La call per le Buone Pratiche URBACT, in corso dal 15 aprile al 30 giugno 2024, è alla ricerca di pratiche locali esistenti che siano impattanti, partecipative, integrate, rilevanti per l'Unione Europea e trasferibili ad altre città europee.
Il bando URBACT per le Buone Pratiche è aperto alle città dei 27 Stati membri dell'Unione Europea, agli Stati partner (Norvegia, Svizzera), alle città dei paesi che beneficiano dello Strumento per la Pre-adesione all'UE (Albania, Bosnia ed Erzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia del Nord e Serbia), così come all'Ucraina e alla Moldavia. L'obiettivo di questo bando è fornire visibilità a livello europeo alle pratiche locali di sviluppo urbano sostenibile di impatto e offrire ispirazione e opportunità di trasferimento ad altre città europee.
Le città premiate come Buone Pratiche URBACT beneficeranno di una varietà di azioni di visibilità e promozione, con il Festival delle Città URBACT dall'8 al 10 aprile 2025 a Wroclaw (Polonia) che sarà uno dei momenti salienti. Le città selezionate avranno anche la possibilità di guidare una Rete di Trasferimento URBACT con fondi del programma e risorse a partire dal 2025.
I termini di riferimento del bando per le Buone Pratiche forniscono informazioni dettagliate su chi è ammissibile a presentare domanda e sul processo di candidatura. Il Segretariato URBACT e i Punti Nazionali URBACT stanno organizzando una serie di sessioni informative online e in presenza in tutta Europa per condividere informazioni sul bando e rispondere alle domande delle città europee.
Scopri di più sul bando qui sul sito web di URBACT e scopri il riassunto qui sotto!
Välkommen på digitalt informationsmöte om tre aktuella utlysningar inom URBACT och European Urban Initiative! Utlysningarna handlar om insatser för hållbar urban utveckling och ett gemensamt tema är kunskapsöverföring mellan städer.
De aktuella utlysningarna handlar om Good Practices, Innovative Actions och City-to-City Exchanges.
Den 3 maj kl. 9-11 kommer Tillväxtverket arrangera en informationsträff där vi berättar mer. Det ges tillfälle att ställa frågor och höra om erfarenheter från städer som redan deltar i URBACT och EUI. Här kan du anmäla dig: Anmälan digitalt infomöte
Good Practices URBACT har en utlysning öppen för Good Practices den 15 april till 30 juni 2024. I utlysningen efterfrågas good practices inom hållbar stadsutveckling som har testats och gett positiva effekter lokalt, som är deltagande och integrerade, relevanta för EU och har potential att överföras till andra städer.
De good practices som har valts ut kommer överföras till andra europeiska städer genom nätverk som beviljas i utlysningen för Transfer Networks april till juni 2025.
För mer information, besök URBACTs europeiska hemsida
Innovative Actions EUIs utlysning för Innovative Actions lanseras i maj 2024 och är öppen till oktober 2024. Varje projekt kan få upp till 5 millioner euro i finansiering från EUI under en projekttid på högst 3,5 år. Utlysningen riktar sig till innovativa projekt med fokus på energiomställning och teknik i städer.
Energiomställning EUI syftar till att stödja testning av överförbara och skalbara innovativa lösningar i verkliga miljöer för ekonomiskt lönsamma, smartare och mer integrerade lokala energinätverk.
Teknik i städer EUI syftar till att stödja testning av innovativa lösningar som drivs av ny teknik i verkliga miljöer för bättre tjänster till medborgarna och/eller för att öka lokala myndigheters kapacitet att erbjuda dessa tjänster.
City to City Denna utlysning har varit så populär att EUI har gjort om den till en permanent öppen utlysning. Kommuner får möjlighet att utbyta kunskap med en annan europeisk kommun inom områden kopplade till hållbara städer och samhällen. Städerna får finansiering för att besöka varandra och fördjupa sig i varandras erfarenheter. Det kan vara utmaningar där ni vill lära av andra men också områden där ni känner att ni har bra exempel som ni gärna delar med er av. Kanske detta kan hjälpa din kommun att komma framåt i en utmaning ni står inför?
Det finns redan nu en pågående matchning mellan städer och olika teman. För att se denna kan ni skapa ett konto på Portico. Där går att läsa om vilka utmaningar städer i Europa söker samarbete inom.
Ansökningar tas emot löpande och man kan skicka in en intresseanmälan här.
För mer information, besök EUIs europeiska hemsida
Mitte Februar 2024 traf sich das One-Health-4-Cities-Netzwerk in Lahti, Finnland. Die neun beteiligten Kommunen haben lokale Roadmaps für die kommenden zwei Jahre erarbeitet und städtische Planungstools unter die Lupe genommen. Ebenso stand auf dem Programm ein wissenschaftlicher Input zu Studien und Forschungsprojekten zu den Themen „Planetary Health“ und „One Health“. Um neben Theorie und Planung auch die praktische Anwendung nicht zu kurz kommen zu lassen, tauchten die Teilnehmer:innen mit allen Sinnen in den „Gesundheitswald“ von Lahti ein.
Das Gesundheitsreferat der Landeshauptstadt München beteiligt sich von Juni 2023 bis Dezember 2025 am URBACT-Städtenetzwerk „One Health 4 Cities“. Ziel der Partnerstädte aus Deutschland, Finnland, Frankreich, Griechenland, Portugal, Rumänien und Spanien ist es, den One-Health-Ansatz, der die Gesundheit von Menschen, Tieren und der Umwelt gemeinsam betrachtet, in städtische Strategien und Projekte umzusetzen. Der One-Health-Ansatz verbindet und integriert verschiedene Sektoren, Disziplinen und Akteure auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen der Gesellschaft, um gemeinsam Bedrohungen für Gesundheit und Ökosysteme zu bekämpfen und einen Beitrag zur nachhaltigen Entwicklung zu leisten. Der „Planetary Health“-Ansatz konzentriert sich mehr auf die Umwelt, insbesondere den Klimawandel und die menschliche Gesundheit, sowie auf die sozialen Faktoren der menschlichen Gesundheit.
Aktualisierung der Leitlinie Gesundheit in München
Im Rahmen des Projekts wird in München die örtliche Fachleitlinie Gesundheit unter dem Gesichtspunkt des One-Health-Ansatzes aktualisiert. Die Leitlinie Gesundheit ist Teil des Stadtentwicklungskonzepts „Perspektive München“, das seit 1998 kontinuierlich fortgeschrieben wird und sich zu den UN-Nachhaltigkeitszielen bekennt. Durch die Aktualisierung der Leitlinie Gesundheit reagiert die Stadt auf die aktuellen Herausforderungen der letzten Jahre, insbesondere im Kontext der Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Bevölkerung in einer wachsenden Metropole. Der integrierte Ansatz fokussiert Handlungsbedarfe und versucht, strukturelle Lösungen an der Schnittstelle von Gesundheit und Umwelt zu geben. Konkret sichtbar werden die Ziele an Leitprojekten, die mit einem Multi-Stakeholder-Ansatz entwickelt und umgesetzt werden. Mit München arbeiten zwei weitere Städte, Lyon und Lahti, an integrierten Ansätzen mit strategischem Fokus. Die Städte bilden eine von drei Cluster-Gruppen des Projekts.
Mitte Februar 2024 trafen sich die Netzwerkpartner:innen zum zweiten „Core Meeting“ in Lahti.
