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Midterm article - ROOF cities ending homelessness from different starting points: how to adopt and adapt known solutions?

The URBACT ROOF cities, all working towards ending homelessness with housing led/first solutions, all had very different starting points. They are located in specific geographical places with each their own history, present and future implications. They are of different cultures and habits and most of all, their local and national policies as well as their experience on housing first are at very different stages. A year before the end of this collaboration, I am reflecting on the progress done in each city and what is each city taking out of the project and from the testing activated in the last month. I will also look at how the collaboration between the cities has been of huge importance to the progress.

The URBACT method is based on cities creating networks and peer learning from one another. The network is structured in a way that the cities may bring different points of view and experiences. This process has created two main questions in the ROOF network. One regarding the possibility to advance from different starting points and another related to the adaptations of HF solutions to specific contexts.

About the value of public space and the big question on how to best make use of it

Almost two years ago, a small group of cities decided to improve how they make use of their public space. They teamed up under the umbrella of URBACT calling themselves Space4People. And they were not alone: all over Europe and clearly also beyond, discussions and initiatives intensified on how to change municipalities and cities. On how to create liveable cities, healthy cities, attractive cities, green cities, playful cities. And how coming changes can help to meet one of the largest challenges we have ever met: climate change.

Looking back on an intense learning phase

Halfway done in the URBACT GenderedLandscape Action Planning Network, a lot of ground work on the main topic has been done. Despite not being able to see each other in person for eighteen months, states Dr Mary Dellenbaugh-Losse in this Mid-term Article. 

Heritage-driven urban development and regeneration. The KAIRÓS journey - by Lead Expert Miguel Rivas

Heritage valorisation nurturing urban development

Two major changes are impacting the heritage field over the past years. The first one is about a change of scale. Today, the spotlight is not so focused on the building and the monumental artefact, but also on the urban fabric and the idea of cultural landscape, which became doctrine in 2011 with the adoption by UNESCO of the recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape.

Vilawatt UTM Learning Webinars - Energy Pooling & Citizen Engagement in energy efficiency projects

At the last Transnational Meeting 3, Vilawatt-URBACT partner cities had the opportunity to discuss two of the main pillars of the Vilawatt project in depth through two learning webinars:

Local processing with high standards of sustainability: Funky Forest in Szécsény/Hungary

Agri Kulti has been researching those areas where sustainable, small-scale Hungarian food producers can gain market opportunities for more than a decade. As a result, several farmer’s markets were opened: in Nagymaros in 2011, at Szimpla Kert in 2012 and at Balassagyarmat in Nógrád county in 2014. Continuing this line we started Házikó Catering and a few Farmbistros where in Budapest we exclusively cooked with ingredients coming from small-scale farmers, meaning that the farmers didn’t even have to go to the market that much – they just supplied their products to us.