Networks and cities' news

Breathing New Life into Bucharest’s Oldest Tram Depot

Located in central Bucharest, just behind the Government headquarters, Victoria Depot stands as a significant, yet underutilized, landmark of industrial heritage — the oldest tram depot in the city, and a site with considerable potential for urban regeneration. Characterized by its iron framework, spacious halls, and embedded urban history, the depot had gradually receded from public attention — until the GreenPlace network brought it back into focus through a structured participatory initiative.

GreenPlace in Quarto d’Altino: Building a Green and Smart Hub of Archaeology, Nature and Community

A European project for greener and more participatory cities

GreenPlace is a European project under the URBACT programme, involving cities committed to developing more sustainable, inclusive, and participatory local policies, starting from one key element: the regeneration of green public spaces. Quarto d’Altino is taking part in GreenPlace with an ambitious yet deeply grounded challenge — to bring new life to the historic village of Altino and reconnect it to its urban, rural, and lagoon surroundings through an integrated, green, and smart development model.
Through the project Green & Smart Altinum Hub, the Municipality aims to transform Altino into a multifunctional hub where culture, nature, soft mobility, and social innovation converge to create new opportunities for residents, visitors, and local businesses.

GreenPlace cities commit themselves to developing more regeneration projects with green solutions and a participatory approach

During two days, on 13 and 15 May 2025, the Project Partners of the GreenPlace network exchanged and learned about strategies and activities for "recycling" unused urban areas, using social participation tools. Based on the life of the GreenPlace network and the two-day meeting, it has become clear that for such processes, it is crucial to take into account not only the regional specificities and conditions of each of the partners, but also to introduce greenery as a key factor in limiting climate change in urban areas.

III Circular Architecture Marathon: Onda towards a Green and Circular Lung

The Department of Circular Architecture of the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) has taken another step forward in its commitment to sustainability and circularity in the built environment by organising the third edition of the idea’s competition (III Circular Architecture Marathon). The main objective of this event is to promote reflection and dissemination among students and professionals on the implementation of the concepts of sustainability and circularity in construction and urban planning processes, contributing to the transformation of the sector towards a circular economy and supporting the decarbonisation of urban environments. In this edition, the initiative has been supported by the Onda City Council and had as a case study the project (Onda's Green Lung). 

Dancing the Walls of Limerick on the Old City Walls of Limerick!

The key aims for our city in the URBACT GreenPlace network is to test the level of interest local groups have in the Old City Walls of Limerick. Limerick City and County Council have been working on a series of measures/testing actions to enhance the Irishtown area, looking to create a connection locally. 

The projects focus is on the Irishtown area in Limerick City, looking to increase the green potential of the Old City Walls, to remove the perception that the area is unsafe and to augment the tourist potential of the Walls.

URBACT – Landesgartenschau Löbau 2012

When we decided to apply for the Greenplace project, we already knew what we wanted to share with the other project participants – our experience from the 2012 Saxon State Horticultural Exhibition (6. Sächsische Landesgartenschau Löbau 2012). For this exhibition, a 20-hectare industrial wasteland in Löbau was completely transformed. The site had previously housed several textile factories and various buildings of the Löbau sugar factory. Following the decline of these industries, the sugar factory—the last operating facility in this area near the city center—closed in 2002.