Networks and cities' news

Quart de Poblet’s introduction of an Urban Innovation Laboratory

To work with citizens means creating transparency

When the Quart de Poblet Town Council joined the Agents of Co-Existence network, one of its main objectives was to include a greater number of citizens in civic participation and to involve municipal officials in different forms of participation.

Agents of Co-Existence: From Testing to Transformation

As the Agents of Co-Existence (AoCE) network enters the final stretch of its URBACT journey, partner cities are moving from testing to embedding change. Partners have now entered a decisive phase where ideas have turned into action and new structures for civic participation have begun to take root. Thus, a good moment to share where we are.

Walking a fine line: how civil servants can work with sustainable development amidst political polarisation

What’s the issue? 

When asked what sustainable development means to them, the participants of the Agents of Co-existence fifth online academy had lots of ideas: from “working together” and “co-creating a better world” to focusing on “balance between social, economic environmental dimensions” and “ensuring that there is enough for everyone, everywhere and always”, as well as “finishing projects” and “ensuring long-term funding”.

The Role of Civil Servants in Strengthening Citizen Participation Lessons from the Agents of Co-Existence Network

Citizen participation is an essential pillar of democracy, yet many municipalities struggle to create effective and inclusive engagement processes. The Agents of Co-Existence (AoCE) Network, a European collaboration of cities working together as a URBACT action planning network, focuses on innovative ways to bridge the gap between governments and citizens. Basically, they look at two ways to improve citizen participation. On the one hand, they search for new ways and methods to include citizens in decision-making processes. On the other, they seek ways to foster meaningful engagement by redefining the role of civil servants. This requires experimenting with new participatory approaches and learning from each other. After 1,5 years of working and exploring together, it is time to share some relevant findings and key insights from the AoCE network and related studies, shedding light on how civil servants can better facilitate citizen participation at the local level

How do we make public participation more inclusive?

Public participation is a fundamental part of sustainable urban development, and yet traditional participation formats tend to preselect a rather homogenous group of citizens. How might we increase the diversity of those we are reaching and the voices we are including in our policy design?

How the movement “city of commons” was born in Bologna and spread over Italy

Over the past decade, Italy has undergone a remarkable transformation with the implementation of the concept of "city of commons." This idea, which originated in Bologna, has quickly spread across the country and has led to numerous initiatives aimed at social inclusion and urban renewal.