Networks and cities' news

From office to anywhere - How public administrations are adopting hybrid and remote work models

This entry is part of the Remote-IT Playbook series, developed within the URBACT Remote-IT Action Planning Network (Entry 3 of 16).

Public administrations across Europe are among the largest employers and service providers in their territories. When they change how their own staff work, they do not only adjust HR policies; they reshape how services are delivered, how public spaces are used, and how local labour markets evolve. The rise of remote and hybrid work since the COVID-19 pandemic has therefore become a strategic issue for city governments, not just a technical one.

Here we are exploings how municipalities are adopting hybrid and remote work models, what drives these changes, which risks and opportunities they create, and how cities can design workable frameworks. It draws on European and international evidence, together with lessons learned from the Remote-IT URBACT network, which brings together eight cities - Dubrovnik, Brindisi, Bucharest District 6, Câmara de Lobos, Heraklion, Murcia, Tartu and Tirana - to experiment with the future of work, including within their own administrations.

Destination branding for the future of work

This entry is part of the Remote-IT Playbook series, developed within the URBACT Remote-IT Action Planning Network (Entry 2 of 16).

Remote work is reshaping how people choose where to live, not just where to work. For European cities, this shift is opening a new field of competition and collaboration: becoming attractive places for people whose jobs are no longer tied to a local employer. Destination branding is no longer just a tourism tool; it is becoming a strategic instrument for talent attraction, demographic renewal and economic resilience.

Here we examine how can cities position themselves as destinations for remote workers and digital nomads, drawing on European data and international research, as well as lessons from the eight cities of the Remote-IT URBACT network: Dubrovnik, Brindisi, Bucharest District 6, Câmara de Lobos, Heraklion, Murcia, Tartu and Tirana.

Who is the remote worker?

This Playbook entry is part of the Remote-IT Playbook series, developed within the URBACT Remote-IT Action Planning Network (Entry 1 of 16).

Remote work is no longer a niche privilege for a small group of professionals. It has become a structural feature of European labour markets and of how people choose where to live, work, and raise families. For cities, this shift is not only about broadband and coworking spaces; it is fundamentally about people, a growing and increasingly diverse population of residents, commuters, visitors and temporary locals who work remotely.

We drew on European data and research, but as well on the experience of the eight cities in the Remote-IT network - Dubrovnik, Brindisi, Bucharest District 6, Câmara de Lobos, Heraklion, Murcia, Tartu and Tirana - which have spent the last 2.5 years experimenting with policies and pilot actions around remote and hybrid work.

REMOTE-IT Podcast: Destination branding

In the latest episode of the Remote-IT Podcast, host Mark Thomas explores the art and strategy of destination branding with three remarkable guests: Ana Maria Ghita, Consultant for Agile Team Processes and former digital nomad; JoAnna Haugen, solutions-oriented writer, editor, and public speaker focused on sustainable travel and community-based advocacy; and Hildegard Brandl, Owner, CEO, and Architect at UNITH2B Architects.

Remote-IT - Building cities for the future of work

REMOTE-IT Podcast: How cities create Integrated Action Plans (IAPs)

How Cities Create Integrated Action Plans – Lessons from the Remote-IT Podcast

In the latest episode of the Remote-IT Podcast, titled "How Cities Create Integrated Action Plans (IAPs)", host Mark Thomas, editor of The Dubrovnik Times, leads a conversation with URBACT experts and ULG coordinators reflect on their experiences of designing these strategic documents and what makes them truly integrated.

Our guests in this episode are URBACT Lead Experts Alisa Aliti Vlašić (Remote-IT) and Bela Kezy (C4TALENT), joined by ULG Coordinators from the Remote-IT project — Kerttu Ahuna and Markos Kourgiantakis.

For cities unfamiliar with URBACT or the concept of an IAP, this episode offers a valuable behind-the-scenes look into what it means to build a local plan that is collaborative, actionable, and future-proof. An Integrated Action Plan (IAP) is not just another policy document. It is a structured, participatory roadmap that brings together stakeholders across sectors to co-create realistic and relevant local solutions — guided by the URBACT methodology and toolbox.

“An IAP is not only about having a plan. It's about how you create it.”