Networks and cities' news

RECUP Reaches a New Milestone: From Project Closure to the URBACT City Festival

After two inspiring years of learning, testing and building connections across Europe, the URBACT RECUP (REinventing Culture in Urban Places) Innovation Transfer Network has officially come to an end. Yet for the six partner cities, this is far from the end of the story. The journey continues through new investments, local initiatives, partnerships and long-term plans that will keep the RECUP legacy alive in the years ahead. 

Lessons Learned from RECUP: How Culture Can Help Cities Rebuild Connection, Belonging and Participation

Over the last two years, the URBACT Innovation Transfer Network REinventing Culture in Urban Places (RECUP) explored how culture and creativity can help cities respond to challenges such as loneliness, social isolation, fragmented communities and declining participation. Building on Újbuda’s CUP4Creativity Good Practice, six European partners tested new approaches, developed local solutions and translated their learning into Integrated Investment Plans for future implementation.

RECUP Final Conference in Amersfoort: Culture, Connection and Lasting Urban Impact

Amersfoort, the Netherlands | 8–9 July 2026

The URBACT network REinventing Culture in Urban Places (RECUP) reached an important milestone with its Final Conference, hosted by the City of Amersfoort on 8–9 July 2026. Bringing together partners from across Europe, the event marked the culmination of more than two years of collaboration focused on exploring how culture-led approaches can strengthen social cohesion and help cities address loneliness and social isolation. Based on the conference agenda and official meeting minutes, the event provided an opportunity to reflect on the network’s achievements, share local experiences and discuss how RECUP’s legacy can continue beyond the project’s lifetime.

Network Article III: When cities start singing together: how culture helped RECUP cities reconnect communities

The article below was authored by Elisa Filippi, Lead Expert of the URBACT RECUP network. We are pleased to share her reflections on the RECUP journey and the role of culture in strengthening community connections across European cities. The text is reproduced and published in its original form. The original  Article in pdf format is available on the URBACT site.

FINAL REPORT - REinventing Culture in Urban Places

This Final Report was edited and compiled by Elisa Filippi, Lead Expert of the URBACT RECUP Network, and reflects the collective work, experiences, and contributions of all RECUP project partners and stakeholders involved throughout the project. The report is published here with the original content. The original PDF version of the report is also available for viewing and download.

Credits: This report reflects a truly collective work and learning process. A warm thank you is therefore given to all the people on board of the journey, including partners, local stakeholders, URBACT experts and the URBACT Secretariat for the guidance and support.

IV Quarterly Network Journal - RECUP ITN Network

The article below is based on the original work of Elisa Filippi, Lead Expert of the RECUP URBACT Network. The full article was created with the contribution of the network partners. For readers interested in the complete version and additional insights, the original publication is available on the RECUP website.

INTRODUCTION 

As the RECUP journey enters its final months, partner cities are preparing for an important transition: from experimentation to implementation. After two years of learning, adapting and testing, the focus is now on strengthening the Integrated Investment Plans and preparing them for life beyond the network’s official end in August.

This also means asking a key question: how will we know whether our cultural actions are really making a difference? The third and final RECUP Masterclass addressed this challenge by focusing on monitoring and evaluation of cultural impact, with the contribution of Michaela Saisana, Head of Unit at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, who introduced the Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor. The session reminded us that measuring culture is also about understanding change, combining quantitative with qualitative evidence, and showing why culture matters for cities and communities.

In May, RECUP partners also met in Dubrovnik for the fifth Core Network Meeting. The city offered a powerful setting to reflect on cultural legacy and urban transformation, from the regeneration of the former TUP Factory to the reuse of heritage spaces such as Lazareti. During the meeting, partners reviewed their Investment Plans and worked on how to communicate their ideas more effectively through a dedicated storytelling and public speaking workshop. Indeed, to be strong a plan should not only be well designed, but also communicated, making it easy for people to understand it and support it..

If you are interested in knowing how cities can measure impact, turn cultural heritage into living creativity, and prepare strong investment plans, this Network Journal is for you.

Enjoy the reading!