Ziele des Meetings waren:
✅mehr über die Entwicklung einer integrierten One-Health-Strategie zu lernen,
✅mehr über die Strategie "Nature step to Health" von Lahti und ihrer Vorbildprojekte zu erfahren,
✅relevante Instrumente und Methoden der Gesundheitsstadtplanung kennenzulernen.
Lernen von Lahti: Gesundheits- und Umweltziele kombinieren
Am ersten Tag präsentierte das Team aus Lahti den Teilnehmer:innen die Strategie "Nature Step to Health". Im Jahr 2022 starteten die Region Päijät-Häme, die Stadt Lahti und der Campus der Universität Lahti gemeinsam dieses zehnjährige Programm, das darauf abzielt, die Gesundheits- und Umweltziele der Region zu kombinieren. Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden werden umfassend gefördert, indem die Zusammenhänge zwischen Menschen und Natur thematisiert werden. Die Teilnehmer:innen besuchten Projekte wie den Outdoor-Kindergarten und den lokalen „Gesundheitswald“. Der „Gesundheitswald“ wurde im Rahmen des vom Horizon-Europe-Programm finanzierten GoGreenRoutes-Projekts entwickelt. Er soll dazu beitragen, ein positives Verhältnis zwischen Mensch und Natur zu fördern, und die Verbundenheit der Bürger:innen mit der Natur zu stärken. Es geht darum, dass Menschen die umgebende Natur bewusst wahrnehmen, was beispielsweise durch Sinnesübungen entlang der Strecke erleichtert wird.
Am zweiten Tag konzentrierte das Netzwerk sich auf die Entwicklung lokaler Roadmaps, um die Zusammenarbeit mit den lokalen URBACT-Gruppen und die Erarbeitung der integrierten Handlungskonzepte für die drei Clustergruppen zu erleichtern. Dabei unterstützen die Partner sich gegenseitig, inklusive gegenseitigem Feedback, Unterstützung und Anregungen. Am Ende des Tages standen die kommenden Treffen mit Datum, Themen und Zielen fest. Am dritten Tag standen Stadtplanungstools auf dem Programm. Die Lead-Expertin des Projektes, Sofia Aivalioti, stellte Planungstools für gesunde Städte vor und zeigte Anwendungen und Operationalisierungen auf. Das Kerntreffen fand zeitgleich mit der von der University von Helsinki organisierten Konferenz „People & Planet: From Theory to Solutions“ statt. Die Projektpartner:innen hatten die Möglichkeit, an Sessions der Konferenz teilzunehmen und sich ein Bild der Forschungs- und Studienlage unter anderem in Finnland zu machen.
“Planetary Health” und “One Health” politisch stärker vorantreiben
Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse des Netzwerktreffens waren, dass Planetary Health und One Health mit starkem politischem Engagement angegangen werden müssen. 80 Prozent der nichtübertragbaren Krankheiten könnten durch verbesserte Umweltbedingungen verhindert werden, wie Matilda van den Bosch und das Projekt GOGREENROUTES ausführten. Es gebe zahlreiche Beweise dafür, dass die Natur positive Auswirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit hat. Jetzt sei es an der Zeit, Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. Der Verlust der Natur findet außerhalb und innerhalb des menschlichen Körpers statt: Das lässt sich an Forschungen zum Mikrobiom feststellen. Der menschliche Körper und die natürliche Artenvielfalt und ihre Verflechtungen seien, so Professor Tari Haahtela, sehr wichtige Determinanten unserer Gesundheit und brächten ein nachhaltiges Gleichgewicht für die Gesundheit von Menschen, Tieren und ihrer Umwelt. Sicherheitsbedenken können den Menschen in Innenräume treiben. Eine übermäßige Sterilisation von Innenräumen kann die Gesundheit allerdings beeinträchtigen, weil sie die Exposition gegenüber natürlichen Elementen einschränkt und möglicherweise zu Problemen mit dem Immunsystem beiträgt. Sichere Innenräume seien auf Dauer nicht gesund, so Haahtelas Apell.
Das One Health-4-Cities-Netzwerk tauchte nicht nur ins Wissen um gesund machende Umwelt ein, sondern lebte Naturexposition auch in der Praxis: Das Team stellte beim Besuch des „Gesundheitswalds“ fest, dass das Gehen im Schnee mit Wollsocken wärmer und bequemer ist als mit Schuhen!
Artikel von Antje Kohlrusch, Gesundheitsplanung, Strategie und Grundsatz, Landeshauptstadt München
Going from 0% to 70% ‘sustainable food’¹ in three years, and more than 50% local: “We're not out of work!” says Davide Archadipane, from Intercommunale de Soins Spécialisés de Liège (ISoSL). ISoSL is the inter-municipal association providing 4,000 meals per day to more than half of the elementary school canteens in Liège, Belgium.
Since the launch of the URBACT BioCanteens #2 Transfer Network (2021-2022), ISoSL has undertaken a 360° transformation of its practices: adapting menus and integrating organic, local, healthy, fresh and seasonal products, setting up a working dynamic between the cooks and the city’s schools, measuring food waste, developing a mobile meal-ordering application to alleviate administrative work for schools and provide cooks with accurate order numbers, organising visits to producers with the cooks, the purchasing department and the dieticians, modifying six out of nine public food contracts for schools and nurseries, with the objective of 100% local, organic food by 2024.
All of these transformations put together have culminated in a profound change in the ISoSL system. In anticipation of the next EU City Lab, which will take place in Liège, this article explores the city’s integrated food system and, in particular, the role of public procurement in combatting food waste.
A strategy for an integrated food system
At the beginning of 2021, ISoSL decided to take a systemic approach to its collective catering, encompassing four main areas of work: purchasing policy, production management, waste reduction and awareness of sustainable food.
A lot more could be written on each aspect of this approach, and the Liège food ecosystem as a whole. For the purpose of this article, it is worth examining a few prompts for the strategy: How can the city change the way it buys so that sustainable products enter the kitchens? What constitutes a purchasing strategy that is consistent with the values of sustainable food? How can ISoSL’s purchasing power be leveraged to invest in local, sustainable and resilient food systems?
ISoSL inter-municipal association central kitchen preparing 12,000 meals per day (Photo credit, Strategic Design Scenarios).
Revolutioning food procurement processes
Agricultural issues are not always well understood by those who are not involved in the sector. That's why ISoSL systematically visits producers and farms when analysing offers. “We adapt our needs to what the region has to offer, rather than the other way round”. For Davide Arcadipane, it's a real paradigm shift when it comes to sourcing, moving towards fresh, seasonal produce, from short distribution channels and as raw as possible. Meeting producers is essential. It allows cooks and dieticians to understand the history of products and the diversity of local production.
The timing for change is also linked to ISoSL's purchasing policy: markets end and start at very specific times. The city's purchasing department has drawn up a schedule of contracts to be renewed, which are dealt with one after the other.
The work always starts with an inventory of requirements: what products for which usage? What quantities? How often? Etc. In short, all the information relevant to the preparation of meals, and therefore to the award of a new public tender.
The next step is to carry out research in the field to find out which local producers and businesses could meet these needs. It's important to know what's on offer so that you can draw up appropriate specifications. The offer, here, must be understood as the overall offer at a given moment, in a given territory and not as the submission of a bid by a tenderer.
Once ISoSL is certain that all the suppliers have a range of products that can be used to produce healthy, diversified menus, new selection criteria are incorporated into the public procurement tender. Public procurement legislation is not easy to use, and it is not always easy to find the right criteria. A multi-disciplinary team made up of the purchasing department and legal experts (both internal and external to ISoSL) is working on introducing criteria to ensure that products are environmentally friendly, respect animal welfare, are healthy and fair, and do not contribute to food waste. This is followed by a classic procedure involving the submission of tenders, culinary tests, appointment of the supplier, etc.
