities across Europe. Monaghan Town includes a hinterland that extends over the land border into Northern Ireland, and as a result was heavily affected by the political Troubles in Northern Ireland. Although now in a post-conflict era, there still remain some legacy issues, for example around trust in the business community and the general public. Business investment in the town has been cautious, due in some part to the legacy issues, but also due to fluctuating currency differentials between the euro and the pound sterling with the United Kingdom. The situation around Brexit has added an unprecedented level of uncertainty for the business community in the town. The issue of building trust in the community and the stakeholders was a main consideration in the local authority intervening to appoint a coordinator to the service of the Town Team. The experience of the Town Team in addressing challenges provides a valuable education that can be transferred to other cities in border communities. The Town Team concept brings together stakeholders who have an interest in their town to prepare a plan, having regard to sustainable principles and to promote the growth of their town.