The creation of a public utility park in the Ion Creanga neighbourhood of Bucharest (RO) was one of the objectives of the 2nd District Integrated Urban Development Plan, financed under the 2007-13 Regional Operational Programme. In line with goals for sustainable growth, the park was designed to integrate the social needs of the community with environmental protection, increase accessibility and mobility, and reduce disparities between the Ion Creanga area and more developed parts of Bucharest.
The project was inaugurated in 2012. The large green space now helps the local community by increasing quality of life, encouraging residents to take part in outdoor activities, and giving a chance for better connections between the Roma community and other residents. As for the area's public image, the park significantly improved the urban infrastructure and quality of the environment, including efficient energy use.

Sustainable development is the organising principle for meeting human development goals at the same time sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend. The problems the Ion Creanga area was facing before creating the green infrastructure, public utility park were: high percentage of petty crime, lack of facilities for people with disabilities, insufficient green space that contributed to the migration of young population to more developed areas, lack of recreational areas, air pollution, lack of awareness of environmental protection, a large amount of waste. The construction of the park in the Ion Creanga area offers a set of solutions to be implemented by EU member states:

• Making inner-city neighbourhoods more liveable, recreational opportunities for low-income children and families,
• Parks and recreational facilities have been strongly linked to reduced juvenile delinquency,
• Increasing residents' sense of community ownership and stewardship, providing a focus for neighbourhood activities, expose inner-city youth to nature, connect people from diverse cultures,
• Parks and open spaces make compact living attractive and feasible, every tree helps fight global warming by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases, parks and green infrastructure offset the warming effects on cities, making them cooler.
• The park's value is calculated through cleaner air and water that improve public health.

The good practice presented was built on a sustainable and integrated approach as part of the 2nd District Integrated Urban Development Plan, which was considered the right solution for the area after various consultations between citizens in the area and local government representatives.

The public utility park in the Ion Creanga area can be a significant part of urban sustainable development, from the integrative approaches such as:

• Educational value - a public utility park is a valuable resource offering numerous educational programmes that bring together community members of diverse ages, ethnic backgrounds, and economic status to learn from one another.
• Economic value - a public utility park supports public health, the economy, the environment, education, and community cohesion; high-quality public utility parks also spur economic development by attracting homebuyers and boosting residential property values by as much as 15 percent, meaning greater wealth for residents and increased revenues for cities.
• Public Health value - urban public utility parks support public health by cleaning the air that the residents breathe, outdoor activities in open spaces lower stress, improve physical and emotional health, reduce hyperactivity, and build stronger immune systems.
• Community value - residents’ sense of community ownership and stewardship is increased.
• Environmental value - natural landscapes are vital, sustainable and rational management of waste, increasing energy efficiency.

To provide an efficient solution for the problems of the area in an integrated manner, the 2nd District Integrated Urban Development Plan was developed and financed under the Regional Operational Programme 2007-2013. The vision was to work with local people to guide a major change in the way the land is managed and to give the local communities a better future.

A series of measures were being undertaken within this framework in close collaboration with local stakeholders, authorities all working together. To better define and address the solution to the local community the 2nd District City Hall organised a series of debates and public consultations, advertised the project on its website and took all the active measures to integrate the community’s demands in the project.

The park's creation had positive impacts in terms of environment, health and community:

• It made the Ion Creanga neighbourhood more liveable; it offered recreational opportunities for at-risk youth, low-income children, and low-income families;
• It increased residents’ sense of community ownership and stewardship, provided a focus for neighbourhood activities, expose inner-city youth to nature, connect people from diverse cultures, improved the interaction and communication with the Roma residents in the
• Provided a high quality environment for the community;
• Provided sustainable and rational management of waste by installing compartmentalised bins to educate the population to collect garbage differently;
• Increased energy efficiency through the automated installation of lighting and irrigation systems;
• Increased outdoor activities in open spaces, connection through sports and games between Roma children and Romanian children;
• Attracted homebuyers and boosted residential property values in the area by as much as 15 percent.

Sustainable development is the organising principle for meeting human development goals while at the same time sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depends. The desirable end result is a state of society where living conditions and resource use continue to meet human needs without undermining the integrity and stability of the natural systems.

The good practice presented is relevant in the context of social, economic and environment challenges that Europe faces nowadays by encouraging a smarter, more integrated approach to development which ensures that Europe’s limited space is utilised in as efficient and coherent a way as possible and it can be transferred to smaller or larger areas, both at district level or broader territorial contexts.

Therefore, the good practice could be implemented in other areas that face problems Ion Creanga area faces and where it is vital to create green area for increasing the quality of life of the community and for changing and improving the neighbourhood. In the context of a European Union that promotes sustainable growth and especially the protection of the environment, it is imperative to build more green areas in the cities that lead to pollution reduction, social improvement and especially better living conditions for the citizens.

This good practice is an example of organisational change. The City of Rzeszow (PL) set up external Resident Services Points (RSPs) to improve the accessibility and provision of public services. Four RSPs have opened since 2011 in easily accessible shopping malls that have extensive parking and are tailored to the needs of people with disabilities. RSP services include issuing ID cards and driving licenses and registering vehicles, as well as helping with official applications and providing information on local events.
This local self-government initiative was based on residents' needs as identified in a survey. Residents' expectations were taken into account when defining factors such as location, opening hours and the scope of services. As a result, people can visit the RSPs on their way to everyday activities such as shopping, entertainment or sports. The aim is to improve the quality and streamlined handling of official matters and to provide a comprehensive, professional service.

The Good Practice of Rzeszow is focused on organisational change in terms of direct service of applicants and the provision of public services by establishing the external Resident Services Points. RSPs are available in the easily accessible shopping malls (“Rzeszów Gallery”, Shopping Centre “Plaza”, “New World” Shopping Centre, “Millennium Hall” Cultural and Shopping Centre), offering facilities such as extensive parking, architectural solutions tailored to the needs of people with disabilities, and allowing the applicant to manage everyday matters (shopping, entertainment, sports).