“On paper, it looks fairly simple to introduce sustainable products into community kitchens, but in reality it's rather complex and requires a lot of energy”, continues Davide. “There are logistical, human and financial obstacles, in particular the duality between the demand for low prices from canteen users and the need to offer remunerative prices to producers”.
Going beyond the canteen to tackle food waste
In Belgium, the ‘hot meal’ in the canteen often has a bad reputation. In fact, only a dozen percent of schoolchildren eat there. The others make do with their ‘sandwich box’ brought from home, which rarely contains a balanced, healthy and varied meal. Canteens are often noisy places where children eat in a hurry, without being accompanied or encouraged to taste. In Belgium, lunchtime is also considered ‘non-school time’. It is therefore a time not financed by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in charge. As a result, the tendency is often to neglect these moments, to have the children looked after by ‘auxiliaries’, i.e, generally unqualified, untrained staff. The change in school canteens, while crucial, will affect and raise awareness in far fewer people than in other European countries where school canteens are mainstream. This is another reason not to stop there, to extend these policies to all collective catering and to develop general awareness.
The URBACT BioCanteens #2 Transfer Network played a key role in the development of an integrated local food approach in Liège, protecting both the health of citizens and the environment. Within the framework of BioCanteens, the ISoSL kitchens selected nine pilot schools from which an in-depth diagnosis of the lunchtime process was carried out. Within the framework of this diagnosis, particular attention was paid to the reduction of waste. “The observation phase made it possible to point out three critical moments where this waste was visually present”, explains Julien Chapaux, in charge of conducting the first diagnosis for Liège, “during production and cooking of meals, during the packaging and distribution from the central kitchen and during consumption in the schools.”
First, during production, daily variations in meal orders range from 100–350 meals. To avoid running out of meals during packing and serving in the schools, the cooks had taken to systematically producing more. Every day, the kitchen therefore provided for a safety margin, which inevitably led to waste during production.
Second, when the meals are put into the insulated containers to be sent to the schools (hot link distribution), the staff have a very short time to pack the 2,500 meals for the 150 schools. Observations have shown that the staff do not always have the same rigour at the beginning of the packaging line as at the end. This led to differences in the weight of the food in the insulated containers for the first schools served and those on the last round.
Finally, during the consumption of the meal, it was observed that there was generally too much (or sometimes not enough) food in the insulated containers, but above all that many children did not finish their plates.
In February 2022, Liège implemented a series of production, packaging and consumption weightings. A student carried out eight weeks of analysis (one week per school). It was measured that the overall waste of meals was 51%. For soup, the figure was 57%. These dramatic outcomes confirmed the first batch of observations with quantitative figures convincing ISoSL and all city canteens’ schemes to take action. A series of measures were taken: application of meal ordering with strict ordering deadlines, weighing at the packaging line, awareness-raising in schools, etc.
More sustainable and healthy meal at the canteen (photo credit: MAdil).
When a bottom-up movement meets city governance
Thinking about the market in a sustainable way is a complex process. It's not enough to change one criterion or another, or to demand more local, high-quality food. The key to making these changes is co-construction and a shared determination to achieve them, the involvement of all the players. “ISoSL and the city of Liège would not have been able to put all this in place without the Ceinture Alimentaire Terre Liégeoise”, states Vérionique Biquet, Project Manager for Healthy and sustainable food for all within the Social Cohesion Plan of Liège. “As public players, we don't have the capacity to mobilise the local ecosystem of producers without the support of local experts and facilitators”.
The Liège Food Belt (Ceinture Alimentaire Terre Liégeoise) emerged from more than 400 stakeholders in the region, who joined forces about 14 years ago. There was a need for a platform to support and structure this mobilisation among producers, market gardeners, organic groceries, sustainable canteens and restaurants. The rapid change achieved by ISoSL and Liège has been highly facilitated by the existence of a strong and large network of engaged stakeholders.
The tighter collaboration between the Liège Food Belt and the public authorities of Liège generates a booming dynamic within the local healthy and sustainable food ecosystem. In parallel to the transformation of school canteens, a large range of initiatives have popped up in recent years, involving various organisations and institutions.
Visit to a local sustainable food producer (Photo credit: MAdil).
The MAdil, Maison de l'Alimentation durable et inclusive de Liège (Sustainable and Inclusive Food House) provides the opportunity to discover, test and learn about good food practices, including environmental protection and the fight against food waste. Activities cover culinary workshops, guest tables, walks around edible wild plants, meetings with local producers, introductions to market gardening techniques, and more.
HORIZON, a logistics centre dedicated to short circuits, has been operational for a year at the Marché Matinal de Liège in Droixhe, with storage space for local coopératives in particular to supply community kitchens. The "Short-Circuit" weekly market welcomes around 20 local producers and over 1,000 visitors every Thursday, from May to October, in the Place Cathédrale.
The CREaFARM programme, which makes public land available free of charge for local and urban agricultural projects. The agricultural plots are farmed by market gardeners on the principle of Community Supported Agriculture.
The creation of the CPA, Conseil de Politique Alimentaire (Food Policy Council) as a consultation and coordination body is also notable. It is dedicated to the actors of the food system, on the scale of the 24 municipalities of Liège Métropole and is composed of six Working Groups.
And last but not least, a month ago, construction began on a vegetable and canning factory, financed by European funds and planned as part of the national plan for recovery and resilience. This new installation will be active in 2025 and enable the supply of local and fresh vegetables to the ISoSL kitchen and beyond.
Logistics hub for local producers at the historic Droixhe morning bulk market (photo credit: Ville de Liège).
Good practices: from city to city
To reiterate, the BioCanteens Transfer Network played an important role in catalysing this process in Liège. In fact, Liège was engaged in a process of adapting the city of Mouans-Sartoux‘s Good Practice with its means and context: a daily distribution of 100% organic meals made of local products; a drastic reduction of food waste; the organisation of educational activities dedicated to raising children’s awareness of sustainable food, etc.
“In Mouans-Sartoux, the city started to take action towards more healthy and sustainable food and the citizens and the civil society joined the movement. In Liège it is the other way around, the Liège Food Belt kicked off the food transition process and the city administration built on it to set its healthy and sustainable food governance!” summarises Gilles Pérole, Vice-Mayor of Mouans-Sartoux in charge of Children, Education and Food and Coordinator of the BioCanteens URBACT Transfer Network.
Does this success mean that Liège is starting its own URBACT Transfer Network at regional level? “In a way yes”, answers Davide Arcadipane. “What we achieved here is possible on every Belgian territory. More initiatives from other cities such as Liège will produce more transition to sustainable practice of food producers, more potential to foster change through strategic public procurement even with the declining purchasing power due to inflation, more involvement and coherence in terms of food-related policies between local, regional, federal and European governance levels”.
New short circuit logistic hub programmed for 2025 (Photo credit is Gaetan Wijnants).
Next steps for Liège
A lot has been achieved in a relatively short time to transform the ISoSL central kitchen. What are the next challenges for the city? The central kitchen started to cook two fresh local vegetables per day. The new vegetable and canning factory will be able to process 1,400 tonnes of locally produced vegetables per year and cover more than the needs of ISoSL. This vegetable factory will achieve the initial objective of 100% organic, announced in 2021 upon entering the URBACT BioCanteens Transfer Network.
