As part of our Good Practice campaign, we investigated in a previous article what makes an URBACT Good Practice ‘good’. Two distinguishing features are ‘local impact’ and ‘transferability’, which can take many forms and contexts – as evident in the 97 URBACT Good Practices awarded in 2017. 

This article focuses on one practice in particular and its transferability and local impact: the Playful Paradigm. Find out how one city in Ireland adapted an URBACT Good Practice, developed by an Italian city, and transferred it at a national level. Your city could experience similar benefits if you send us your good practice! 

Defining ‘transfer’ in the URBACT programme  

In the context of the URBACT programme, a ‘good practice’ can be transferred through a specific model of ‘understand-adapt-reuse' supported by transfer networks. In the Playful Paradigm Transfer Network, as Lead Partner, Udine found a way to make the city landscape playful, officially recognised as an URBACT Good Practice. Awarded by URBACT in 2017, Udine’s experience with modes of play provided a template for not only reanimating underused, car-dominated public spaces but also to improve social inclusion and initiate community-led placemaking.

Through the URBACT Playful Paradigm Transfer Network, Cork (IE) developed a host of play actions in line with Udine's Playful Paradigm practice. “We went for something that was very pioneering in terms of trying to create a ‘playful city’…what does this actually mean?”, explains Kieran McCarthy, Lord Mayor of Cork (2023-2024) and an independent member of Cork City Council. ‘It’s really about re-thinking how we use our public spaces: closing off streets and creating playful areas’. 

Cork was inspired by the Udine example to develop a variety of play actions, including:

- The re-pedestrianisation of the Marina walkway, a historic walkway dating back to the 19th century.

- Getting permission to temporarily open streets for play (for example every Sunday for a month).

- Promoting the concept of Play Streets which at its core is the repurposing of the street for free play (setting up tug-of-war stations and big Connect 4 stations).

- Playful Cultural Trail of cultural institutions (including museums, art galleries, community centres, etc.).

According to Lord Mayor McCarthy, “These spaces were playful areas in the past, so it’s great to see families engage and discover these streets, their origins, and even their own neighbours.” As a transfer partner city, Cork also embraced the power of the practice (of play) to address other urban challenges (e.g. public health, environment, place-making, etc.). For instance, play packs and place-making training helped to reduce social isolation of Cork’s elderly population during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Cork’s application of the URBACT Good Practice proved its transferability, not only to other European cities but cascaded at national level. 

Continuing the transfer from European to national scale

Starting in 2021, the Cork URBACT Local Group spearheaded URBACT’s National Practice Transfer Initiative (NPTI) in Ireland – one of five intra-country transfer pilots reinforcing best practice exchange and URBACT’s added value in different European countries. With the support of the Irish National URBACT Point and a national URBACT expert, Cork helped to transfer the Playful Paradigm practice in 5 Irish towns:  Donegal, Portlaoise, Rush, Rathdrum and Sligo. “The different groups and town representatives came to Cork”, remembers Lord Mayor McCarthy. “I had the chance to speak to them about the impact of URBACT, and why they should engage with the URBACT programme.”  

Inspired by the Cork example, the five Irish partners got to work imagining how they could make it work in their own municipalities. The partner towns developed and implemented transfer plans, involving a variety of actions based on Cork’s experience with the Playful Paradigm. These plans were different, depending on the local context, but all focused on liberating streets and public places to the public – not just children, but all generations and groups.  

In Donegal, for instance, the Diamond town square was turned into play areas, and residents young and old were invited to have fun and connect with each other. Just north of Dublin, in Rush, the URBACT Local Group (ULG) created a Play Street. An area typically occupied by cars, this space became ‘open for play’. The Rush ULG members also created a storytelling trail involving the local library and community centre. Local community organisations in Portlaoise prioritised involving disadvantaged or vulnerable communities; in particular, the town got the Ukrainian refugee community involved. Sligo reanimated its town centre with new pedestrian sidewalks and cycle lanes as well as improvements to benches and street furniture. Play events, where busy retail streets in the centre were temporarily closed for car traffic, were well received by residents and businesses alike. Some of the successful elements that Sligo decided to implement following the Cork visit included installing the first parklet in the town (taking out two parking spaces and creating a seating area where residents and visitors can meet and linger) as well as a space for colouring chalk on the street. They are now partner in a new European network called Cities@Heart, to create a healthy and harmonious heart of the city. 