RSPs are open six days a week (Monday-Saturday) from 10:00 to 18:00. RSPs cover almost all citizens' affairs: issue and exchange of ID cards; check-in for permanent or temporary stays, and checkout of permanent or temporary residences; PESEL number registration. RSPs also cover vehicle registration; vehicle sales reports; issue of driving licenses. Payment for the issue of a driving license or a registration certificate may be made at RSPs using a card (VISA, MasterCard).

In RSPs you can also get information about cultural and sports events in the city, arrange a meeting with a chosen official, and get help filling in official applications. RSPs also serve as feeder offices. RSPs provide the opportunity to settle a wide range of civic issues in comfortable conditions, including the needs of disadvantaged groups (persons with disabilities, seniors, women with children, etc.).

One of the goals of Rzeszow authorities is a harmonious and sustainable development of urban life, taking into account the most recent problems of cities in terms of demographic (increasing number of urban dwellers, aging population), functional-spatial (spillover of cities) and territorial management. The creation of RSPs, aimed at meeting the expectations and needs of residents, is in line with direction of sustainable and integrated development. The RSPs are an expression of Rzeszow's concern for the welfare of the inhabitants and, more generally, of the whole community.

Their attractive locations, extended opening hours, the possibility of combining official dealings with other types of daily activities allowed all residents to save time, financial resources, etc. They counteract social exclusion by guaranteeing equal and free access to public administration services to people with disabilities (disabled, seniors, unskilled workers, etc.). They are also one of the tools to tackle environmental problems (including reducing CO2 emissions by reducing the number of journeys to official affairs etc.).

An integrated and participatory approach to solving contemporary urban challenges is evident in the way RSPs work. The scope of their activities is constantly adapted to the most up-to-date needs of the inhabitants (reported by the residents during the systematic consultations examining the functionality and effectiveness of their activities).

All activities undertaken for the development of the municipality of Rzeszow are realised with a participatory approach, and the implementation of new ideas takes place with the active participation of the local community. Taking into account the needs and perspectives of the residents positively influences their local identity, enhances their sense of responsibility and co-responsibility for the common good.

RSP implementation was preceded by meetings of the city president (and closest co-workers) with the inhabitants of the various housing estates, conducted during the period of January 2010 – July 2011, during which the inhabitants were consulted on the idea of launching the RSPs as well as the details related to their functioning (location, hours of operation, scope of competence etc.).

Based on the collected feedback, guidelines for the functioning of the first RSP were developed, meeting the needs of the inhabitants reported during the meetings. Periodic satisfaction surveys of residents were conducted (within the framework of UMR Quality Management System ISO 9001), where residents reported the need to launch further RSPs and presented ideas to improve those already functioning in the city. The ideas submitted were then analysed by the ORA, where legal/financial/organisational feasibility was investigated (evidence: summary report, ORA archive).

The analysis of the statistics shows that every year the number of cases settled in RSPs increases. Residents increasingly prefer to do all the formalities in the service points located in shopping malls, open from 10:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Saturday. In 2013 in RSPs handled about 20,000 cases, for example: - issue and exchange of over 6,000 identity cards; check-in, check-out, accounting for 15% of cases; vehicle registration, over 20% of cases; driving license - 16% of cases. In 2016 about 50,000 cases were handled in the RSPs.

The innovation effect of the solution is the satisfaction of customers through the extended working time of the office, greater availability of officials, the ability to handle many official matters in one place, the possibility to pay the required fees with a payment card, to provide a pleasant and professional service in a fast time, comfortable underground car park, elevator access.

Bearing in mind Europe-wide trends in demographic, functional-spatial or social changes in cities, it is likely that other European countries will be interested in the Good Practice described above. Efficient execution of public tasks requires at least occasional contact with citizens, which in other European cities, as in Rzeszow is increasingly difficult due to the already mentioned general development trends.

Spilled into ever-expanding urban territory, urban citizens are increasingly unable to access the usual centres of government offices, resulting in declining local social solidarity, interest in the "life of the city" and its influence on the situation, and the avoidance of responsibility for coercion. The Rzeszow idea is an expression of interest by the authorities in the needs and expectations of citizens.

"In a social context, the orchestra is a tool to foster social inclusion," said José Antonio Abreu, a musician and former Minister of Culture of Venezuela, who sees the orchestra as a cooperative "company". Musica in Gioco (Music in Play) is based on Abreu's "El Sistema" method. It presents a children's orchestra as a solution to the social unrest of young generations living in the urban context.
Supported by the Municipality of Adelfia (IT), the Musica in Gioco association set up a teaching experiment that offers free musical instruments and lessons to children living in the town. Most of the young orchestra members experience social hardship or suffer from disabilities (autism, dyslexia, Down syndrome). To be part of Musica in Gioco, every child makes a pact with the orchestra: to practice their instrument for 15 minutes a day and attend all rehearsals.

Musica in Gioco is composed of three orchestras, working on two repertories: classical music and street band. The First Orchestra is composed of 60 children (12-16 years old). They are the first young people who started this experience in Adelfia, in 2010, so they are now at an advanced level; the second one is composed of 80 children (7-11 years old), the third is composed of 20 children (3-6 years old).

The instruments and music lessons are completely free, but the children have two tasks: practicing with the instrument for 15 minutes a day and attending all rehearsals. The learning methodology is not based on an evaluation of results, but on each child’s level of engagement and participation. In fact the orchestra is proposed not as a learning space, but as a community space, where children can experiment together by playing music in a “cooperative learning” dimension. This is because the methodology is based on the development of motivation that consists of three defined passages: first, experiencing on the instruments, the child will enjoy; second, practicing with the instrument, the child will obtain results; third, playing in a concert, the engagement of the child will be recognised by the community.

This means that the child becomes aware that by motivation and engagement, all people can have the same opportunity regardless of social and health conditions. In this way Musica in Gioco supports the city in spreading the culture of legality and of social inclusion

Musica in Gioco has been developed on an integrated approach. It aims at the social inclusion of disadvantaged children through music education and through the development of specific competencies in music for those who want to find a job in the music sector. The orchestras are accessible to children living in Adelfia. Priority is given to children referred by the social service administration and the schools, coming from poor families or with previous criminal convictions. Moreover, some members of the orchestras are children with physical disabilities. Finally, other members belong to the middle class.

