Networks and cities' news

Catch up on the latest updates from cities working together in URBACT Networks. The articles and news that are showcased below are published directly by URBACT’s beneficiaries and do not necessarily reflect the programme’s position.

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  • Where small cities learn to scale

    Where small cities learn to scale

    Through SHIFT-R, small and medium-sized cities are discovering that innovation
    ecosystems grow stronger when they connect with other cities, networks and European
    alliances.
    For small and medium-sized cities, innovation is rarely only about ideas. It is also about scale.
    A city can create a co-working space, launch a startup programme, regenerate an old building
    or attract a technology company. But if these initiatives remain isolated, their impact may stay
    local and fragile. To compete with larger metropolitan areas, smaller cities need more than
    individual projects. They need connected ecosystems.
    This is one of the main lessons emerging from SHIFT-R, the URBACT Transfer Network led by
    Fundão (PT). The project explores how small and medium-sized cities can become more
    innovation-friendly by connecting talent, entrepreneurship, digital skills, public spaces,
    governance, housing, quality of life and European cooperation.
    But the first months of SHIFT-R have also shown something equally important: a transfer
    network becomes stronger when it looks beyond itself. That is why the encounters with the
    URBACT METACITY Network in Fundão and Cities in Transition Europe (CITE) during
    Society Expo 2026 in Skellefteå were not side events. They were central moments in the
    learning journey of SHIFT-R partners.

    Miguel Sousa

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  • Safer nights, better nights: when collaboration makes cities safer for everyone

    Night-time economy can be an antidote to the decline of city centres and make them safer for all. In this article, CITISENSE Ad Hoc Expert Simone d’Antonio highlights some of the dimensions of nocturnal urban life that can be enhanced to make cities safer and more accessible, in line with the core focus of the network.

    Dimitra Kounavi

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  • Video: Looking back at the Network4Work meeting in Varberg

    A short recap of two days of learning, exchange and cooperation.

    Zoltán Szenes

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  • Video: Looking back at the Network4Work meeting in Varberg

    A short recap of two days of learning, exchange and cooperation.

    Zoltán Szenes

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  • Network4Work partners deepen their understanding of local labour market challenges in Varberg

    The second transnational meeting focused on stakeholder needs, peer learning and practical examples of local employment governance.

    Zoltán Szenes

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  • Network4Work partners deepen their understanding of local labour market challenges in Varberg

    The second transnational meeting focused on stakeholder needs, peer learning and practical examples of local employment governance.

    Zoltán Szenes

    See more