Networks and cities' news

From Transnational Inspiration to Local Exploration: The Importance of Local Study Visits and Stakeholder Involvement

Hearing examples from other cities and seeking inspiration from different contexts has always been a cornerstone of URBACT networks. Transnational exchange and examples can provide excellent inspiration for local actions. URBACT provides the framework and motivation for sharing international case examples, however seeking local examples of practice is something that can often be overlooked in the day-to-day of local municipal activities. It offers value though, and is something that is well worth the effort.

Inspired by things they had seen and heard from other partner cities in the Digi-Inclusion network, the project team in the Lead Partner City of Mollet del Vallès decided to undertake a series of study visits to other municipalities in their region, during the autumn of 2024. The stories they heard from projects partners in Bolgna (IT) and Boulogne-Sur-Mer (FR) during transnational exchange provided the basis for some new thinking, and the Mollet team were keen to explore this further locally with their ULG. 

Having developed an idea for introducing some form of “digital facilitators” into the city as part of their URBACT Integrated Action Plan, they sought out local examples of cities who had this type of approach. Through EU awards and recognition schemes, they identified three regional examples, in the municipalities of Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Cugat, and Granollers, all in the Barcelona province.

3 Great events to spread the word about Digital Inclusion

As time goes by, more and more people are suffering from Digital Exclusion. The reason is complex and has many aspects but one could be the difficulty in the speed of transition from and old paradigm to the technological one which causes some citizens not being able to catch up. Another could be the incapacity to afford new technology by some group of citizens but surely talking about it and building strategies to minimize digital exclusion will play a key role in the short and mid-term. Reducing digital divide is precisely the main mission of the Digi Inclusion network.

Looking back to look forward

As we start off into 2025, we are doing the final wrap-up for our mid-term reflection, a process we carried out during late autumn 2024. This was an open process with all project partners, looking at our experience so far, what is working well and anything that we want to change or add to the network.

Happily, this process showed a network that is functioning very well, with positive reports from PPs about improved knowledge on the digital divide, good support from the Lead Partner and Lead Expert team, and positive views about the opportunities for this coming year. The process highlighted that that we achieved a lot already in 2024 and have laid strong foundations for some really exciting developments in the next 12 months. It sounds like empty rhetoric that any LE would say about their network – but for me, it is really notable how well this network functions as a partnership and the level of opportunities there are for local progress and network level insight into digital inclusion in cities.

Our highlights for 2024 included three in-person transnational meetings hosted by three different project partners – Torres-Vedras (PT), Jelgava Local Municipality (LV) and Iasi, (RO). These were crucial times to make best use of the opportunity of being together in one place for intensive days of work and exchange. 

The positive views from partners on the effectiveness of these meetings saw us revise our plan for 2025 to include an additional transnational meeting this coming April. This will hosted by our partner Lepida, in the city of Bologna, and will focus exclusively on good practices and exchange on thematic topics, enabling a real deep dive into the latest ideas and projects at a crucial time in the project, with the distraction of budgets, frameworks and project management matters. We will also continue to use online meetings smartly, scheduling these at suitable points around our in-person meetings, to cover the things that work in online format, leaving space in our in-person agenda for the things where it really makes a difference being in-person.

DIGI-INCLUSION 4th TRANSNATIONAL MEETING IN IASI (ROMANIA)

On the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of September, the fourth transnational meeting of the DIGI-INCLUSION network was held in Iasi (Romania) and was attended by delegations from all network partners. 

The meeting was also attended by a politician from each project partner involved because this transnational meeting have had a significant milestone; the signature of the Political Declaration on Digital Rights. 

Digi-Inclusion network members sign a Political Declaration on Digital Rights in Iasi (Romania)

On September 24th of 2024, all the partners of the Digi-Inclusion network (Urbact IV) signed a Political Declaration on digital rights to boost digital inclusion in their territories. 

Breaking stereotypes: The triumph of a disability inclusion

In this article we would like to delve into a success story led by our DIGI-INCLUSION Network Partner, the Municipality of Torres Vedras (Portugal), who were also responsible for hosting the  Transnational Partner Meeting during last April. 

More specifically, we would like to emphasise the role of Leonel Alves, who, during the Transnational Meeting in Torres Vedras, shared with the partnership his story about having a disability and being digitally included. During the meeting he was accompanied by Fernando Martins, teacher in the Secondary School Henriques Nogueira.