Networks and cities' news

Testing for the urban metaverse: highlights from the Testing Actions of the METACITY network

By Eurico Neves, Lead Expert of the METACITY URBACT APN project, Chairperson of INOVA+ S.A.

The importance of ULGs in the RECUP project

What are ULGs? Why do we need them? We introduce one of the key elements of the RECUP project, the local stakeholder groups that provide the basis of the work and the most insight in every city’s progress.  

BiodiverCity: Mar Menor, the first ecosystem in Europe with legal personhood and rights

Mar Menor, the „small sea”, is not small at all, and it is very different from the Mediterranean Sea, the “Mar Mayor” (the “greater sea”). Mar Menor is the biggest coastal saltwater lagoon in the Iberian Peninsula, located near Cartagena, and La Manga del Mar Menor, occupying most of the 22 km long sandbar separating the lagoon from the sea, is one of the biggest tourist complexes of the so-called Costa Cálida. But Mar Menor has gained worldwide attention recently as the first place in Europe where a complex ecosystem has received legal personhood based on civic activism, following examples in New Zealand, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia.

Can it be the new standard of nature protection? Read the full Case Study of the BiodiverCity URBACT network, prepared based on its network meeting in Cieza, Spain, on 25-27 March 2025

Five Reasons Why Cities Should Consider the Night When Planning Urban Mobility

Waiting for hours at a bus stop after a night out with friends is one of the most vivid memories of my youth. Night buses aren’t just for those who don’t have a car, but they are vital for a wide range of people who rely on public transport to get to or from the work, or who simply feel safer than walking alone at night. 

Urban mobility systems are typically designed for being fully operational at daytime, but once night falls, cities of all sizes face a series of challenges. Cities and metropolitan areas are perfect testing grounds for testing innovative solutions that can enhance the quality of the mobility during night-time hours. 

The URBACT Action Planning Networks Cities After Dark and PUMA sparked the conversation among partners cities on the importance of 24-hour mobility systems, drawing on some of the most interesting models carried out by cities across Europe and globally. Here are five key reasons why cities should integrate night-time dimension into their urban mobility plans, to become more vibrant, inclusive and attractive for all. 

The URBACT Network “REinventing Culture in Urban Places”: a journey across Europe to reconnect communities

“Culture is not just an act of consumption, it is a dynamic process of creation.” This statement sums up the mission of the ITN REinventing Culture in Urban Places (RECUP) Network, an initiative funded by the European URBACT programme, which is reinventing the role of culture in urban (and peri-urban) places. Coordinated by Újbuda, RECUP brings together six European cities to explore how cultural co-creation can help confront complex urban challenges—from isolation to sense of belonging.

Walking a fine line: how civil servants can work with sustainable development amidst political polarisation

What’s the issue? 

When asked what sustainable development means to them, the participants of the Agents of Co-existence fifth online academy had lots of ideas: from “working together” and “co-creating a better world” to focusing on “balance between social, economic environmental dimensions” and “ensuring that there is enough for everyone, everywhere and always”, as well as “finishing projects” and “ensuring long-term funding”.