MOVE COMMONS - Turning everyday movement into a shared urban right

Ágora – Cultura e Desporto do Porto, E.M., S.A., the municipal company of the City of Porto responsible for culture, sport, physical activity, public space animation and municipal facilities, is preparing an URBACT IV Action Network proposal led by Porto.

MOVE COMMONS will explore how European cities can address “movement poverty”: the unequal ability of people and neighbourhoods to use the city as a safe, inclusive, healthy and climate-ready environment for everyday movement.

Across Europe, many cities already have sport facilities, parks, mobility infrastructure, public spaces, health promotion programmes and community initiatives. However, many residents still face barriers to moving regularly, safely and confidently in everyday life. These barriers may be physical, social, cultural, economic, territorial, gender-based, climatic or linked to age, disability, health, isolation or lack of confidence.

The network will not focus only on sport facilities or mobility infrastructure. It will connect sport, health, public space, mobility, social inclusion, gender equality, climate adaptation and participatory governance.

Partner cities will work together to move from existing local strategies to concrete actions, testing practical, low-cost and transferable solutions through URBACT Local Groups, Action Labs, Action Portfolios and a shared Actions Playbook.

Ágora / Porto is looking for cities, municipalities or eligible local public agencies with a relevant strategy, policy framework or action plan and a clear interest in implementing concrete local actions.

We are particularly interested in partners working on active cities, public health, gender and safety in public space, climate-ready public spaces, active mobility, vulnerable neighbourhoods, youth, ageing, disability, social inclusion or participatory governance.

Interested partners should have a clear local challenge linked to everyday movement, an initial idea for a possible local action, political and technical commitment, and the capacity to mobilise an URBACT Local Group.