It is designed to support cities from the region to tackle specific urban challenges with sustainable solutions in line with the EU integrated sustainable urban development policy framework, values and practices. We will explore inspiring good practices from EU cities and provide expert support for structured action learning around integrated and participatory approaches in project design and delivery.
Around 20 cities from the Western Balkans region with their respective municipal teams will be selected to join this unique URBACT journey. URBACT aims to create a generation of urban professional leaders, who will be shaping the future of their cities in a new way, and be recognised as pioneers and trailblazers for their peers in the region.
The Pioneers Accelerator bespoke learning programme responds to the unique socio-political and economic context of the Western Balkans region with related thematic and operational challenges for implementation of sustainable urban development policies. Cities will be able to focus on specific urban challenges including the following thematic areas:
- Sustainable Mobility
- Waste Management
- Urban Nature
- Jobs and SME Support
- Sustainable Tourism Development
- Culture
The transversal topics including digitalisation, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion will be applied across all themes, ensuring that cities adopt a holistic approach.
URBACT Pioneers Accelerator journey
Over the 18 months of the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator journey, the cities’ local teams are expected to follow a structured and immersive learning process following several parallel activities:
Embrace:
This dimension ensures that all participant cities embrace the core methodological approaches and project management tools. It will include in-person events and workshops as well as online masterclasses and personalised support sessions.
Explore:
Cities gathered around a common thematic challenge will visit inspiring EU cities and explore potential solutions and good practices which will ensure the deepening of the thematic knowledge.
Act:
In each participating city, local teams will apply the ‘learning by doing’ approach and act by implementing a concrete small-scale pilot project – visible quick wins on the ground.
The learning journey will be divided into four key phases, each with a set of approaches and tools to ensure effective delivery of the pilot projects. In addition to integrated policy design and implementation tools, the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator places particular emphasis on creating positive social impact by adopting effective approaches to communication and stakeholder engagement, building a shared vision and increasing citizen trust in decision-making - one of the most prominent challenges in the region.
The URBACT Pioneers Accelerator activities are expected to start in April 2025. What’s more, all the selected cities will secure a spot at the upcoming URBACT City Festival taking place in Wroclaw 8 - 10 April 2025.
Call for cities from Western Balkans
The dedicated Call for cities from Western Balkans to join the URBACT Pioneers Accelerator has been launched on Tuesday 19 November 2024. Interested cities shall apply before 22 January 2025!
All the information is available on the dedicated webpage urbact.eu/get-involved.