The strategic use of the city purchase power. In 2023, Liège school canteens represented around €1,000,0000 of which €600,000 are already classified as ‘sustainable food’. This shows, if still needed, that strategic public procurement has an important stimulation effect on the emergence of new sustainable food producers and on the transition of the local farming ecosystem.
The 4,000 meals per day provided to the schools and nurseries should now be extended to 12,000 meals per day, including hospitals and elderly homes of the area. There is a strong political interest, including from other Wallonian cities. Moreover, a study is in progress to assess real costs which is to say, costs of delivering sustainable and local meals, but also taking into account hidden costs for public authorities due to unhealthy diets, diffusion of related diseases such as obesity, etc.
EU City Labs: what’s next on the menu?
The creation of a rich and articulated ecosystem is key to support changes in practices: it is true to ensure the evolution of citizens towards more healthy and sustainable diet. This was analysed in the recent article ‘Feeding change: Cities empowering healthier and more sustainable food choices’ as well as during EU Food City Lab on Changing Habits for a Healthy and Sustainable Food System (Mouans-Sartoux (FR), 21-22 March 2024). Liège example shows, if still needed, that it is also true for stakeholder practices change (farmers, transformers, cooks, canteens staff, etc.).
From 29-30 May 2024, Liège will host the EU City Lab on Public Procurement for More Local, Seasonal and Sustainable Food. EU City Labs are knowledge-sharing events co-hosted by URBACT and the European Urban Initiative. The Liège edition is the second of three events taking place in different cities, focused on change of eating habits, food procurement and preservation of agricultural land, and other elements for cultivating thriving local food systems in urban areas.
Interested in meeting with other cities, representatives and organisations working on this issue? Registration for the next EU City Lab is still open. Consult the full programme and register here.
Want to read more from URBACT experts on food and related topics? Visit the URBACT Food Knowledge Hub.
¹ The ISoSL uses the definition of ‘sustainable food’ found in the Wallonia Region Food Strategy Manger Demain (Eating Tomorrow) and that of the FAO.
Für das Programm URBACT IV gingen 19 Bewerbungen für Innovation-Transfer-Netzwerke von 109 Partnern aus 25 europäischen Ländern ein. Auch zwei deutsche Kommunen reichten Bewerbungen ein.
Ein Bild mit Gruppen von Menschen, die sich vernetzen, und dem Logo von URBACT-Innovation-Transfer-Netzwerken in einer Ecke.
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Der Call für Innovation-Transfer-Netzwerke von URBACT IV war vom 10. Januar bis zum 20. März 2024 geöffnet. Leadpartner können bei diesem Projektaufruf nur Städte werden, die eine Förderung aus dem Urban-Innovative-Actions-Programm (Förderperiode 2014-2020) erhalten haben. Städte aus der gesamten Europäischen Union, Norwegen, der Schweiz, Albanien, Bosnien und Herzegowina, Montenegro, Nordmazedonien und Serbien konnten ihr Interesse an Netzwerkideen der Leadpartner anmelden.
Innovation-Transfer-Netzwerke in Kürze
Die URBACT-Netzwerke für den Innovationstransfer laufen offiziell im September 2024 an. Die Partner werden über einen Zeitraum von zwei Jahren zusammenarbeiten, um die innovativen Maßnahmen, die zuvor im Rahmen des Urban-Innovative-Actions-Programms finanziert wurden, zu verstehen, anzupassen und wiederzuverwenden. Sie werden sich an Austausch- und Lernaktivitäten beteiligen, mit lokalen Arbeitsgruppen („URBACT Local Groups“) bei der Entwicklung von Investitionsplänen bzw. Fortführungsplänen für ihre Städte zusammenarbeiten und von den Möglichkeiten zum Aufbau von Strukturen und Kompetenzen im Rahmen von URBACT profitieren.
Themen und Interessen der verschiedenen Länder
Die beliebtesten Themenbereiche der Netzwerkvorschläge sind "Arbeitsplätze und Qualifikationen in der lokalen Wirtschaft" sowie "Städtische Armut" mit jeweils drei Anträgen, gefolgt von "Kultur und kulturelles Erbe", "Digitaler Wandel" und "Städtische Sicherheit" mit zwei Anträgen pro Thema. Die Themenvielfalt ist damit noch nicht erschöpft, denn die weiteren Anträge reichen von der Anpassung an den Klimawandel bis hin zum Wohnungsbau und zur Integration von Migranten und Flüchtlingen.
Was die geografische Verteilung der 19 eingereichten Anträge anbelangt, so ist Portugal mit 15 Partnern vertreten, dicht gefolgt von Spanien und Italien mit jeweils 14 Partnern. Griechenland liegt mit elf Bewerberstädten an vierter Stelle. Aus Deutschland reichten zwei Kommunen Anträge für eine Teilnahme an einem Innovation-Transfer-Netzwerk ein. Es ist wichtig zu erwähnen, dass bei diesem Call nicht mehr als ein Netzwerkpartner aus demselben Land an einer Partnerschaft beteiligt sein darf. Zudem gab es keine formelle Verpflichtung, Partner aus besser entwickelten Regionen (zu denen die meisten deutschen Städte zählen) in Netzwerke aufzunehmen. In der Abbildung sehen Sie die detaillierte Aufschlüsselung nach Ländern.
Die nächsten Schritte
Nach dem Ende des Calls hat das Auswahlverfahren begonnen. Das URBACT-Sekretariat hat bereits die Förderfähigkeitsprüfungen der Anträge durchgeführt; in Kürze beginnt das externe Bewertungsgremium mit seiner Arbeit.
Die bewerteten Netzwerk-Vorschläge werden dem URBACT-IV-Begleitausschuss zur Prüfung vorgelegt, der schließlich am 28. Juni 2024 mindestens zehn Innovation-Transfer-Netzwerke genehmigen wird.
Städte aus der Ukraine und der Republik Moldau können sich den genehmigten Innovationstransfernetzwerken anschließen. Dafür müssen Sie allerdings auf einen gesonderten Call warten, der im Juni 2024 für Städte aus diesen Ländern veröffentlicht werden wird.
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Razmislite o ovome: trenutno je oko 35% zgrada u EU starije od 50 godina. Riječ je o zgradama iz vremena Hladnog rata, ere floppy disketa, prve video igrice Pong, mobitela velikih poput cipela, teških kilogram ili više - dakle, iz davnih vremena. Te su stare zgrade odgovorne za 40% potrošnje energije u EU i 36% emisija CO2, pri čemu ove starije zgrade troše najmanje pet puta više od novih te do 60 litara loživog ulja godišnje. Poboljšanjem energetske učinkovitosti zgrada ukupna potrošnja energije u EU može se smanjiti za 5-6%, a emisije CO2 za oko 5%.
Čini se da bi vezano za ovu problematiku veliki gradovi trebali biti predvodnici u inovacijama. Oni, uostalom, imaju najveću koncentraciju zgrada i emisija CO2, zar ne? Iako u tome ima istine, za grad Viladecans (Španjolska) problem nije samo u inovacijama za energetsku učinkovitost - bez obzira na veličinu grada. Radi se o inovacijama u upravljanju, o promjeni načina razmišljanja, a to je nešto u čemu se gradovi srednje veličine poput Viladecansa mogu pokazati kao faktori promjene u Europi, pa bi ostatak svijeta trebao na njih obratiti pažnju. Ovaj je grad živi dokaz kako društvene inovacije malih razmjera postižu globalne ciljeve.
