Networks and cities' news

From local innovation to European transfer: Komotini and the future of accessible cities

From local innovation to European transfer: Komotini and the future of accessible cities

AUTHOR: IO CHATZIVARYTI, LEAD EXPERT FOR URBACT TN C.ALL

As European cities face growing pressure to create more inclusive, sustainable, and people-centred urban environments, accessibility is increasingly moving from the margins of policy discussion to the centre of urban governance. Yet for many municipalities, especially medium-sized cities, translating accessibility commitments into coherent action remains a challenge. Fragmented planning, limited technical capacity, and insufficient stakeholder coordination often prevent accessibility from becoming a truly systemic urban priority.

The URBACT Transfer Network C.ALL – Accessible Cities for All offers an alternative approach. Led by Komotini, the network explores how accessibility can evolve from isolated interventions into an integrated governance model linking mobility, public space, participation, digital innovation, and social inclusion. At the heart of the network lies the transfer of the good practice “Komotini Accessible City for All”, a methodology developed progressively over two decades through cooperation between the municipality, civil society organisations, technical experts, and people with disabilities themselves.

Rather than presenting accessibility as a technical checklist, the Komotini approach treats it as a continuous urban process embedded across all areas of city planning. Seven European partner cities — Jarosław, San Lucido, Bratislava, Galway, Dubrovnik, Pentágono Urbano in Portugal, and Zrenjanin — are working to adapt this methodology to their own local realities through study visits, stakeholder engagement, and peer-learning activities.

Transfer Diary TNM#2 Pentágono Urbano , 11 & 12 June 2026

We arrived in the Pentágono Urbano; a pioneering inter-municipal urban area connecting five cities: Braga, Guimarães, Famalicão, Viana do Castelo and Barcelos, with a shared professional agenda: understanding how inclusive accessibility and smart urban solutions can be planned, implemented and transferred across different city contexts. Over two days, CALL Transfer Network partners engaged in site visits, peer-to-peer workshops and practitioner exchanges, examining how barrier-free public space, accessible transport infrastructure, digital mobility tools and multi-stakeholder governance can work together to create cities that leave no one behind.

📅 Day 1 

• Arrival & welcome session
• Site visit to Pentágono Urbano
• Evening reflection walk

📅 Day 2

• Thematic workshops
• Partner exchange
• Closing circle & next steps

"Comings and Goings" 2nd Transnational Meeting

 The European URBACT "Comings and Goings" network, led by CIM Viseu Dão Lafões, held its 2nd Transnational Meeting on 23 and 24 June in Kymi-Aliveri, Greece, bringing together representatives from all partner cities and regions.

 

Hydro-Heritage Cities Journal no 4

By SANDRA RAINERO. The latest and final news and achievements of our Network. A legacy to last. Enjoy it! 

Future STEAM Cities: Seven Lessons from Five European Cities

After two years of collaboration, learning and innovation, the Future STEAM Cities network reflects on the experiences that shaped its journey. In this article, lead expert Mónica Nagore Santandreu shares seven key lessons drawn from the work of Aveiro, Alytus, Kolding, Płock and Oulu, highlighting how transnational cooperation, knowledge exchange and the URBACT methodology helped cities strengthen their STEAM strategies and prepare for future investment and innovation. Read the full article to discover the insights, challenges and lasting impact of the network.

Tvoříme prostor: A successful model for community-driven public space co-creation

Tvoříme prostor (We Create Space) is an award-winning municipal grant programme from the City of Ostrava that empowers communities to co-create public spaces. By combining small-scale funding with strong citizen involvement, it shows how cities can achieve lasting impact through community-led initiatives.