Networks and cities' news

From activation to planning : the Cities@Heart Quarterly Report

The quarterly report of the Cities@Heart network encapsulates significant progress and initiatives in revitalising city centres across urban landscapes in the network. The report highlights ongoing efforts and insights gained from collaborations aimed at fostering vibrant and sustainable urban hubs.

"All things, to all people, at all times", the Cities@Heart Baseline Study

Covering themes from nightlife to the circular economy, the 30 URBACT IV Action Planning Networks began their journey of integrated urban development in June 2023. This baseline study, conducted from September to December 2023 in ten different countries, compiles urban analyses and site-specific visits to create the project roadmap for the URBACT Cities@Heart network, aiming to generate actionable knowledge for revitalising city centres.

The purpose of this baseline study is to define the framework for learning, knowledge exchange, and capacity building over the project's two-and-a-half-year duration. It establishes a clear methodology for focusing, categorising, and sharing network learnings.

Cities@Heart Baseline Study

The purpose of this baseline study is to define the framework that will guide the learning, knowledge exchange and capacity building activities that will be developed over the two and a half years of the project, and to establish a clear methodology that will be used to focus, categorise and share learning.

Sipping coffee in Sligo: How a commitment to community and attention to detail turned things around for downtown—one cup at a time

The year is 2013 and few residents of Sligo, Ireland have heard of a BID, or Business Improvement District. Stakeholders in the local commerce sector operated independently and seldomly in cooperation with the County Council. Fast forward to December 6, 2023 when a group of 26 individuals from ten different countries all over Europe touched down in Sligo to glean best practices for city centre management. Sligo’s remarkable success story provided a fitting backdrop for the first transnational meeting of the Cities@Heart URBACT Action Planning Network.

Falling in love with downtown: the URBACT Cities@Heart network is here!

As a part of the URBACT IV European Programme, ten European urban areas come together to form Cities@Heart, a network dedicated to sharing best practices and innovations for improving city centre management.

Cities@Heart: an URBACT Network proposing solutions for city centres, the testing ground for addressing future urban challenges

In spite of urban sprawl and a franchise economy, city centres are on the rise! Cities@Heart is here to defend proximity and mixed use, making downtown more accessible and appealing for new generations.