Ciljana ekološka tranzicija Europske komisije znači da se promjena ponašanja neizbježno mora dogoditi - promjena u ljudima i procesima u društveno-političkom sustavu i u načinu na koji dobavljači, potrošači i javni akteri nude energetska rješenja. U tom smislu integracija je sudjelovanje i aktivno uključivanje poslovnog sektora, institucija gradske uprave, škola, istraživačkih centara, sveučilišta, a ponajviše građana, posebno onih koji osjećaju ekonomski pritisak visokih troškova energije. Kako započeti? Viladecans nam daje smjeli prijedlog pod nazivom VILAWATT.
Započet 2016. uz europsko financiranje kao Urban Innovative Action (UIA), VILAWATT je inovativno javno-privatno-građansko partnerstvo za upravljanje energijom na lokalnoj razini, gdje participativni proces uključuje i vlasnike zgrada i arhitekte zgrada. Njegov je opći cilj potaknuti promjenu u razmišljanju građana o energiji, osnažiti i motivirati građane da imaju aktivnu ulogu koja vodi do dubokih promjena u stavovima i procesima energetske obnove. VILAWATT čine gradsko vijeće Viladecansa, šire gradsko područje Barcelone te dvije udruge, udruga građana za energetsku tranziciju te udruga poduzetnika i trgovaca za energetsku tranziciju.
VILAWATT i njegovo javno-privatno-građansko partnerstvo temelji se na ideji da energija nije luksuzna roba, već osnovna potreba te da je dužnost lokalne uprave osigurati građanima da se inovacija u energetskoj autonomiji i upravljanju temelji na otvorenosti, transparentnosti i povjerenju. Ključni su im saveznici stoga ljudi i korisnici energije te ljudi koji se nalaze u područjima energetskog siromaštva, a ključni alati za to su podizanje svijesti i rad u zajednici. Iako je tehnički VILAWATT projekt vezan za energetsku tranziciju, njegove akcije nadilaze elektroenergetsku mrežu i pitanja isplativosti energetskog tržišta. Radi se o društvenoj inovaciji koja potiče samorefleksiju i rezultira preventivnim mjerama u korist veće učinkovitosti i protiv energetskih podjela u društvu.
Evo malo više konteksta o tome kako je "lokalno" postalo "glokalno", zahvaljujući motiviranom i hrabrom vodstvu koje je pokrenulo takav proces. Viladecans, grad na jugu okruga Baix Llobregat, nalazi se u blizini Barcelone i dio je šireg gradskog područja Barcelone. Gusto naseljen sa 67.197 stanovnika (2020.) na području od samo 20,4 km2, njegov urbani razvoj obilježili su veliki valovi useljavanja i industrijalizacije u 20. stoljeću - najprije u 20-ima, a potom ponovno u 60-ima i 70-ima - što ne samo da je transformiralo mali agrarni grad u grad industrije i uslužnih djelatnosti, već je i dovelo do izgradnje zgrada u novim i rubnim četvrtima.
Ovako je Jordi Mazón, zamjenik gradonačelnika zadužen za ekološku tranziciju i voditelj projekta VILAWATT, sročio dualnost dugoročnog energetskog izazova za grad: "Upravljanje energijom dio je problema i dio rješenja". No, kao što i Mazón shvaća, "najveća je snaga projekta VILAWATT stvaranje čvrste strukture, javno-privatno-građanskog konzorcija, koji upravlja energijom na drugačiji način i vodi ka promjeni energetskog modela. Viladecans je u vrlo dobroj poziciji da postane samodostatna energetska zajednica i krene prema postizanju ugljične neutralnosti do 2050.
Taj put prema ugljičnoj neutralnosti dijeli smjer s drugim ciljevima u Viladecansu, u Europi i u svijetu. Kao potpisnik Sporazuma gradonačelnika, Viladecans, sa svojim Akcijskim planom za održivu energiju koji se provodi od 2009. - i koji je 2017. ažuriran kao Akcijski plan za održivu energiju i klimu (eng.SECAP) - slijedi ciljeve koje su postavili Ujedinjeni narodi i Urbana agenda Europske komisije te je u svoju strategiju za 2030. godinu, pored inovacija u obrazovanju, otpornosti grada i kvalitete života, kao jednu od prioritetnih osi uključio i ekološku tranziciju.
Viladecans je također vodio i ambiciozni pilot projekt VILAWATT Transfer Mechanism. Ova je mreža trajala od ožujka 2021. do rujna 2022., nastojeći znanje koje je stekla tijekom četiri godine u sklopu UIA projekta prenijeti gradovima Seraing (Belgija), Nagykanizsa (Mađarska) i Trikala (Grčka).
Financirana putem URBACT III programa, ova je mreža za cilj imala pomoći lokalnim vlastima da pokrenu proces energetske tranzicije stvaranjem inovativne strukture upravljanja - lokalnog javno-privatno-građanskog partnerstva - pružajući četiri ključne usluge za poboljšanje upravljanja energijom na lokalnoj razini: opskrba energijom, energetska kultura, naknadno opremanje zgrada te lokalna kriptovaluta povezana s uštedom energije.
Poput Viladecansa, i Seraing, Nagykanizsa i Trikala mali su do srednji gradovi s ambicioznim strateškim energetskim planovima. Svi su također potpisnici Sporazuma gradonačelnika i rade na vlastitim planovima za održivu energiju i klimu, čime bi preusmjerili svoja gospodarstava da postanu pametnija, energetski učinkovitija te kružna. Svi oni žele biti lideri u svojim regijama, čineći svoje gradove zdravijima i zelenijima, što je upravo ono što VILAWATT želi postići.
Za Mazóna i njegove kolege pionire VILAWATT-a, ideja inicijative je udruživanje snaga u svakom gradu kako bi se pronašao put naprijed koji funkcionira s obzirom na različite lokalne situacije s kojima se svaki grad suočava i posuđivanje praksi koje su bile uspješne u partnerskim gradovima. Kako je rekao, "inovativna metoda za nas znači i drukčije osmišljavanje onoga što se radi i kombiniranje toga s novim idejama i trendovima" - jer gradovi su mjesta gdje živi većina ljudi; na kraju krajeva, gotovo 75% europskog stanovništva živi u urbanim sredinama. To je gradove poput onih uključenih u ovu mrežu učinilo idealnim poligonom za testiranje inovacija na mnogim razinama.
Gradovi mogu promijeniti okvir kroz koji se promatra zajednički problem. Gradovi mogu biti testni tereni, mogu postaviti ciljeve, regulatore i procjenitelje troškova poticaja za promjenu statusa quo. U slučaju mreže VILAWATT, oni također mogu biti predvodnici promjena u akcijama osmišljenim u suradnji s građanima i uz njihovu podršku, a kojima je cilj pravedna i održiva transformacija u ugljično neutralan grad. Mreža je partnerima predložila -- i još i danas poziva gradove EU -- da pronađu obostrano korisna rješenja u projektima u kojima susjedi poboljšavaju uvjete stanovanja čineći stambene prostore energetski učinkovitijima, u kojem imaju pristup zelenoj energiji i dobivaju niže i transparentnije račune za energiju. Time se poboljšavaju životni uvjeti, a istovremeno se građani obrazuju, svjesniji su energetske učinkovitosti te potrošnje energije. Takve inicijative također rezutiraju povećanjem zapošljavanja.
