Networks and cities' news

Schoolhoods’ 6th Quarterly Network Report – Advancing IAPs

“Advancing IAPs!” – during the sixth quarter of our journey, we begin managing the delivery of the Integrated Action Plans, starting with a robust monitoring framework, and progressing to finance and governance for implementation.

Discover what’s new in MetaCity – Quarterly Report No. 7 is out now!

As the summer months unfolded across Europe, MetaCity partners kept the momentum high with the development of their Integrated Action Plans (IAPs). From Campobasso’s Digital Twin testing to Nykarleby’s immersive VR experience in urban planning, cities continued shaping their future actions ahead of key milestones such as the EURegionsWeek in October and the final Network Meeting in Fundão this November.

But planning is not just about strategy—it’s about people. This quarter also focused on gearing up communication with local citizens, thanks to the expertise of Simone d’Antonio, who guided partners on effective ways to engage communities and raise awareness about the digital future of our cities.

Finally, this issue marks a farewell to Ricardo Gonçalves, MetaCity’s Project Manager since the very beginning. We thank him for his dedication and wish him success in his new role at the Portuguese Government. At the same time, we warmly welcome Micaela Gil, our Financial Manager, who will lead the project into its final stage.

📖 Read the full Quarterly Report No. 7 here: https://3.basecamp.com/3809373/buckets/33378641/uploads/9121543317

C4TALENT Partners to Gather in Nyíregyháza for Final Network Meeting

To showcase final results, highlight local innovation and plant future cooperation.

Press release #4

Highlights of the Centar Sarajevo meeting. Next stop: Nyíregyháza.

Gender equality in the digital world

INTRODUCTION

The URBACT Digi-Inclusion Action Planning Network is focused on increasing the digital inclusion of citizens living in small and medium size cities across Europe. People excluded from the digital world have far less opportunities than digital natives and those with greater digital skills, and since June 2023, the network partners have worked to identify the demographic characteristics which impact the digital exclusion. We see clearly that age, education level and income are among the main social categories driving the citizens’ exclusion from the digital world. But is gender also a key characteristic to take into account? 

The Digi-inclusion network invited Dr. Mary Dellenbaugh-Losse to lead a session on gender equality and digital inclusion in May 2025, to highlight the gender and diversity considerations when designing policies that can perpetuate inequalities. 

This session was a critical reminder of the principle of taking gender into account through the policy planning and development process: gender-sensitive language, gender disaggregated data and gender balance in decision-making are all critical. 

All partners at network level agreed on tackling gender gaps, especially in the digital industry, even if they didn’t have it in the first place. As seen in other URBACT networks, data gathering might be challenging in small and medium cities with limited resources. Thus, having information about gender gap in the digital world is not always a given. 

Nevertheless, many Digi-inclusion partners are building a clearer picture through data collection and analysis. In particular, survey results from the Lead Partner, Mollet del Vallès (Spain) showed significant differences among male and female digital skills as well as the self-perception of knowledge of the digital tools and technology. 

Enhancing urban mobility: real-timetransit and traffic (by TPBI)

The Bucharest-Ilfov Intercommunity Development Association for Public Transport (TPBI) proudly presents maps.mo-bi.ro, an innovative open- data platform designed to elevate urban mobility across the region. This interactive map empowers users with real-time transit data, enabling them to track buses, trams, and trolleybuses as they move across the city. With features such as vehicle IDs, license plates, route shapes, passenger counts, and arrival times, the platform offers unparalleled transparency and utility.