In order to develop professional competencies, six teachers from the Conservatorio Nicolò Piccinni, the music academy in Bari, have been involved in managing the orchestra at advanced level (12-16 years old), in order to propose a free course, with a teaching programme similar to that offered to students attending the Conservatorio. Furthermore some children of the above mentioned orchestra, with a specific economic disadvantage, have the opportunity to be tutors of younger children, paid with a small grant.

The integrated approach tackles social exclusion through cooperative learning and peer education methodologies, and at the same time it improves real skill in music, in order to improve socio–educational and professional development, thus creating the basis for future employment in the music sector, while contributing to the reduction of economic and cultural poverty.

Musica in Gioco is supported by a network composed of local and regional institutions, civil society and private stakeholders. It started the orchestra activity in Adelfia in 2010, thanks to the support of Teatro Kismet Opera in Bari. The Municipality of Adelfia, as a local institution that endorses Musica in Gioco, has made an old palace available as a headquarters, and it provides heating and electricity. Furthermore, there is an important collaboration with the social service administration, which identifies the children with economic and social problems to be involved in the orchestra.

The musical instruments have been bought thanks to the sponsorship of a consortium of 60 private companies (Consorzio Costellazione Apulia). The six teachers directing the orchestras as volunteers are official teachers at the Conservatorio Niccolò Piccini in Bari.

Every year, the Apulia Region grants an economic contribution in order to enlarge the orchestras to new children. Musica in Gioco is a member of Sistema delle Orchestra e dei Cori Giovanili e Infantili in Italia, a non-profit network of young orchestras and choirs that permits Musica in Gioco to promote itself nationally and internationally and to organise concerts. Last but not least, the involvement of private citizens is crucial; specifically, the parents of children who are members of the orchestras care for the cleaning of classrooms and bathrooms and cater for all products for cleaning and personal hygiene.

Musica in Gioco started its activities in Adelfia in 2010. In 2012 it had an orchestra of 60 children. Today it has 3 orchestras of 160 members. In 2016 the Municipality of Adelfia and the Musica in Gioco association signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU): Adelfia provides a headquarters to the orchestras, whereas the Social Services together with the schools identify the young people and children to be part of the orchestras. Over the last two years, thanks to the project “Harmonies to Health in the Schools” by Musica in Gioco, 20 primary school teachers from Adelfia have been trained in El Sistema Abreu, and 70 students have been trained as a school orchestra that has performed in a final concert. Together with the Sistema delle Orchestra e dei Cori Giovanili e Infantile in Italia, some components of the orchestras of Musica in Gioco have had performances in Italy, the most important of which was the Christmas concert in 2016 at Palazzo Madama before Sergio Mattarella, president of Italy Social Services, supported by the schools, are now monitoring the impact of the activities implemented. We underline that, after the signature of the MoU, 80% of the young people involved are still playing in the orchestras and their parents participate as volunteers. Moreover, as documented by a resolution of Apulia Region, in the Municipality of Adelfia there is an increase in requests to join the orchestras.

Musica in Gioco is being proposed as a good practice because it contributes to social inclusion and to reducing poverty. Social inclusion is the 9th Thematic Objective of EU Strategy 2020; the goal of EU policy is to reduce the number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in 28 countries, thereby creating a more inclusive society.

In EUROSTAT statistics (December 2016) we find the following data: in 20 of 28 EU Member States, children are at greater risk of poverty and social exclusion than the total population, with a rate of 26.9%. The highest rate has been observed in Romania, Hungary, the United Kingdom and Slovakia. The main factors affecting child poverty are the labour market situation of the parents (linked to their level of education), the effectiveness of government intervention through income support and the provision of enabling services; there are also more vulnerable groups of children, such as those with migrant parents. Different percentages, different contexts, but the same challenges for European urban areas.

The results obtained by Musica in Gioco practice are evident about the number of children involved and the participatory approach in an Italian town. In Italy, the rate of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion is very high: 28.7% of all Italian children up to 17 years old (EUROSTAT 2017). This means that it could be an interesting good practice to be implemented in other EU cities where, as just described, the rates are higher.

Every year from April to May, the City of Tallinn (EE) holds a big Spring Clean-Up Campaign. Volunteers get together to clean salt from streets, plant trees and flowers, pick up litter from Baltic beaches. There are celebrations and a far-reaching environmental awareness campaign. In terms of waste management, the main actions are to remove self-generated landfills, collect hazardous waste and clean up roads and green areas. This involves the city cooperating with waste treatment companies, residents of city districts, non-profit associations, apartment associations, schools, youth organisations and pensioners. The Spring Clean-Up Campaign is widely publicised in Estonian and Russian, with a public screen in the central Freedom Square, coverage in district newspapers, a campaign website and a booklet "The ABC of Public Facilities and Maintenance". In 2017, the event took place for the 26th time.

Clean-up of roads, residential areas and green areas. Clean-up actions organised by city institutions, district authorities, NGOs, local communities, schools and residential associations. Planting of trees in schools on Earth Day. An educational project for schools: "Let’s see, know and do!" Participation in European Clean-up Day. Demonstration of environmentally friendly cleaning products. Mobile collection of hazardous wastes in residential areas.

For each year, the city has planned a specific budget to organise the Spring Clean-Up Campaign, covering the costs for different city-wide activities related to maintenance. All the city districts are involved in the activities of the Spring Clean-Up Campaign and the needs for specific activities are discussed jointly.

In addition, opening and closing events of the Spring Clean-Up Campaign are organised. In the opening event, the traditional Spring Clean-Up Campaign is officially declared open and in the closing event, the most active and industrious participants of the maintenance works are thanked and recognised.

There are traditional activities, such as washing the waiting shelters for urban public transportation and cleaning urban waste and trash from roads and pavements. In addition, road salt is removed from the streets during the Spring Clean-Up Campaign. Trash piles, which have accumulated over time, are also removed.

If such events are regularly organised each year, then people want to participate and wait for the next event, so as to help keep their home surroundings in good order. The time and place of a specific event is announced in the local newspaper (Linnaleht) and the citizens are invited to participate.