U tu je svrhu VILAWATT pokrenuo nekoliko zajednica za učenje i nudi specifičnu obuku u području energetske učinkovitosti i obnovljivih izvora energije, što uključuje škole, maloprodajni sektor, tvrtke, nezaposlene. Na primjer, partnerski gradovi koriste gamifikaciju (eng. gamification) kako bi pomogli ljudima da razumiju tehničke aspekte inicijative, ciljajući na zajednice u kojima se nalaze ogledne zgrade i koje su voljne pristupiti njihovom naknadnom opremanju te adresirati energetsko siromaštvo. Istovremeno se nude poticaji tvrtkama da počnu upotrebljavati lokalnu kriptovalutu i ostvare korist od njezinog opticaja, što uključuje besplatnu energetsku reviziju za maloprodajne trgovce.
VILAWATT je transformativan, ne samo u smislu predložene holističke energetske tranzicije, već i u smislu upravljanja. Ne radi se o stvaranju još jednog birokratskog sloja, već o pronalaženju načina za integraciju različitih gradskih politika i omogućavanju raznih načina mobilizacije građana, o stvaranju društvenog kapitala i obogaćivanju grada onim što je bitno – zdravijim, zelenijim životima, a da se pritom nikoga ne zanemaruje.
Gradovi u mreži VILAWATT prepoznali su da projekt može poslužiti kao pokretač za razvoj njihovih dugoročnih procesa energetske tranzicije te u političkom smislu pokazati svoju usklađenost i solidarnost s postizanjem UN-ovih ciljeva održivog razvoja i smanjenja emisija CO2. Održivost ovih aktivnosti bila je jedan od ključnih ciljeva za sudionike. Oni su, zajedno s Direktivom o zajedničkim pravilima za unutarnje tržište električne energije (EU 2019/944), koja je dovela do stvaranja energetskih zajednica, odigrali ključnu ulogu u budućnosti gradova i utjecali na razvoj pojedinačnih projekata svakog grada partnera.
Naravno, s obzirom na razinu potrebnih ulaganja, svaki grad mora pronaći način da podrži i potakne vlasnike zgrada da se uključe u poduzimanje mjera njihovog naknadnog opremanja. Dok propisi ostaju uglavnom na razini EU-a i nacionalnoj/državnoj razini, duboke transformacije događaju se na razini lokalne zajednice i mogu se ostvariti samo u gradovima. Pravo je vrijeme za to - tijekom sljedećih sedam godina, mehanizmi za jačanje zamaha poput Next Generation EU i Europski zeleni plan idealni su za gradove poput Viladecansa i gradove koji imaju slične ambicije da maksimalno povećaju svoj društveni kapital, političku volju i kapacitete za društvene inovacije kako bi ostvarili napredak u postizanju svojih ciljeva energetske tranzicije.
U pripremi aktivnosti koje će uslijediti nakon službenog završetka VILAWATT mreže, svaki uključeni grad priprema investicijske planove koji sadrže pogodnosti za različite dionike te informacije o tome kako će se investicijama osigurati održivost inovativne prakse projekta u vlastitom okruženju. Za Viladecans izazov je bio iskoristiti vrijedne dvosmjerne tokove razmjene znanja i povratnih informacija, istovremeno poboljšavajući vlastitu izvornu energetsku strategiju za cijeli grad i s tim povezane aktivnosti. Viladecans je, na primjer, eksperimentirao s novim načinima uključivanja različitih skupina u svoj rad i testirao pokretanje zajednica za dijeljenje i učenje.
Kao što je rekao Mazón, ideje i društvene inovacije VILAWATTA i grada Viladecansa simbol su nove političke vizije koja jača diljem Europe. Ona ovom projektu donosi ne samo globalni pristup, nego i humanistički. Mazón je to najbolje opisao: "Nevjerojatni materijali koje znanost trenutno razvija - oni koji mijenjaju područja kao što su urbanističko planiranje, inženjerstvo i mjerenje, transformirajući naš način života na radikalan način - temelje se na nanoznanosti. Ovi inovativni materijali baziraju se na manipulaciji pojedinačnih atoma i njihovim postavljanjem u optimalne položaje kako bi se dobio bolji materijal. Makroskopska svojstva materijala rezultat su optimalne mikroskopske strukture.”
Mazón je i prikladno zaključio: ”Isto tako, male inovacije na niskoj/lokalnoj razini moraju omogućiti izgradnju boljeg društva i planeta. Jedinice lokalne samouprave ono su što su atomi za materijale, a političari su ekvivalent inženjerima nanoznanosti. Cilj nam je stvoriti bolji planet tako što ćemo unaprijediti naše okruženje.
The problem: People are disengaged on climate and distrustful of government.
Why it matters: We need everyone on board with no-one left behind.
The solution: Embedding city staff within the community to act as a go-between can help to build a bridge between the public and policymakers.
As we conclude the UN climate talks in Dubai and the hottest year on record, the need for governments to go above and beyond business as usual in scaling climate action has never been clearer.
Now it’s time for other local governments to consider how to decentralise city infrastructure and decision-making and shift power to the community, especially if we want to move on climate fast enough – and move together, united.
The good news is that there are several remarkable shifts happening across city ecosystems. Cities are disrupting the status quo and increasingly investing in new approaches to engage the community in the co-creation of climate action and policymaking.
New roles to fit the new reality
First, our cities are rethinking their roles and identities and hiring climate and environmental justice directors, chief heat officers, green new dealers and climate budgeters to work across all city departments. These new hires work outside silos, and they send important messages about governance – that this work is intersectional and multi-disciplinary, and that just and equitable participation is essential.
Second, our cities are revamping their approach to the community, using appreciative inquiry approaches to co-design the future with all stakeholders across a city ecosystem. They’re launching action networks to mobilise entire communities around carbon reduction initiatives, and they’re shifting power by establishing community-operated resilience hubs within local neighbourhoods.
Third, our cities are radically reconfiguring their municipal infrastructure. One of our cities – Copenhagen – is reworking its entire municipal structure, getting rid of city scaffolding that might get in the way of engagement and embedding local climate officers within the community for up to five years at a time. The strategy they’re using is based on asset-based community development thinking.
These municipal staff aren’t reporting to a city desk and a city office every day but are based in the community for years at a time. Their office is the community. Their desk is the day-to-day goings-on within the locality. Their job is to both represent the city to the citizenry, but also to advocate for the community to the municipality. They have two bosses, in essence – the public as well as policymakers.
The new approach restructures the way in which the community engages with the city and vice versa. It begins to decentralise climate action in Copenhagen and democratise climate action and policymaking by ensuring a more seamless and constructive dialogue and partnership between city staff and city residents.
Citizen engagement for a new age
It’s innovative, and it’s the way forward for cities rethinking citizen engagement. There’s a growing recognition among cities that past precedent and prior approaches to engagement – which have often taken the form of missives from government to the public in a unidirectional fashion – haven’t moved or mobilised the masses in the direction needed to slow climate change. Thus, the new approaches are very welcome and much needed now.
Copenhagen’s new approach, launched last year, to post climate officers within local communities is already yielding results. The city is witnessing a more engaged public, a richer conversation on climate policies, a more actionable climate agenda and more human resources available to make it all happen.
The community of the willing – to advocate, activate and actualise – has grown substantially as a result. And that’s going to be critical if Copenhagen is to meet its aggressive climate goals, which are some of the most ambitious goals of any city in the world. It’s going to require everyone on board the community’s, and the city’s, climate agenda to make it a reality.
