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Why demand management matters to Europe’s cities. The best idea you’ve never heard of

Demand management is the best idea you’ve never heard of. It will become fundamental to the sustainability of our cities.  It is the conduit between social innovation in communities and transformative change in bureaucracies. It denotes a set of emerging practices that represent the best chance of controlling cost and improving outcomes in public services.

 

EU Urban Agenda: The challenge of “affordable housing” in Europe

In 2014 the Guardian published an article titled “Affordable housing does not mean what you think it means”. The article shows the limits of what can be considered “affordable housing” in London, where housing has become among the most worrisome and alarming issue of socio-economic inequality. The catchy and provoking title invites to reflect beyond the assumption that “affordable housing” means the same for all. What is affordable, under which criteria and for whom, which are the tricks and scams that can be hidden in catch-all policy terms? 

Damaged (by) goods? The case for sustainable urban freight logistics

Viaggio tra le esperienze di riuso temporaneo realizzate a Ravenna, punto di partenza dell'azione di rigenerazione creativa del territorio al centro del network URBACT Creative Spirits

The CityMobilNet project

Interview with Mr Olaf Lewald, project coordinator of CityMobilNet, Lead partner City of Bielefeld and Mr Gregor Moss, elected representative of the city council of Bielefeld, Lead partner City of Bielefeld interviewed by Claus Köllinger, lead expert of CityMobilNet project

CHANGE! Social design of public services

Our scope: people-powered public services
Interview with Ms Yvonne Blankwater, Strategy Department, City of Eindhoven interviewed by Ferenc Szigeti-Borocz, lead expert of CHANGE! Project

There is broad consensus that public services will look very different in the close future, since not only are public services to meet increasing public expectations and grand (let’s say never seen) societal challenges, but they are also constrained by significant financial shortage. On the other hand, a new generation has emerged that does not want to wait for ineffective top-down solutions and reclaims the right to act in the city. Opening public services towards more collaborative ones is the future and the first attempts are now being experienced in the U.S. (e.g. cities of service), U.K. (e.g. community right to challenge) or Scandinavia, and the WeEindhoven experimental programme, launched by the City of Eindhoven fits to this global trend as well. The first (sub) results are promising: people-powered public services can make social services more effective, cheaper and at the same time increase social capital and inclusion.

The Vitalcities project will prove that there are new pathways to invite citizens

“ The Vitalcities project will prove that there are new pathways to invite citizens to become physically active through turning public space into low threshold facilities”

Interview with: Hugo Nunes is the Vice Presidente of the Câmara Municipal de Loulé (vice-mayor) interviewed by Twan de Bruijn, lead expert of Vitalcities project

For the City of Loulé it is the first time to step on board in an international EU-funded project of this kind, while also taking the role as lead partner. Hugo Nunes is the Vice Presidente of the Câmara Municipal de Loulé (vice-mayor). He has professional experience in healthcare management, while also having been involved in national politics as a member of the Portuguese parliament for 4 years. He has background in strategic planning, business planning & strategy.