In a quirky turn of events, different communities decided to use recycled materials to play. Deep in the woods of Rathdrum, locals took part in ‘snowball fights’. Instead of waiting for snow, old (washed) socks were used to kick off play activities. The town’s new library provided a perfect location to adapt a variety of play actions, including a book loaning system. This system has been expanded to all libraries in County Wicklow. 

Exceeding expectations:  making play a priority in Irish towns 

Throughout the URBACT National Practice Transfer Initiative, Cork was able to delve deeper into its own recognised playful practice based on engagement with Udine and other European partner cities. Cork also took a hands-on role in offering material support and guidance to the partner municipalities (e.g. a manual for incorporating playfulness, Let’s Play Cork brand guidelines, etc.) 

Looking closer at the impact of the national transfer, it is clear that the learning exchange went both ways between the Lead Partner and partner cities.  

Irish partners answer Cork’s call to action 

Feedback has been positive across the local partners, according to Wessel Badenhorst, the URBACT Lead Expert who accompanied the transfer process. Partners in the five transfer towns and cities brought fresh perspectives to the conversation with Cork on the Playful Paradigm, pushing the boundaries of what playful spaces, events and engagements could look like in a specifically local, Irish setting.  

“It is worth noting that all partners in the Ireland transfer initiative reported that the impacts of their play activities and interventions exceeded their expectations,” stated Wessel. The most telling endorsements were that residents are requesting more play activities and that funding for play activities are being secured from national and municipal sources. All partners implemented their transfer plans, hence proving the value of the adapted and re-used actions first observed in Cork (the transfer city). And, although most people instinctively know that play makes everyone feel better, the national initiative helped the partner towns to observe and understand how, over time, the opportunities for free play in Irish towns have been reduced for example by allocating too much space for the exclusive use of cars. With practical low-cost play activities, the partner towns demonstrated to their residents that a more liveable alternative is possible.  

Cork finds its playful calling 

According to Martha Halbert, Social Inclusion Specialist in Cork City Council: “Showcasing the work to our colleagues across cities and towns in Ireland represented not only a unique network building exercise for local government colleagues, but it encouraged us to look at the local factors which made the work unique and transferable.” Lord Mayor McCarthy can attest to this: “I’ve seen the joy my team gets from telling the story of Cork and the Playful Paradigm.” 

In addition to the types of connections and exchanges, the national transfer component has also helped to boost staff training: not just keeping staff skill sets up to par but also informing them of developments in the playful paradigm in the EU context.

Stepping back even further, the URBACT Playful Paradigm kick-started Cork’s investment in restoring public spaces as ‘playful places’. They secured Healthy Ireland funding to employ a Play Coordinator for Cork City, who is dedicated to increasing the profile and value of play in communities as well as at strategic policy level. Martha adds, “Play learnings are firmly embedded in the policy and structural landscape in Cork City now”. It also provided a stepping-stone for the city to get involved in other EU-level initiatives such as Horizon projects, and the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, of which Cork is one of the 112 selected laureates.

Children playing in activities of the Playful Paradigm initiative.

URBACT’s call for Good Practices: Cork’s advice

URBACT has a legacy of recognising specific methods, approaches and tools for making cities green, just and productive. These URBACT Good Practices are part of a legacy of positive change, not just at European but also at national and local levels.

"My call to any local government is to submit your good practice!” encourages Lord Mayor McCarthy. “Some of the world’s largest challenges exist in urban areas, and every municipality across the European Union is working on some important nugget that can help other cities and towns. Don’t leave it to others to write up the good practices!”

We hope that Cork’s experience inspires you to share your good practice. 

Interested in applying to the new URBACT Call for Good Practices (open until 30 July 2024)? 

All you need to know can be found on urbact.eu/get-involved.  