This step is an exciting one, and it’s appropriate that such a climate leader like Copenhagen would lead in this way. Now it’s time for other local governments to consider how to decentralise city infrastructure and decision-making and shift power to the community, especially if we want to move on climate fast enough – and move together, united.
The public wants it, and they’ll undoubtedly make good use of it. And it’s a shift that’ll move both systems and behaviour change simultaneously. Local governments: it’s time to go hyper-local.
On February 28th and 29th, 2024, the second transnational meeting of the URBACT In4Green network was held in Solingen with the aim of further advancing knowledge exchange activities and collaborative learning that can inspire the identification and design of local actions for the green industrial transition.
Thirty individuals affiliated with the In4Green network partners with various profiles and roles attended this second transnational meeting. From local project coordinators to elected representatives, internal stakeholders, local government officials, and external stakeholders such as companies and external public agencies, they gathered in Solingen to work together on finding solutions for the green transition in small and medium-sized industrial cities.
All attendees had the opportunity to participate in various activities primarily designed and facilitated by the Lead Expert of the network, Jose Costero. These activities included thematic working groups, peer review sessions, study visits to projects in Solingen, training activities, and skill development or training on URBACT Methodology tools.
In this way, In4Green partners were able to gain valuable information, knowledge, and skills through exchange to design their Integrated Action Plans at the local level in collaboration with their stakeholders.
Thematic Workshops
One of the main activities with more technical content was the organization of two thematic working groups. The first one focused on the circular economy and was designed and facilitated by the Ad Hoc Expert Eileen Crowley. The second working group centred on green and smart industrial parks, new green technologies, and investment attraction, and was designed and facilitated by the Lead Expert Jose Costero.
In both working groups, experts presented and explained the most relevant basic concepts, the European Union's policy framework, and some identified best practices in the field, as well as notions about the identification and involvement of stakeholders. Additionally, attendees participated in practical work sessions to facilitate the application of acquired knowledge.
Exchange Sessions
During the second transnational meeting of the URBACT In4Green network, some exchange sessions were organized among partners. One of these sessions was dedicated to peer review of the Local Baselines to receive feedback from partners for improving the initial diagnosis. Partners also had the opportunity to participate in exchanges on the status and design of URBACT Local Groups, where work with local stakeholders, and on the activities initially identified for testing at the local level.
Moreover, this second transnational meeting included the organization of the first Transfer Workshop on public-private cooperation, an opportunity for Avilés (Spain) and Sabadell (Spain) to present and share their best practices related to public-private sector cooperation and collaboration in the green industrial transition. In this session, partners could exchange ideas on transferable elements of these best practices to their local reality.
URBACT Methodology
Lead Expert Jose Costero facilitated some sessions in which partners could practically expand their knowledge of URBACT Methodology tools and concepts for sustainable and integrated urban development in Europe. Precisely, one of the main sessions was dedicated to the concept of integration in the development of local action plans, where the 12 aspects of urban integration were explained. In other sessions, partners could deepen their methodological knowledge of tools for stakeholder involvement and the design and execution of testing activities.
Study Visits
Taking advantage of the session organization in Solingen, In4Green partners were able to make study visits to two of the city's projects considered as best practices within the network: the Waste-to-Energy plant and the Transparent Workshop on urban production.
URBACT In4Green Network
The URBACT In4Green network consists of 10 European cities: Avilés and Sabadell (Spain), Vila Nova de Famalicao (Portugal), Navan (Ireland), Solingen (Germany), Salerno (Italy), Zd’ar nad Sazavou (CzechRepublic), Dabrowa Gornicza (Poland), Bijelo Polje (Montenegro), and Larissa (Greece). These European cities have joined forces to jointly address the challenge of the green transition in small and medium-sized European industrial cities. This project is funded by the European Union's Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the URBACT IV Programme (2021-2027) under the first call for Action Planning Networks.
EU City Lab o miestnych potravinových systémoch je druhým podujatím zameraným na výmenu poznatkov. Podujatie spoločne organizujú URBACT a Európska urbánna iniciatíva (EUI) s podporou hostiteľského mesta Liège (Belgicko). Podujatie sa uskutoční od 29. do 30. mája 2024.
Podujatie bude zamerané na verejné obstarávanie pre lokálnejšie, sezónnejšie a udržateľnejšie potraviny. Prostredníctvom diskusií a zdieľania vedomostí, tematických stretnutí, walkshopov a skupinových aktivít sa podujatie zameria na preskúmanie toho, ako môže verejné obstarávanie pomôcť prechodu na udržateľné miestne potravinové systémy v európskych mestách.
Food systems are a primary cause of environmental degradation and contribute to climate change, health inequalities and waste. With half the global population living in urban areas, cities are tuning in to the role they play in building more sustainable food systems and helping their residents eat a healthier diet.
This article condenses the rich exchanges that took place there into 5 ways cities can get onto – or further explore – the food transformation path.
If you like what you read here, have a look at the EU City Lab #2 programme on using public procurement for more local, seasonal and sustainable food on 29-30 May in Liège (BE).
On their end, policymakers need to stop looking at food policies in a silo, and instead start associating them with broader economic and social goals, such as re-dynamising the local territory or building food security through shorter and fairer supply chains. Thanks to their flexibility, smaller cities are especially relevant to develop synergies and integrated approaches.
The ex-ante assessment of the Urban Agenda’s “Food” thematic area conducted in 2023 embraced this holistic perspective, building on a conceptual framework developed by IPES-Food. The same conceptual framework also inspires the approach of the three EU City Labs on Local Food Systems.
2. Navigate the EU landscape on food
In recent years, EU food policies also witnessed a progressive shift towards a more systemic and sustainability-oriented approach. The 2020 Farm to Fork Strategy, for instance, attempted to introduce an holistic perspective to the food production chain, from the producers to the consumers (and beyond, in the context of a circular economy) and to put sustainability at the core of food systems transformation.
Yet, there is still a long way to go to transform these ambitious goals into reality, as many critical voices are being raised. “Europe is witnessing a growing push to shift the perspective “from fork to farm”: that is, emphasizing the political legitimacy of the citizens-consumers to decide what they wish to eat” recalled Gilles Perole, Deputy-Mayor of Mouans-Sartoux. As EU legislators work to fill the gap, cities keep playing a key role as drivers of change.
Initiatives such as the UAEU Partnership on Food, launched in January 2024, put cities at the heart of local food policy transformation. As explained by Elisa Porreca, Food Policy Officer of the City of Milan and coordinator of the partnership, it gathers 21 stakeholders from all sectors of the urban food chain, to build both a shared vision and the necessary tools for its sustainable implementation. For the coming years, the goal is to improve the funding, regulation and knowledge in relation to local food systems.
3. Get inspired by cities across Europe…
Organic food in school canteens in Mouans-Sartoux
Over the years, the city of Mouans-Sartoux has turned into a key source of inspiration for urban food policy practitioners across Europe. Why?
Because of its three primary school canteens serving 100% organic food since 2012 – all cooked on-site by the canteens’ chefs, with 85% of self-produced vegetables all-year round and diversification of proteins through 50% of vegetarian meals for all. 1,100 meals are served every day by the school canteens to 97% of the total number of pupils in Mouans-Sartoux. The local supply of vegetables is ensured by the municipal farm – a 6-hectare plot pre-empted by the municipality in 2010, with a yield of 25 tons per year. Three full-time farmers work there as civil servants – a first in France.
Mouans-Sartoux’s practice and know-how has been customised and transferred to 9 European cities through two URBACT Transfer Networks called Biocanteens and Biocanteens#2 from 2018 to 2022. Many other French cities have followed Mouans-Sartoux’s example.
