For decades, Pula’s economy has been shaped by tourism—bringing growth, but also seasonal employment, rising housing costs, and limited long-term prospects for young professionals. Through C4TALENT, the city used this reality as a starting point to rethink its future.
At the centre of this shift stands Vallelunga: a former military base once closed and inaccessible, now reimagined as a catalyst for innovation and diversification. Rather than treating talent attraction, entrepreneurship, housing, and spatial development as separate challenges, Pula connected them around this strategic site.
Vallelunga is set to become a new innovation district, hosting incubation and training programmes, collaborative workspaces, and emerging industries. Opening the city to new talent, in this case, also meant opening up a physical place—transforming a symbol of the past into an opportunity for the future.
Sharing Results Locally
On 4 December 2025, Pula marked the conclusion of its C4TALENT journey with a final dissemination event held at the Faculty of Informatics. The city presented the key elements of its Integrated Action Plan, developed in close cooperation with the local URBACT group and international partners.
The plan focuses on attracting, developing, and retaining young talent by improving conditions in four priority areas: housing, education and training, financial support, and local infrastructure. Particular emphasis was placed on the revitalisation of Vallelunga through the establishment of the Pula Innovation Centre, designed to connect learning, work, and innovation while reducing the city’s dependence on seasonal tourism.
The event brought together representatives from local government, academia, civil society, and the business sector—underlining that the next phase for Pula is not just planning, but implementation.
📄 Pula’s full Integrated Action Plan, its short version, and a visual infographic highlighting the key actions are available in the Integrated Action Plans section of this website.