Kyselyn lisäksi kuulemismenettelyyn kuuluu eri yhteyksissä järjestettäviä keskustelutilaisuuksia. Kuulemisen tulokset kootaan yhteen ja julkaistaan vuoden 2024 lopussa Euroopan komissiolle toimitettavassa raportissa. Raportti sisältää suosituksia vuoden 2027 jälkeistä EU:n koheesiopolitiikan ja kaupunkien välisen yhteistyön kehittämistä varten. Euroopan komissio valmistelee ehdotuksensa vuoden 2027 jälkeisestä koheesiopolitiikasta vuoden 2025 aikana.

Taustaa ja lisätietoja tästä kyselystä ja meneillään olevasta koheesiopolitiikan ja URBACT-ohjelman tulevaisuuta koskevasta kuulemismenettelystä voit lukea tästä.

European cities learn how to centre their urban regeneration around measurable social impact
 

What is the social impact of urban regeneration? The URBACT network of ten European cities, U.R. Impact, aims to answer precisely that question. By prioritising social impact with a focus on community involvement, urban regeneration actions are rethought by placing citizens and their social, economic, and environmental well-being at the centre of the processes. It also allows for an increased sense of belonging and civic participation. Ballymahon in Longford (Ireland), Bielsko-Biała (Poland), Bovec (Slovenia), Brumov (Czech Republic), Cinisello Balsamo (Italy), Hannut (Belgium), Kamza (Albania), Mértola (Portugal), Murcia (Spain) and Targu-Frumos (Romania) embarked on the journey of social impact measurement in the context of their specific urban regeneration projects. With very different starting points and contexts, they are each experiencing their own challenges and learning from one another. This article is a short account of their progress so far, and an attempt to draw preliminary learnings from this leading edge urban social impact measurement project, one of the first on such scale in Europe.

Impact measurement is a complex endeavour to start with. Social impact is probably the most difficult to measure compared to environmental or economic ones. The urban context adds even more complexity, covering intertwined systems, far outweighing any challenges typically found by single public institutions, businesses or non-profits. This makes urban social impact measurement an incredibly exciting methodological challenge that is still in its nascent stage in most cities globally. The U.R. Impact cities are thus some of the trailblazers, allowing for rich learnings to be gained underway for other urban areas. How did they approach this challenge?

Guided by the ad hoc expert Lidia Gryszkiewicz of The Impact Lab, and with the strategic support of the lead expert Liat Rogel, the ten U.R. Impact cities have been refining the theories of change for their urban regeneration projects. A theory of change, often referred to as the impact chain or the logic model, starts by looking at the desired target impacts and then designing the specific inputs, activities, outputs and outcomes that would lead to these impacts. 

While it might sound simple, it is crucial that the desired impacts actually answer the needs of various involved stakeholders. Indeed, multi-stakeholder engagement is an indispensable part of any serious impact planning, especially in the social domain. For this reason, U.R. Impact cities have been working together with their Urban Local Groups (ULGs), using tools such as "Stakeholder Impact Vision" to truly understand the needs and ambitions of their different stakeholder groups. The latter typically involve categories such as citizens, local authorities, NGOs, businesses, and other urban service providers. The specific groups depend on the concrete urban regeneration challenges being tackled. And so, for Cinisello Balsamo, facing a complex process of temporary school relocation due to a renovation project, it is key to take into account the perspectives of school authorities, parents, students, local inhabitants, and business owners. For Longford, working on the regeneration of buildings to host core urban services (senior care, childcare, youth activation, and many more), or for Bovec, investing in a multi-generational activation project, the citizens, service providers, and local authorities are the core groups to include. Targu Frumos, working on a specific challenge of recuperating green spaces from private garage owners, the latter's views are key to take into consideration. For places where the scope of urban regeneration covers the city centre, such as Bielsko-Biała, Broumov, Hannut, and Kamza, or even the whole city, such as Murcia or Mértola, involving all core urban stakeholders is necessary. Indeed, an URBACT process is a great opportunity to involve different stakeholders in the ULG. But stakeholder engagement should often go further than that. To establish a joint social impact vision, oftentimes it is necessary to get in touch with the key groups directly. Depending on the scale of urban regeneration, cities have seen great success in formats such as social media polls, post surveys, or door-to-door conversations. While digital solutions allowing for citizen engagement with a tap on a smartphone keep gaining popularity, personal conversations, from short face-to-face interviews to elaborate social innovation labs, remain the most effective ways of gaining rich insights on stakeholders' needs and dreams for their cities.