A key strength of the city’s practice is the progressive buildup on projects, leading to a systemic approach. EU City Lab’s participants got to discover the different building blocks of this approach through city visits and dedicated discussion sessions.
“The Municipality played a key role in initiating this policy, yet it has focused since the beginning on fostering citizens’ implication,” recalled Gilles Perole, Deputy-Mayor of Mouans-Sartoux. Since 2016, the MEAD (Centre for Sustainable Food Alimentation) supports this ambition through training and education initiatives. Most recently, the city’s participatory efforts led to ‘The Citizen Feeds the City’ initiative, which saw the creation of seven community gardens – initiated by citizens and managed in autonomy by a group of them.
To tackle the inclusiveness challenge, since 2011 low-income or unemployed citizens may benefit for a few months access to a social grocery store, where they can get healthy and sustainable food at a very low cost. A step further? Scaling up to more categories of citizens who don’t have the chance to properly consider the food they consume. As explained by Caroline Monjardet, Project Manager at MEAD, the city currently works with local companies and restaurants to propose healthier and locally-sourced meals to their employees or customers.
Group visit to one of the 100% organic school canteens in Mouans-Sartoux (FR) -- with Gilles Perole, Deputy-Mayor of the city.
Food Study with Irish Traveller women in Cork, Ireland
Around 2015, a network of traveller women approached Denise Cahill, Healthy Cities Co-ordinator in Cork, concerned about the rate of obesity in their community. Rather than spreading once more food recommendations, as they had multiple times without success, they built together the framework for a food study exploring the social determinants of traveller’s women health. Driven by their experiences, especially facing structural racism and hostility, this research was built with and owned by those traveller women. “Nothing about us without us” is the new motto in Cork..
“Cork is now trying to become a trauma-informed city.” As Denise explained, this study did not have such an impact on the obesity rate, but that was never the main goal. Going beyond the scope of food, the study became an advocacy tool for social services to understand the struggles and trauma that vulnerable communities battle with, and ultimately build more positive exchanges with them.
“The thinkers and the doers must find a common space.” Denise explained how creating this dialogue is a motor for the city’s action, to give room for everyone’s voices, from the farmers to the elected representatives, including the planners, and the grassroot movements.
UIA TAST’in FIVES in Lille, France
Perrine Dubois, project manager at the City of Lille, shared a story of transformation. A former industrial city throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Lille witnessed in 2001 the closure of one of its last industrial factories, “Five Cail” (straddling the neighbouring commune of Hellemmes). What to do with this 15hectare brownfield site located in the heart of the Lille metropolis? In the context of a broader project to turn this zone into an eco-district, the city applied in 2016 to an Urban Innovative Action (UIA) call for the financing of Tast'in Fives, a space dedicated to sustainable food.
At the heart of the brownfield, a central food hall of over 2,000m2 was therefore renovated to host an innovative combination of activities: a “community kitchen”, a professional kitchen hosting an incubator, an urban farm, and a food court. The first three structures opened in 2021, while the food court, delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, opened in March 2024.
The project – today called “Chaud Bouillon!” – involved many actors, including residents, neighbourhood associations, universities and private companies. Although its main focus is on strengthening social linkages, attention is also paid to food sustainability aspects – i.e. encouraging shifts towards more sustainable food habits. For example, the incubator’s projects must adhere to sustainability criteria, like the recovery of unsold goods from supermarkets.
School canteens solutions in Milan
In Milan, the municipal food provider Milano Ristorazione supplies about 80 000 meals per day, mainly served at schools. Milano Ristorazione is one of the main public stakeholders in the implementation of the Milan’s Food Policy and is a place to experiment with good practices, including menu changes and other enabling measures.
“The city started monitoring the impact of school catering services more closely in 2015 and has since then managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42%, mainly by cutting down on red meat and serving more fruits and vegetables” explained Chiara Mandelli, from the Food Policy Area of the Municipality of Milan. The city also achieved significant waste reduction through several measures, from shifting the times when fruits are served at schools, to offering “doggy bags” for children’s leftovers. To challenge the taste of children – often used to processed food and lower vegetable consumption – an educational campaign was launched, featuring booklets and games.
As Chiara also explained, Milan recently participated in the European Food Trails project to renovate school canteens; and in the EU project “School Food for Change” to create educational programmes for children on local food heritage. Finally, a recent partnership with the University of Pavia seeks to bridge the scientific assessment gap and learn how to best use existing data to inform future policy choices.
The Circular Food Hub in Roeselare
The Circular Food Hub in Roeselare (Belgium) extends beyond just providing affordable food. It includes a social grocery store; an eco-café serving low-price meals made with local products; a shared kitchen for workshops on cooking cheap, healthy and sustainable meals; and other amenities.
Designed as a space for inclusion and for strengthening social linkages among different groups, the place opened in 2020. It quickly succeeded in attracting a variety of users – from the beneficiaries of the social grocery store to participants in food workshops and other training initiatives.
The Circular Hub is in a former post office owned by the city. “The building features large meeting spaces available to residents and the city administration for future projects, including around food” explained Bo Vanbesien, expert in subsidies and external relations from the City of Roeselare.
Sharing cities' experiences in Mouans-Sartoux (FR).
4. Show the impact of your actions
For Thibaud Lalanne, MEAD Coordinator, impact assessment forms the foundation of the practice of sharing that Mouans-Sartoux has championed. Evaluation is important in two regards: first for internal legitimacy, as public spending is involved; then to advocate and spread good practices to other cities.
In 2022-23, Mouans-Sartoux’s good practice underwent three assessment exercises: first, the 2022 survey conducted by the Municipal Observatory of School Canteens, focusing on changes in families’ food habits; second, a comprehensive study (in French) based on the a specially-developed evaluation framework for sustainable food projects (Syalinnov method), touching upon a variety of dimensions; and third, a study on environmental impacts conducted by PhD researchers from Nice University. Thanks to these efforts, Mouans-Sartoux is able to quantify the impact of its food policies: a 92% reduction of its carbon footprint according to the Nice study.
What is main challenge when it comes to evaluation? “The lack of resources” says Thibaud. “There is a contradiction between the necessity of evaluating the policies and the reality of carrying out the surveys.” Evaluation exercises take time, involve many people, and cities can lack the technical competences. To cope with these challenges, “get support to conduct assessments, narrow down the scope of research, and allow yourselves some flexibility, as there is no ‘one size fits all’”.
5. Check out the next URBACT / EUI networking & funding opportunities
As Gilles Perole recalled: “the transformation that took place in Mouans-Sartoux can happen in other European cities, whatever their size.” The experience of the URBACT network Biocanteens #2 clearly demonstrated this, by enabling the transfer of Mouans-Sartoux’s good practice to cities like Liège, Wroclaw and more. Cities that vary in size and features of course, but with some key characteristics in common that made the transformation possible: awareness about the stakes related to local food systems; political ambition to change things; and willingness to promote healthier food to the citizens.
- Interested in learning more on the sustainability transition of local food systems? Join us in Liège on 29-30 May 2024 for the next EU City Lab on Public Procurement for More Local, Seasonal and Sustainable food. Register now!
- Does your city administration have a good practice on this or other topics? Then tell us about it from 15 April to 30 June 2024, during the URBACT Call for Good Practices which seeks good practices that bring positive local impact, that are participatory, integrated and transferable to other cities. More information about this Call will be available on urbact.eu/get-involved