Posters are placed in public places and public institutions, announcing the time and place of the event, and advertisements are displayed in supermarkets informing the audience of the specific event taking place in their city district. In public transportation, if there are screens available, information about the events organised in the city is displayed. City district governments send e-mail invitations to different authorities located in the city to participate in these events.

Regarding the information campaign of the Spring Clean-Up Campaign, there is an animation clip that is shown on TV, on the website's home page, on Facebook, in public transportation and on the screen located at Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak). There are also urban media, information days, outdoor posters, hanging banners.

The people’s environmental awareness has increased. Satisfaction surveys of the citizens of Tallinn show that the Spring Clean-Up Campaign is well-known (69% of all citizens) and people participate willingly in many events and cleaning campaigns.

Organising the Spring Clean-Up Campaign is a very good opportunity for local government to include city residents in the maintenance of their home surroundings. Such activities increase the satisfaction of people and help them to change their habits. Therefore, it is easier to acknowledge the importance of each person’s contribution in ensuring proper maintenance.

La Colaboradora is a public co-working space of collective intelligence where people exchange services and know-how using a "time bank". It was set up in Zaragoza (ES) in 2013 as a response to high unemployment and empty public spaces. The 300 members include entrepreneurs, freelancers, non-profit organisations, and creative professionals seeking support to launch a project or improve their employability skills. They join up and use the space in exchange for sharing four hours of their time each month. 
La Colaboradora is co-governed by the local public administration and other members, promoting self-employment and public space ownership. So far, 210 new entrepreneurships have been created and 30 long-term unemployed have found jobs. Participants have shared 9,800 hours, and organised 592 activities, 51% of them free for citizens of Zaragoza. La Colaboradora believes more opportunities can be created by sharing resources and making collective know-how freely available.

La Colaboradora is a P2P co-working space where the local council supports its community’s entrepreneurial projects and job searches by offering an atmosphere to connect and collaborate through a time bank. It’s not just a working space, it’s also a community where human contact and trust are essential.

La Colaboradora is a three-year-old successful experience that offers concrete solutions both to the members of its community as well as to Zaragoza’s citizens. Members can: develop their entrepreneurial/artistic project with no cost, by exchanging their time bank hours with their peers; enter the employability skills programme ‘25 Talents’ and improve their job search skills by a mile; join a strong community of entrepreneurs, share interests and create opportunities; own a public space and help run a collaborative project by joining its working groups or Steering Committee; join the Social Challenges and use their skills to support third sector initiatives in our city; share their know-how and expertise through open source trainings for the city.

This will improve the city’s collective intelligence, promote innovation and collaboration. Citizens and members can: empower themselves by attending free training activities and rising their profiles; attend open events with special guests, debates and presentations, and expand their network. Overall, this good practice promotes innovation, collaboration, entrepreneurship, public space ownership and capacity building.

La Colaboradora was created in 2013 to address difficult challenges faced by Zaragoza’s people, unemployment the most pressing one of all. The lack of resources made us think of a public space where people could use their talents to build new opportunities together.

Just as it is based on the principles of a collaborative economy, La Colaboradora respects and integrates URBACT’s values at its core. We believe that more opportunities can be created by sharing resources and building human relationships based on trust, by freely opening our collective knowledge to the city and empowering its inhabitants. However, we not only share our skills and talent to improve our projects and employability skills, we also organise events that promote the collaborative economy in the city and coordinate the Social Challenges.

Some outputs: 30 long-term unemployed (out of 50) have found jobs, 210 new entrepreneurial projects, 9,800 hours have been voluntarily shared. We’ve raised €3,000 for charities working with refugees, planted trees, organised a free lunch in a public square to advocate for the responsible consumption of food, and supported activities with disabled children, among others.

La Colaboradora is a lively community of 300 very different people with an open agenda of training and events. Its most powerful aspect is that it is a paradigm of the Fourth Sector; it’s the hub of a mixed ecosystem where public projects, companies, NGOs and citizens coexist.

La Colaboradora is only possible with the total involvement of Zaragoza’s city council and the commitment of its members, the collaborators. Since its launch in 2013, the citizens of this community have shared a total of 9,800 hours and organised 592 activities, of which 51% have been open and free for all of Zaragoza’s population, many of them open-source training sessions. The practice is ruled by a joint-governance between its community members and Zaragoza Activa. The participation of the collaborators is key, as they run the project through the Steering Committee, General Assembly and working groups.

Since its opening, more than 100 members have helped run La Colaboradora by assuming an active role and joining one of the current six area teams. Of the total hours we mentioned before, 3,500 have been dedicated to manage La Colaboradora and, as a consequence, this civic community has developed a new and innovative way of governing and organising itself that has led to building a deep comradeship among peers and a strong sense of public space ownership.

In addition, La Colaboradora works with other entities and institutions, local and international players, who are often invited to join our events in order to broaden our network and learn from their good practices. Some of these stakeholders are the University of Zaragoza, the Aragonese Institute of Youth, the Impact Hub Madrid, the Secretary of Ibero-American States (SEGIB) or the European Creative Hubs Network (ECHN).

The key that makes La Colaboradora different is that it is a cross-sectorial public project based on a collaborative economy and community empowerment that believes in sharing resources for a sustainable future. Since its opening in May 2013 through February 2017, 300 people running 250 projects have shared 9,800 hours in services and know-how by creating a new sharing experience that has evolved in a deep civic feeling of mutual help and trust.

Above all, we are happy to say that 55% of the community’s projects started running during their first year in the community and 50% have managed to consolidate themselves after this period.

In addition, our ‘25 Talents’ spin-off, an employability skills programme created and developed by community members in 2014, has supported 50 long-term unemployed people in their job search, with 30 of them finding jobs. La Colaboradora’s model won the 2015 Ouishare Award Best P2P Finance Initiative in Spain, and the 2016 Eurocities Award for Cooperation. We are also recognised as a good citizen-driven innovation practice by the Secretary of Ibero-American States (SEGIB).

La Colaboradora has been able to build a very dynamic and emotionally united ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation in a public space. It’s the place where local professionals find their peers to share ideas and skills, be inspired and receive support. It’s a 21st century community capable of empowering itself by sharing talent, time and knowledge.