And so, in Mértola, for instance, a Portuguese town with a very small population, these personal connections with citizens are proving to be the core source of information. While Mértola is building an advanced system of impact indicator monitoring based on broad datasets, it is exactly the in-depth conversations that the citizens, visitors, and authorities are holding during the local events that are allowing the city leaders to stay on top of the local developments and plan for ambitious urban regeneration initiatives in the city. For example, Mértola has been successfully turning the local challenge of extreme local weather conditions (heat further exacerbated by climate change) into opportunities, such as setting up a prestigious research centre on natural sciences, or engaging in renovation projects aiming to increase the shadow area of public spaces.

Bielsko-Biała, a dynamically developing city in the south of Poland, while leveraging the legally obligatory citizen consultation process, is considering more in-depth participation methods to complement the basic participatory requirements with richer and broader inputs.

The strategy and urban revitalisation department is at the forefront of these changes, looking at new and more effective ways of making the co-creation of urban regeneration a reality. Ideas abound in the historic city centre, where some important revitalisation works have already seen success, and major new developments like the future opening of a prestigious university campus, are opening doors for more active multi-stakeholder engagement opportunities.

Other cities are at the start of their stakeholder engagement process, taking successful first steps. The Romanian Targu Frumos, for instance, historically more prone to top-down decision making, is learning to involve their stakeholders in a more participatory way in their ongoing plans for re-greening public spaces. A perfect example are the plans of the authorities to cooperate with the local university on co-creating the new designs and including the citizens in these discussions. The city's authorities have been actively participating in transnational URBACT activities, with the mayor himself visiting a fellow partner city in Spain, Murcia, to learn from their urban transformation experiences, while sharing their own.

Once the target impact vision is defined and the theory of change to support it is sound and reflects broad stakeholder viewpoints, the next step is to work on impact indicators. These are either quantitative variables or qualitative proofs of successful impact delivery. The challenge lies in getting the right mix of numbers and stories that, together, would reliably illustrate the social impact attributable to a specific urban regeneration project.

Interestingly, larger scopes of urban regeneration, such as those covering a specific district, city centre, or even a whole city, often allow for easier-to-design sets of impact indicators. This is because, typically, larger projects justify broader impact studies and larger indicator sets, as well as because they can benefit from the already available city-wide data.

As an illustration, the ambition to regenerate the whole of Mértola, combined with the political will to approach social impact measurement in a highly professional manner, is a great opportunity to measure a wide array of impact indicators, from basic socio-economic statistics such as population growth and safety levels, to the use of public transport and tracking the quality of housing. With a small population, sampling can be relatively easy, as the whole town can be covered with low-cost surveys, meters, or even sensors. It can also be feasible to include qualitative indicators by running door-to-door surveys or collecting in-depth input from in-person gatherings.

In another example, the Spanish Murcia, which is undergoing an ambitious process of linking the two halves of the city together after they have been divided by both a river and a rail track for years, can boast an already impressive list of indicators being tracked on a city level. It is more a matter of refining them for impact measurement purposes and complementing them with more qualitative metrics than a question of putting in place a whole new impact measurement system. Cities like Murcia that already benefit from large-scale basic data collection mechanisms have the opportunity to now focus on more targeted impact questions. More subtle indicators, such as the levels of citizens' pride to be from the city, the measures of social cohesion, the feelings of belonging, or the metrics of strong community, could be the next step in impact measurement in such instances.

Conversely, more limited regeneration projects, even in larger cities, often face more challenges in their impact measurement design. For instance, in Hannut, where the regeneration of a business district is in the planning stages, an effective impact measurement approach will need to combine city-wide indicators with building- or district-level impact tracking. It will also make it more challenging to attribute any measurable impact to the specific urban regeneration project in question. Commendably, there is high ambition to make social impact measurement a standard element of any regeneration project in the city. If this attempt is successful, it could help different project owners leverage the same sets of data, build synergies across different impact measurement initiatives, and contribute to a larger impact narrative in Hannut.

