Networks and cities' news

The importance of defining the collaboration structure and communicating in the case of public-civil partnership –Platform for Lazareti

For the last year and a half, Platform for Lazareti and Youth Center in Dubrovnik were working on establishing community centers based on the civil-public partnership. It was at the same time hard work on bettering the communication and decision-making protocols and processes between the NGOs associated with the platforms but also hard work in building trust and relationship with the representatives of the City of Dubrovnik. For now, both of the cases are successful examples, and a part of it is  due to the knowledge they've received during the „Active NGOs“ project and collaboration with the URBACT lead and ad-hoc experts. Ana Cvjetkovic from the Platform for Lazareti tells us about the main goals, accomplishments, and obstacles and gives us an invaluable insight in what is one of the most intense processes of organizational development and decision-making.

Public Procurement during and post COVID-19

The world of public procurement has increasingly changed over the past 6 years as shown by the European Commission, with its updated procurement requirements detailed in the 2014 EU Procurement Directives. However, the scale of the challenges commissioners and procurers are facing at local and city levels are still considerable when it comes to changing their culture, behaviour and practice in order to undertake procurement in a more efficient and effective way.

Strengthening Naples' Urban Commons network

The Neapolitan experience of commons started approximately 8 years ago, but much can still be done to empower and broaden citizen participation. A recap of the actions designed by Naples' URBACT Local Group inside the Civic eState project

Words by Roberta Nicchia, URBACT Local Group Coordinator, City of Naples

What will have changed in the NGO sector in Latvia and society in general after the Covid-19 crisis is over? 

During the unusual period of Covid-19 crisis, we invited for a conversation Kitija Bite – a doctor of law, member of several non-governmental organisations, faculty member at Latvian institutions of higher education, frequent lecturer at the NGO House and member of the local support group of the URBACT project ACTive NGOs. 

COVID RESPONSE

The impact of COVID-19 had created a serious problem for all partners in implementing much of what they had identified through the MTR and subsequently was agreed at the SGM in Warsaw. All partners are now working in a context of severe restrictions (lockdown is the phrase used in the press). Poland, Romania, Portugal, Italy, UK and Germany all have similar restrictions in place and this impacts on all our partner cities.

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There is no commons without commoning: Amsterdam's Whole Commons Catalog

In the past 6 months, the Amsterdam Foundation Onschatbare Waarde ('invaluable value’), together with Amsterdam Commons Initiatives, made the beautiful catalog Heel de Stad, Heel de Aarde (the Whole City, the Whole Earth). A guide with all kinds of tips and tools, ideas and projects, people and books for everyone who is or wants to work collectively