La Colaboradora’s model is founded on universal elements such as trust, commitment and public service that are easily transferable to other European cultures. However, as a community-led practice it’s permanently evolving and a strong understanding of its universal principles is fundamental to make it adaptable.

Since we launched the project in 2013, La Colaboradora has received the visits and recognition of dozens of other hubs, public institutions and foundations inspired by its innovative model. In 2016, the project received the Cooperation Eurocities Award and gained the attention of many cities. Lille, Madrid, Stockholm, Bialystok and Espoo showed a special interest by participating at the speed networking session that we chaired at the Eurocities “Sharing Cities” conference.

In addition, we’ve signed an agreement with the city council of Santa Fe, Argentina, to transfer La Colaboradora’s model to the cities of Rosario and Santa Fe; and the Brazilian city of Santos has already visited us to transfer the model as well. In Spain, Barcelona Activa and AndoaIn’s city council have submitted a proposal to transfer the model. Moreover, private hubs from Gijón, Pontevedra, Madrid and Barcelona have also visited us to learn how we manage the practice.

La Colaboradora is also a member of the European Creative Hubs Network, where we share and exchange expertise and good practices with other European cities. In this context, Malmö has also shown interest in our time bank model.

A cooperation - between the Gothenburg City (SE) administration for social welfare allocation and two local IKEA department stores - was launched in 2014 to provide homeless people with a step towards the labour market. The partnership enables people who have lived with isolation and abuse to strengthen their self-esteem, gain meaningful work and furnish their homes.
IKEA's recovery department has furniture that they can no longer sell because of transport damage to packaging or to the products themselves. Participants use a truck to pick up the discarded pieces of furniture at IKEA, fix them in a workshop, then display the repaired items. Other people in the group can then choose the furniture they need. A win-win situation: the participants, and the furniture, all get their second chance.

The solutions are: job training; recycling of discarded furniture; a good social context; cooperation between the municipal and the private sectors. It's good for the target group, good for the furniture company, good for the environment and good for society. It's proven that equality creates a better context for all citizens, not only for the target group of homeless people. These are solutions that are easy to copy elsewhere.

Homelessness is a global urban problem and in the context of good practice this is an absolutely brilliant idea to give homeless people the possibility of taking the first step to the labour market. The URBACT fund is addressing common problem such as homelessness and drug abuse that are the dark side of the urban environment, but there can be great solutions to these problems.

We strongly believe that a second chance is good for everyone. All people have hidden abilities that we can find if we give them a second chance, or a third or a fourth. If you believe in humanity you also have to believe that everyone can grow. This is a context where the individuals can find their own strength grow and also find their own hidden abilities. This is in line with the URBACT positive approach.

From interviews with the participants about the project, we have found out what they believe and think about the content. The majority of them see that they are more ready for work than before and they also can see that their self-esteem has increased. They see that they have got something meaningful to do and that the work they do gives other people something that is useful for them, new furniture. Stakeholders are the allocation for social welfare and the city districts, IKEA and substance abuse treatment institutions.

This is a part of the ordinary activities in the municipality of Gothenburg addressing the homelessness problem since 2014. It has never been evaluated externally, although this has never been a project with external funding. We don't get any money for the restored furniture as it is donated by IKEA and then given away.

This is a very fruitful cooperation between the municipality and IKEA, and both parts are very happy with the cooperation we have. For the target group, this has made a huge difference in the quality of life of the most vulnerable on the outskirts of urban life.

All the things we have done are transferable to other cities. The target group of homeless people is to be found in every large or medium-sized city. Homeless but not hopeless is something that we work by.

In our case we have worked with IKEA and if other cities want to do the same, IKEA department stores are to be found everywhere in EU. We are sure that this small but smart idea can interest any city that is struggling with poverty, homelessness and vulnerability. We will be glad to show how.

When the Politecnico of Torino analysed the traditional markets of Torino (IT) in 2014, it discovered that 10 of the city’s 42 open markets were low economic performers and risked being closed. But the City of Torino, in charge of markets management, saw that even non-competitive markets were valuable for promoting social aggregation and healthy and eco-friendly habits, preventing degradation in outer neighbourhoods, and providing local services to the elderly and people with low mobility.
So to help them stay open, the Municipality designed a new model for local markets. ACC – Areas of Commercial Coverage – define small markets (two to six stalls) that feature food (meat, fish, or vegetables) and involve a lighter management system (self-waste management). In this way, the City reduced its maintenance costs for these markets, and secured a local service for the community, boosting commercial activities and social cohesion.

The solution offered by the ACC is beneficial for the local community and for the administration since it reduces the management costs for a service without removing it. The City of Torino has acknowledged the low performance of a number of markets, as well as their being essential for the local communities. Since the main task of the administration is not economic profit, but the provision of services with particular attention to the most disadvantaged citizens, the solution adopted by Torino aimed at reaching a number of beneficial goals:

1. Avoiding the risk of unemployment for stall operators, mostly immigrants, by giving them the possibility to remain in the ACC or to move to another market;
2. Keeping the public space alive and used by local citizens, including both the marketplace and neighbouring green spaces, leisure areas, etc.;
3. Keeping outer districts active from a commercial and social point of view (both markets and local shops, cafés, etc);
4. Granting the daily provision of fresh food in all city areas by having a widespread market network;
5. Giving the responsibility to each stall to dispose of its own waste, meaning less cleaning costs for the municipality;
6. Avoiding trips to distant commercial places, thus reducing traffic and CO2 emissions;
7. Improving the commercial attractiveness of the ACCs by rationalising the former stalls distribution;
8. Avoiding depriving the elderly and low mobility people from their gathering place.

The ACC experience combines many aspects connected to the sustainable and integrated urban development approach, since it deals with jobs protection, sustainability measures and the smart use of the public space, giving positive externalities to the surrounding urban tissue.

The low performance of a number of markets in Torino represented a risk to all the small companies working in those markets, as well as to the commercial activities/retailers based in the concerned areas. The decision to reshape the markets according to actual customer requests and to give them a lighter management structure was the solution to avoid job loss and urban and social degradation.