In Targu Frumos, a specific project of freeing the space of old garages and storage lockers and turning them into multi-purpose green spaces for the community will require designing hyper-local indicators that are able to track the impact of the intervention on the spot. Typically, a project like this will be able to rely less on national or even city-wide data and will instead require in situ data collection to understand how the use of the new facilities is influencing people's levels of loneliness, socialising habits, mental health, community cohesion, or similar indicators. These types of questions require not only a very meticulous design of data collection instruments (such as enthnographic observation guides or in-person semi-structure interview guidelines) and highly trained staff, but they also face challenges in terms of correct attribution, accounting for the drop-off effects, or tracking of the potential negative impacts. Also in this case, the city is fortunate to have a dedicated management team that is hoping to undertake collaboration with a local university to ensure the highest scientific standards of the study.

Successful social impact measurement of urban regeneration is a balanced mix of science, art, and political will. Time will tell how the ten European cities from the U.R. Impact network fare on this journey. One thing is certain: each of the cities has a dedicated and increasingly well-qualified team in place, eager to make their city's regeneration efforts a source of true positive impact for their communities. That's a very promising start to any impact measurement endeavour! 

Belgia arhitekt Luc Schuitenil on visioon, et aastaks 2100 on „jätkusuutlik areng muutunud pleonasmiks“, ning kõiksugune linnaareng on paratamatult jätkusuutlik. Tuleviku linnad toovad uusi elu- ja tööharjumusi, liikuvust ja liideseid, mis ristuvad ja eksisteerivad koos looduskeskkonnaga. Kohalikud omavalitsused mängivad selles ümberkujundavas muutuses tähtsat rolli, eelkõige infrastruktuuris - luues mahajäetud hoonetest ja ruumidest haljasalasid, ühendades linnavõrku, võimaldades jalakäijate ühendusi ja infrastruktuuri ühest linnaosast teise. Lisaks selliste meetmete keskkonnakasule muutuvad avalikud ruumid ka loovuse, õppimise ja mõttevahetuste keskkondadeks.

Laeken 1800-2200, La Cité végétale, Luc Schuiten. Allikas: Vegetalcity.

Käesolevas artiklis vaadeldakse lähemalt vajadust rohelise taaselustamise järele URBACTi GreenPlace'i tegevusplaneerimise võrgustiku kontekstis, mis on üks 30-st URBACTi tegevusplaneerimise võrgustikust (juuni 2023 kuni detsember 2025). GreenPlace, mida juhib Wroclaw (Poola), tegeleb kasutamata, mahajäetud ja unustatud kohtade rohelise taaselustamisega, kaasates samaaegselt kohalikku kogukonda.

Unustatud ja kasutamata linnaruumide küsimus

Euroopa linnamaastik on viimastel aastakümnetel muutunud. Endised tööstus- või raudteeinfrastruktuurid, tehased, ehitusplatsid, tapamajad, suured tervishoiu- ja sotsiaalhoolekandeasutused, kaubanduskeskused, bürood või lõpetamata hooned ja linnakeskused, endised sõjaväe kasarmud, pargid ja haljasalad - mitmesugused hooned ja ruumid on kaotanud oma esialgse funktsiooni, jäänud kasutamata, maha jäetud ja/või unustatud.

Bukaresti delta. Allikas: Marcelline Bonneau.

Need hooned ja alad võivad olla maha jäetud või kasutamata erinevatel põhjustel:

- kohtadega seotud negatiivsed juhtumised ja seosed;

- sotsiaalsed, ajaloolised ja majanduslikud muutused linnas;

- rahvastiku suundumine maapiirkondadest linnadesse ja muutused elamisviisides (nt suuremad majad, vähem inimesi ühe pereüksuse kohta);

- arendamata maa madal hind võrreldes maa-alade ümberkujundamise kõrgete kuludega (nt mahajäetud tööstusalade taastamine).

Nende alakasutatud maa-alade, ruumide ja hoonete haldamine on Euroopa regionaalarengu poliitika ja rahastamise raamistike üks peamisi eesmärke. Kui midagi ette ei võeta, avaldavad need ruumid negatiivset mõju keskkonnale ja elurikkusele. Näiteks võivad endised laohooned moodustada nn soojussaared ning ladustatud reostus võib põhjustada täiendavaid probleeme, mis on muuhulgas seotud vihmavee juhtimisega. Kasutamata avalikud ruumid võivad avaldada negatiivset mõju ka maakasutusele, rääkimata maasurvest ja kontrollimatust linnaarengust (valglinnastumine) ning sotsiaal-majanduslikust ebavõrdsusest ja ebakindlusest.

