Networks and cities' news

Catch up on the latest updates from cities working together in URBACT Networks. The articles and news that are showcased below are published directly by URBACT’s beneficiaries and do not necessarily reflect the programme’s position.

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    Towards new approaches and methods for poverty reduction in deprived urban areas

    As almost all the European cities, partners of URBinclusion are threatened by the increase of social polarisation, which is a consequence of many parallel processes: a growing volatility of employment (due to increased global competitiveness challenges) and a recent boom in migration to Europe and its cities. These factors are complemented by a progressively retreating welfare state and privatisation of services in several countries leading to higher costs for basic needs. Demographic changes also plays a pivotal role in shaping the urban landscape.

    Fernando Barreiro

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  • Tune to implementation

    It’s easy enough in principle to start doing new things. It happens every day, in every walk of life. But it often happens in isolation; one thing over here, another over there. More rarely is there a successful attempt to get everything on the same wavelength and coordinate the implementation of new things, particularly when we are talking about putting complex new polices into practice within cities.

    Ian Graham

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  • How the food sector can help reduce youth unemployment in European medium-sized cities

    V Lizboni se bodo 13. in 14. septembra na URBACT Festivalu mest srečali izvoljeni predstavniki, urbani praktiki in strokovnjaki iz vse Evrope, kjer bodo sodelovali, razpravljali o ugotovitvah 20 akcijskih omrežij ter proslavili 15. obletnico programa in vse večji vpliv mest kot nosilcev sprememb v Evropi.

    Miguel Sousa

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  • Specific approaches needed to implement policies for the creative sector

    CREATIVE SPIRITS is a network of nine European cities, funded by the European Union in the frame of the URBACT III Programme. The nine CREATIVE SPIRITS partner cities have a common need to improve the implementation of their existing integrated urban strategies/action plans by including novel approaches linked to creative and cultural industries (CCI) – creative places, people and businesses. The joint policy challenge for the network is to better facilitate the “creative ecosystem” to be able to attract (more) creative entrepreneurs and boost creative entrepreneurship in dedicated urban areas.

    Hen Gerritse

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  • Here Come the JobTowns

    JobTown 2 is about youth employment in Europe.

    Ian Goldring

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  • Health in Public Spaces: The challenge of inactive citizens for cities

    One of the main challenges for cities in the coming decade is how to make their citizens become physically active again.

    Physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles have become a leading risk factor for health. Cities are affected by the dramatic increase in the frequency of chronic diseases related to physical inactivity amongst their citizens. These chronicle diseases like coronary heart and respiratory diseases, colon cancer and obesity are resulting in high and early morbidity, loneliness and social exclusion. Collectively physical inactivity has substantial consequences for direct health-care costs but also causes high indirect costs due to increased periods of sick leave, work disabilities and daily care. With decentralising tendencies of tasks like (un)employment, social care and basic health care from national levels to local levels, cities have become a key player in keeping their citizens active.
     
    This article offers an overview of this challenge  advocating this theme as an integrated part of sustainable urban planning in Europe. 

    Twan De Bruijn

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