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.

Want to learn more about the projects that are featured here? Discover the URBACT Networks.

 

 

  • People sitting and talking, kids playing outside

    Seeding a new approach to local social cohesion across Europe’s cities

    “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” So said the American philosopher and futurist Buckminster Fuller. He could have been talking about the city of Utrecht and their innovative social transformation project that has turned traditional models of migrant reception on their head.

    Utrecht (NL) has shown an approach that can meet the needs of new arrivals from their first day in the local area at the same time as the needs of the local community already in place. In doing so, they have created positive relationships, overcome distrust and fear and provided an example of local social cohesion that can, and should, inspire other cities across Europe.

    This is the starting point of Plan Einstein Academy, a two-year Innovation Transfer Network supported by URBACT that is exploring how to transfer Utrecht’s innovative ‘Plan Einstein’ model to five partner cities in different European countries: Coimbra (PT); Suceava (RO); Thessaloniki (EL); Warsaw (PL); and Zagreb (HR).

    Ed Thorpe

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  • Red de Ciudades Interculturales

    The Anti-Rumour Strategies as a tool to foster coexistence and reduce discrimination

    Sarah Simonin

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  • Workshop presentation during ULG meeting in Seine-Saint-Denis

    Seine-Saint-Denis Hosts URBACT Local Group Meeting on Early Childhood and Migrants' Rights

    On March 27, WELDI partner Seine-Saint-Denis held its 8th URBACT Local Group (ULG) meeting on services for early childhood. A good opportunity to get to know a particular systematic approach to working with the ULG.

    dirk_gebhardt

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  • WELDI journal number 4

    WELDI Journal Number 4 (03-2025)

    dirk_gebhardt

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  • Protecting Human Rights in a difficult political climate … 18 Months into the WELDI Network

    The URBACT network, WELDI, brings together ten cities committed to using human rights as a benchmark for their migrant reception policies. At the core of our approach is the  idea that human rights are not only legally binding but also crucial for improving cities and their quality of life for everyone.

     

    Regrettably the current political climate presents challenges to these ambitions. The EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum prioritizes migration management over human rights, lowering procedural standards and shifting refugee protection to countries with well-documented human rights abuses. Meanwhile, national governments in the Netherlands, Sweden, and France have curtailed migrant rights, and across the EU, political forces actively spread anti-migrant prejudice, undermining social cohesion.

     

    In this hostile environment, WELDI cities offer a beacon of hope. Leveraging their local autonomy and harnessing the power of local networks, they foster inclusive communities, where migrants and long-term residents thrive together. This article outlines the progress of our work so far.

    Sarah Simonin

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  • Deputy-Mayor of Timisoara speaking to WELDI partners

    Keys to Resilient Migrant Reception Models – The WELDI Network Meeting in Timișoara, 20-21 February 2025

    dirk_gebhardt

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