An important reason to create an ACC instead of closing up a market was the environmental impact that would have been generated by forcing people to move from their neighbourhood to do their basic daily shopping. The compulsory presence within each ACC of vegetables and other foods represents the provision of a basic service for people with fewer possibilities. Moreover, this measure is particularly attentive to raising the environmental and public responsibility of the stall operators so that they are required to dispose of their own waste by bringing it to a specific collection point.

The whole process has been developed according to Art. 47 of City Council Regulation no. 305 of 21 February 2005 regulating retail in public areas. The concerned article sets up the “Forms of representations for the market operators” by establishing Market Committees and a Technical Advisory Committee. The latter is formed by the Deputy Mayor in charge of Commerce, a representative of the local police, the head of the Markets Department of the City of Torino, the representatives of the trade associations and the representatives of the consumer associations.

Paragraph 4 of Art. 47 states that the Technical Advisory Committee must be summoned to take decisions concerning retail in public areas. That is why the decision not to close down low performing markets, but to establish ACCs instead, has been taken with the involvement and agreement of all the relevant stakeholders represented in the committee. The involvement of all relevant associations is also established in the Protocol of Intent signed on 20 January 2015 between the City of Torino and the main associations.

Moreover, the process was also shared with the concerned city district local governments (Circoscrizioni). In each city district a public meeting was organised to present the project and each assembly voted to approve the initiative. Finally, each stall operator has been given the choice to join the ACC or to move to the nearest market area.

The main reason for undertaking such an initiative is the preservation of the role of community markets as places of identity and social gathering. This initiative has prevented negative effects from the suppression of a local service which might have caused the degradation of the public space previously devoted to markets, the generation of more trips to reach other commercial areas, the decline of the shops and commercial activities located in the market area.

Moreover, the stall operators have been granted the possibility to keep their own regular customers, since fidelity is one of the main drivers of the seller-customer relationship. Finally, the users of the concerned markets/ACCs have perceived the role of the public administration as the “keeper” of the common good, regardless of the economic priorities. The first result that can be documented concerns the savings by the city administration connected to the waste management costs of the ACCs, calculated at more than €100,000 for 2016, and €340,000 per year when at full power.

The good practice implemented by the City of Torino might be very interesting for many types of cities. Mediterranean cities are particularly concerned by the phenomenon of open-air urban markets and might face the same challenges as Torino in terms of commercial competition and loss of purchasing power of a remarkable portion of citizens. They might be interested in developing the model of ACCs by adapting it to their local and national regulations, public spaces, commercial and social habits.

Moreover, ACCs can be implemented in cities of various sizes since they are very locally based, and are not affected by the overall dimension of the city. City administrations might consider ACCs as a good instrument to reinforce their relationship and dialogue with those citizens living in peripheral and/or more disadvantages areas, by committing to a project that unites the administration and its citizens around the challenges of common issues: employment, affordability and proximity of services, environmental protection.

Groningen (NL), like many university cities, is becoming increasingly international. This is driven by demographic need and opportunity in the knowledge economy. The good practice represents an integrated approach to internationalization to ensure a sustainable future for the city. Groningen is small and traditionally regionally oriented, thus the large-scale internationalization is a relatively new phenomenon for the town. The city manages complex processes included in an integrated and participative programme which addresses four key aspects: housing, work, city living and communication. The programme aims at attracting, retaining and integrating new residents while maintaining a high level of social cohesion and liveability. It contributes to a sustainable economic, demographic and cultural future and makes Groningen an attractive home for locals and internationals.

Our good practice addresses both the external objective of remaining competitive in a globalized knowledge economy, and the internal objective of maintaining the high social cohesion and livability that make Groningen such an attractive city. Thus we provide an integrated practice for achieving resilience in a global setting. We achieve these goals by actively managing internationalization along four key dimensions: housing, work, city living and communication. Projects address problems in these areas as follows:

• combined on- and offline platform will improve access to local housing and housing support,
• a broad regional programme “Make It in the North” will open up access to the local SME sector and international knowledge migrants (through jobs portal, internship programmes and network events), thereby also adding to the innovative capacity and global reach of local enterprises,
• several “city living” projects will make the cultural and physical life of the city more accessible to new residents by improving way-finding off- and online,
• matchmaking organisation and events, to provide language support and social integration between locals and international residents,
• a new city site will provide English-language information for prospective and new residents of the city, and contribute to Groningen’s international profile. These projects are coordinated and managed by a multidisciplinary team with local and international members.

Our integrated good practices for managing internationalization represent sustainable urban development by contributing directly to the demographic resilience, economic vitality and social cohesion of the city and its surroundings. In particular, we address inclusion by a calendar of events to stimulate and facilitate interaction between old and new residents and are exploring the possibility to include refugee groups in these too. Indirectly, we contribute to the knowledge areas prioritized by the local educational institutions: energy, sustainable society and healthy ageing, all of which are underpinned by sustainable development goals. In terms of our approach, the scope and coordination of the International Groningen programme represent both horizontal and vertical integration. The projects combine physical interventions in the city (e.g. street signage, clubhouse), with community building programmes and coordinated, online information channels to improve access to local facilities, networks and (job) opportunities, and interaction between internationals and locals. The deep vertical integration of the programme is evidenced by the support of the “Akkoord van Groningen”, a high-level strategic partnership between the municipality and the higher educational institutions, as well as the broad participation of regional bodies and the private sector in sub-projects such as the Make It in the North initiative.

The International Groningen programme is fundamentally participatory in its nature. At a strategic level the entire programme is supported by the Akkoord van Groningen, a unique partnership between the municipality and the higher educational institutions in the city. For relevant sub-projects, such as the Make It in the North to open up the regional job market to internationalisation, a much wider group of stakeholders is actively involved, including SME organisations from the surrounding provinces, the provincial government etc. The projects which comprise the programme have been developed and implemented by mixed teams of municipal and university employees, international residents operating on a freelance basis, international students and interns. In the development phase we have worked extensively with focus groups consisting of international residents and local student project groups to better understand how internationalisation is experienced and what the key challenges for the city are. Additionally, the proposed projects have been presented in diverse contexts, such as to the University’s Council and Advisory Board, the municipal board, Dutch diplomats from northern Netherlands and regional representatives.

