Networks and cities' news

Residents of the Future, 2nd Quarterly Report: "It's time to start testing, testing, testing"

The period of the 2nd Quarterly Report included the transnational meeting (TNM) that happed and Saint-Quentin, France. This TNM was planned to be dense in content, to prepare cities for being more ready to work at local level.
At this period, we also had a significant work at URBACT Local Groups (ULGs) level. Cities started their journey on ideation and testing actions.
The project communication is now very active, with a strong presence on the social media!

Šibenik Polytechnic Enrolls Record Number of Students. But Is It Preparing Students for Life Here or Away in Big Cities and Abroad?

For the second consecutive year, the Polytechnic of Šibenik has broken its own record, welcoming an even greater number of students. In a time when higher education institutions across the country face various challenges, this growth signals not only a vote of confidence in Šibenik’s education system but also the desire of young people to pursue academic dreams in smaller, vibrant towns like this coastal gem. 

But with this success comes an important question: How many of these young minds will stay to build their careers and lives in Šibenik, and how many will eventually find their futures in larger cities or abroad?

Can artificial and social intelligence work together?

The Residents of the Future project, among other things, intervenes in the area of digital transformation of the involved cities by considering all the advantages and disadvantages of adapting these cities to a population that works remotely. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has “regrouped” remote workers and that today everyone (from Generation X to Gen Z) works remotely, it is important to note that this can have negative consequences for cities, such as empty office spaces, reduced local spending, and potentially decreased social interaction if people work exclusively from home.

Saldus, Latvia: An Idea Seeks a Place and a Place Seeks an Idea!

Can an old and abandoned building become a catalyst for reversing negative trends? Can it retain young people in Saldus and attract some new ones?

By: Marita Melvere

Residents of The Future Quarterly Report: What have we learned from The Baseline Study?

After the activation phase, the project partners were dedicated this period to the conclusion of the Baseline Study and to the implementation of the Urbact Local Groups.

Through URBACT, we are seeking answers to the question of how the city can retain existing residents and attract new ones

City of Šibenik has an extensive experience implementing EU funded projects, including the URBACT programme. In the previous period, Šibenik was partner in four citizens networks. Now, they took a role as a Lead Partner in the network "Residents of the Future". On this occasion, we spoke with Nikolina Gracin, a representative of the City of Šibenik and the coordinator of the Network. The interview was conducted for URBACT Croatia by Lucija Jusup, an advisor at the Association of Cities in the Republic of Croatia. You can find the entire article in Croatian language at the following link: >> URBACT Croatia