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USE-IT: a new and innovative approach to regeneration

Over the course of the last 30 years, cities across Europe have adopted a relatively orthodox approach to regeneration. By developing their city centres physically and by seeking to attract inward investment, cities have assumed that the benefit of such activities will ‘trickle-down’ to neighbourhoods and communities and will contribute towards addressing local economic, social and environmental challenges. However, this approach has not always worked – whilst city economies have continued to grow in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) terms, levels of inequality within cities have increased, and poverty has also continued to grow. This is not what regeneration should be about.

In 2016, the City of Birmingham (UK) started to think differently to the orthodox approach outlined above and inspired by a desire to change Birmingham’s approach to regeneration and make it more innovative, a small number of individuals came together to develop a successful bid for Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) funding, through a project called USE-IT!. To understand more about USE-IT! and its aims, activities, and impacts, I spoke to some of these key individuals. I also wanted to understand the scope for transfer of USE-IT! to 3 other cities over the coming 18 months as part of the URBACT/UIA USE-IT! Transfer Mechanism (USE-IT! UTM).

Urban Local Group The Hague: the next step towards their resource center

On the 28^th of October the ULG-members (Urban Local Group) of The Hague organized a session to put their vision on the URBACT Resourceful Cities trajectory into writing. The ULG exists of local entrepreneurs, teachers, students, and the municipality of The Hague.

City video URGE: Prato

The seventh of a series of city videos of URGE - the URBACT Action Planning Network on the theme of Circular building cities.

How to succeed by daring to fail - URBACT ROOF cities testing context specific actions to end homelessness

Download the amazing article here.

This article is also available in:
- Romanian
- Polish

ROOF Winter School Report

From the 3rd till the 5th of March 2021 the URBACT ROOF team brought together guests from across Europe to participate in our first ever Winter School hosted by the city of Braga, Portugal and co-hosted by Thessaloniki in Greece and Toulouse Métropole in France. The three-day event, hosted online due to the on-going pandemic, featured speakers from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Scotland. The Winter School offered a unique opportunity to gain insight in and converse with the ROOF partners and beyond on topics such as:
•Road towards Housing First
•Support models
•Working together with organisations and stakeholders
•Data collection
•Storytelling

This report will break down the Winter School, the key messages and takeaways from each of the classes.

Playful Paradigm II: A New Project benefitting from the successful experience of the first edition of Playful Paradigm

Don’t try to direct PLAY, just make the space playful!

The experience of Playful Paradigm, developed from April 2018 to June 2021, has clearly showed that people don’t need explanation about where and how playing. They need colourful, green, safe and comfortable public spaces car free and open for play for children, adolescents, girls, boys and adults. This lesson learnt and the COVID-19 consequences have driven a new wave of Playful Paradigm.

The New project edition focuses the playful lens, looking particularly at gender issues, intergenerational approaches, older people or people with chronic diseases and adolescents to re-think urban spaces and address specific health challenges, such as the prevention of loneliness and isolation.