It is difficult to show hard evidence of the effectiveness of the policies, as during the life-time of the policies (2017-2021) 2 mayor trends happened: the Covid -pandemic put an effective halt to migration, and, even during the pandemic, the number of internationals is growing faster than we can cope with. We have to prioritize in order to make sure that all newcomers can actually live in the city. 

Due to the migration-saldo, Groningen has a growing population, with a greater growth than average with comparable cities. 

So, attractiveness is there, but the policies are strained due to lack of sufficient structural funding and due to increasing demand for services. We do see local impact along several key lines:

• The topic has risen on the local and regional political agenda, thanks to the Akkoord van Groningen,
• Internationals are becoming more engaged as we ask them to join project teams and focus groups,
• Cultural stakeholders and companies are seeing ‘the international’ more and more as a potential interesting target group they have to facilitate in new ways, 
• The municipality starts to embrace internationals in other policy fields as well, such as public transport, health care etc.,
• We have outside interest from other secondary Dutch cities

Groningen led the Welcoming International Talent Network over 2.5 years, transferring its practices to 6 other cities: Magdeburg (Germany), Parma (Italy), Bielsko-Biala (Poland), Debrecen (Hungary), Zlín (Czech Republic) and Leuven (Belgium). You can, in particular, check Debrecen‘s Good practice here. The approach was based on 5 themes on which Groningen focused and adjusted to each partner city: Cross-cutting issues ( effective governance: stakeholder co-ordination, empowering and engaging the internationals effectively), Facilities (access to housing, medical services, amenities, help with bureaucracy), Branding and marketing, Improving integration/incorporation and mutual appreciation, and Improving labour market integration

Arts and culture sector collaboration on climate action and engagement in a city which recognises the value of culture and is itself demonstrating climate change leadership, linked to two of the key local challenges that run through the city’s climate change strategy:

• mobilising business action on climate change through a sector-specific approach
• engaging and mobilising citizens to act on climate change

This model of sector collaboration is rooted in the city and enables members to meet face-to-face on a regular basis, share common challenges and opportunities and link directly to what is happening on a city level. The group is chaired by members on a revolving basis, and able to fund small projects and reporting through an annual membership contribution of £7,000. Action on energy has led to a 16% reduction in emissions over three years, avoiding 2,800 tonnes CO2 and £0.9 million, largely through zero to low-cost measures. The group also works on a range of topics from green energy procurement to sustainable materials Members are using creativity to engage employees, audiences and communities, with many bringing climate change themes in programming and learning activities. The group is taking an active role in shaping and delivering city climate change strategy.

MAST’s external-facing activities involve Manchester citizens in both the development and the implementation of local climate change policy. For example, MAST’s “Our City, Our Planet” event worked with young people to help define the sustainable city they want. Climate Control at Manchester Museum focused on climate change and how people can take action. Over 90,000 visitors attended and were encouraged to contribute towards Manchester’s Climate Change Strategy 2017-50. Integrated and participative approach Manchester has an overarching strategy for 2016-25, Our Manchester, which was developed based on the views of local citizens and organisations. The strategy’s delivery is overseen and driven by the Our Manchester Forum, a partnership of senior politicians, public sector, the private sector and NGO leaders. Manchester’s arts and culture sector is represented on the Forum through the chair of the Manchester Cultural Partnership. MAST enables the Partnership to focus on Our Manchester’s climate change objectives, as part of the city’s wider social, economic.

Manchester’s cultural community has been working together through MAST (Manchester Arts Sustainability Aeam) since 2011, to understand, share, solve and scale climate change action. MAST brings together diverse arts and cultural organisations, about 30 in total, from community-based arts centres and iconic cultural venues to an internationally renowned festival and national broadcasters, in a participatory and non-prescriptive way. Different activities have also been carried out to engage with citizens:

• Practical action and creative responses - productions, exhibitions, events, etc. – which engage audiences and communities on environmental and climate change themes, now go hand in hand, for example,
• HOME Manchester and the Whitworth Gallery’s wide- ranging environmental programmes across buildings, procurement, transport, public engagement and programming
• Manchester International Festival‘s organic urban farming partnership with the Biospheric Foundation, engaging thousands of community volunteers
• Contact Young Company’s ‘Climate of Fear’, a show exploring the emotion of anger through themes of climate justice, social inequality, memory and the body ITV’s inclusion of climate change in Coronation Street’s storyline, the UK’s most popular soap opera
• Arts and culture-based activities proved particularly effective and popular in 2016’s Climate Lab, an experimental programme, run by the Manchester Climate Change Agency, to test different ways of engaging citizens in developing its 2017-2050 climate change strategy. One of ClimateLab highlights was Climate Control at Manchester Museum, a six-month long series of exhibitions and events, attended by over 90,000 people, exploring what kind of future people hope for and how to make it a reality.

MAST is getting support in different forms:

• MLA Renaissance North West. a museum programme: provided external funding for the MAST group in its first two years
• Julie’s Bicycle, a charity supporting climate action in the creative community: facilitated the group in the first two years; supported MAST in defining joint commitments and an emissions reduction target; did annual tracking and progress reporting; supports MAST development; disseminates the MAST model and achievements in the UK and abroad
• Arts Council England: environmental reporting, policy and action plan requirements for funded organisations since 2012 – including the majority of MAST members – and an accompanying environmental support programme, delivered in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle, further reinforces MAST commitments and provides MAST members with a range of exchange and learning opportunities
• Carbon Literacy Project (CLP): carbon literacy training undertaken by a number of members; a few members, such as HOME and Manchester Museum, now deliver organisation-wide training; in 2016, MAST partnered with CLP, Manchester Metropolitan University and HOME to adapt the training for the arts and culture sector MAST grew from the Manchester Cultural Partnership’s desire to explore how arts and cultural organisations could contribute to the city’s first climate change strategy 2010-2020 In 2013 MAST set a target of an annual 7% emissions reduction in line with the city’s target of a 41% reduction by 2020 – over three years it achieved an annual 5% reduction MAST supported development of the city’s 2017-2050 climate change strategy MAST’s chair is now a member of the Manchester Climate Change Board, a stakeholder group which oversees and champions delivery of the 2017-2050 climate change strategy MAST is now working with the climate change agency and board to establish how the arts and culture in the city can make its fair contribution to the Paris Agreement, and align with Greater Manchester’s 2038 carbon neutrality ambition – announcement expected in 2019.

