Networks and cities' news

THE END OF THE BEGINNING. THE BEGINNING OF THE END. THE WISH-CITIES PARTNERS COMPLETE THEIR TRANSFER JOURNEY

Predicting the future is a fools game

Time flies in URBACT networks. Partners start - and hopefully end - with a rush of enthusiasm. But before you know it, the final event is here and we are all saying our goodbyes. For the Innovation Transfer Networks (ITNs) that time has come, and WISH-CITIES, along with their peer networks wrapped things up in mid-June, in our case in Milan, where our network journey started. 

Image: WISH-CITIES partners at the final network event

From an expert perspective, the start is always exciting because you can never be sure how things will play out. The partnership is new, with its own theme and distinctive chemistry that grows over time. Most partners are also unknowns at the kick-off. 

At this stage, it’s hard for experts to resist trying to predict how each will use the network opportunity. And in my experience, we are nearly always wrong! We might expect that smaller cities, new to URBACT, might struggle. Conversely, we could assume that bigger, more experienced cities will stay the course and get the best results. Hmmm, not always right…cities will often surprise you. 

Eating the innovation elephant

How do cities transfer large complex urban innovations? The answer is the same as the response to an old joke: How do you eat an elephant? Answer - one bite at a time!

Where are the children? Putting young people back into Sustainable Urban Development

Sustainable cities for whom? It’s time to put young people back on the map