Over 2.5 years, Manchester has led the C-Change network, transferring its practice to 5 other cities: Wroclaw (Poland), Mantova (Italy), Gelsenkirchen (Germany), Sibenik (Croatia), Águeda (Portugal). You can, in particular, check Mantova’s Good practice here. The approach was based on Manchester’s experience adaptable to each city’s reality and focused on: Sector collaboration on climate change, Sector support on climate change understanding, action and engagement, Sector involvement in city climate change policy and strategy and/or other related city policies and strategies and Citizen engagement, awareness-raising and public participation. The final outputs are all available here. The practice of Manchester is also currently being transferred in a cascaded way from Mantova to other Italian cities.

In 2013, Preston City Council (UK) and six other anchor institutions embarked on a project to identify how their wealth could be understood and harnessed more effectively for the benefit of the local economy. An element of wealth that anchors institutions can influence their procurement spend. Central to the work in Preston has been the analysis of these institutions’ procurement (1 billion euros), to understand where that spend goes geographically and on which types of business type, and what happens to it once it reaches suppliers. The anchor institutions then used the evidence gathered to inform how they undertake procurement. Some institutions have revisited the spend analysis: evidence suggests their spend has increased in the local economy and with small to medium-sized enterprises. The work demonstrates the importance of using evidence to shape policy change and the role of procurement in addressing challenges.

The good practice offered by the Preston City Council and the six other anchor institutions is a methodology and means of changing behaviour around procurement so that it generates more local economic, social, and environmental benefits. The methodology consists of three parts. First, it enables cities and institutions to understand where their procurement spend goes. So, the methodology measures the extent to which the annual 1 billion euros of procurement spend of the anchor institutions is with: businesses based in Preston and Lancashire, SMEs and social enterprises, and with businesses in particular industrial sectors. Second, it enables cities and institutions to understand the extent to which their procurement spend occurs elsewhere in the UK and across Europe and in which sector and to explore the scope for that money to be spent with different types of business, for example.. Third, it enables cities and institutions to identify the extent to which their suppliers are creating jobs or apprenticeships and find out about their practices around social sector engagement or environmental management. Effectively this activity develops an evidence base through which cities can understand the existing contribution their anchor institutions make to a local economy and assists in developing policies and practices through procurement which can enhance those contributions and further harness the potential or wealth of anchor institutions.

The good practice fits with URBACT principles because it is about harnessing the wealth of anchor institutions through procurement spend which can help to create wealth in the local economy, thereby reducing poverty and social exclusion through increased employment opportunities, the creation of new businesses and supply chains, skills development, and dealing with environmental issues, for example, by reducing carbon footprint, waste etc. It is also based on an integrated and participatory approach whereby the anchor institutions (public and social sector) work together to ensure that their procurement spend is used to bring additional economic, social, and environmental benefits to their local economies. The recent inclusion of stakeholders from business networks ensures that the voice of the private sector, and also supply chains, are involved in the process. Whilst the good practice initially focused specifically on the Preston local authority area, it has now been broadened to encompass the wider functional urban area (of Preston and South Ribble) and also the wider Lancashire region, ensuring that the horizontal, vertical, and territorial integration aspects have been taken into account.

The work around anchor institutions and spending analysis in Preston commenced in 2013 and continues in 2017. Over the last four years a range of stakeholders has been involved and the whole project is framed by a cooperative desire across the institutions to use their wealth to create greater benefits for the local economy. Stakeholders have been involved throughout the work.

1. The chief executives and political leaders (where appropriate) were visited to secure their buy-in to the principles of harnessing the wealth of institutions.
2. Procurement officers in each of the institutions were engaged to share data around their procurement spend and their suppliers to enable the analysis to take place.
3. The chief executives, politicians and procurement officers were brought together to share the findings of the supply chain analysis and to develop a collective statement of intent as to how they were going to change practices around procurement in light of the analysis.
4. The procurement officers have continued to meet through a procurement practitioners group and now an URBACT local group (as part of the Procurement Network) to discuss how they are changing practice around procurement.
5. The supply chain of some of the anchors has been engaged to identify the wider impact they are bringing through the delivery of goods and services. Engagement has been sustained over the course of the last four years with the stakeholders described above.

The overall achievements of Preston have been:

1. It has positioned Preston as a progressive place for local economic development and addressing poverty.
2. It has led to a much more effective relationship within and between institutions in Preston.
3. It has enabled a range of baseline data to be collected about the existing impact of anchor institutions and the wider business base in Preston.
4. It has secured the buy-in of senior stakeholders and enabled the development of a collective statement of intent.
5. Through the analysis of where spend goes and in what sector, it has enabled a much greater understanding of Preston’s business base and those which could potentially deliver goods and services.
6. It has changed behaviour around procurement in each of the institutions and enabled enhanced impact. For example, the proportion of spending of Preston City Council with Preston-based businesses through procurement has increased from 14% to 28%.
7. It has recognised that this is a long-term approach to addressing key challenges.
8. It recognises the importance of scale when implementing wealth-building initiatives.
9. It has had an impact on addressing wider issues including low pay and deprivation. The core impact has been in the behaviour of anchor institutions and the realisation that spending analysis and procurement can be utilised as a lever or way in which challenges facing cities can be addressed.
10. The approach has enabled more effective engagement with SMEs and subsequently a greater proportion of SMEs being successful.
11. There is a more collective approach to not only delivering local economic benefits through procurement but also to Social Value.

Over 2.5 years, Preston has led the Making Spend Matter network, transferring its practice to 6 other cities: Pamplona (Spain), Kavala (Greece), Bistriţa (Romania), Koszalin (Poland), Vila Nova de Famalicão (Portugal), Schaerbeek (Belgium). You can, in particular, check Koszalin’s Good practice here. The approach was based on Preston’s four areas of work adaptable to each city’s reality: Advanced Spend Analysis, Business Database Development, SME Capacity Building, and Social and Environmental Criteria. The final outputs are all available on the URBACT website.