Kui me aga midagi ette võtame, siis näeme positiivset mõju keskkonnale. Looduspõhised lahendused, mahajäetud tööstusalade alade taastamine, roheline infrastruktuur ja muud tehnilised rohelahendused - sealhulgas moderniseerimine või energiavõrgud - võivad suurendada elurikkust, kaitsta elupaiku, meelitada ligi uut loomastikku ja taimestikku ning integreerida kliimaga kohanemise lahendusi, mis on seotud näiteks vihmavee juhtimise ja veehoidmisega.

URBACTi võrgustikes osalevad linnad, näiteks nagu Lille (Prantsusmaa) ja Heerlen (Holland), on oma kogukonnas taastatud avalike ruumide positiivse mõju näidisjuhtumiteks. Poliitilised soovitused ruumide ja hoonete taaskasutamiseks hõlmavad muu hulgas järgmist: arhitektide ja planeerijate kaasamine maakasutuskavade väljatöötamisse; realistlike maa- ja finantseelarvete kindlaksmääramine; avaliku ja erasektori partnerlusmudelite kaalumine.

Miks on vaja arendada rohelist taaselustamist?

Roheline taaselustamine on silmapaistev viis, kuidas käsitleda kasutamata, unustatud ja mahajäetud kohti nii säästva linnaarengu vahendina kui ka eesmärgina iseenesest. Nende kontseptsioonide aluseks olevaid kõige levinumaid põhimõtteid käsitletakse järgmistes lähenemisviisides:

GreenPlace: 10 linna, mis taaselustavad koos kohalike kogukondadega unustatud linnaruume

Eespool kirjeldatud lähenemisviisid rohelise taaselustamise ja taaselustamise kohta moodustavad GreenPlace tegevusplaneerimise võrgustiku tuumiku. Wroclawi (Poola) linna juhtimisel kuuluvad sinna partnerlinnad Boulogne-sur-mer Développement Côte d'Opale (Prantsusmaa), Bukarest-Ilfovi metropolipiirkonna kogukondadevaheline arendusühendus (Rumeenia), Cehegin (Hispaania), Limerick (Iirimaa), Löbau (Saksamaa), Nitra (Slovakkia), Onda (Hispaania), Quarto d'Altino (Itaalia) ja Vila Nova De Poiares (Portugal).

Partnerprofiilide mitmekesisus rõhutab sellise partnerluse rikkust ja lisaväärtust. Mõned neist linnadest on väikesed (nt Vila Nova de Poiares-es, 7 281 elanikuga), teised väga suured (nt Bukarest-Ilfov, 2 298 000 elanikuga). Mõned on maapiirkonnad (nt Quarto d'Altino), mõned on väga linnalised (nt Wroclaw), teisi peetakse arenenud (nt Limerick) või vähem arenenud (nt Nitra) kohtadeks.

Partnerlinnad võivad olla rohelise taaselustamise ja kogukonna kaasamise eri etappides. Neil võivad olla erinevad kontekstid ja probleemid, nagu on märgitud GreenPlace'i alusuuringus, milles kirjeldatakse üksikasjalikult tegevusplaneerimise võrgustike konteksti, metoodikat ja tegevuskava. Hoolimata nendest erinevustest õpivad nad juba praegu üksteiselt väga palju!

Linnapartnerid keskenduvad eelkõige järgmistele unustatud ja kasutamata linnaruumide põhikategooriatele:

- Hüljatud hooned: nuudlitehas Löbau linnas, linnakeskus Quarto d'Altinos;

- Unustatud (kuid osaliselt kasutuses olevad) hooned: Popowice trammidepoo Wroclawis, Victorei trammidepoo Bukarest-Ilfovis; 

- Kasutamata haljasalad: keskaegne müür Limerickis, roheline tsoon Vila Nova de Poiaresis, Ejidos Ceheginis;

- Kasutamata hoonestatud alad: tulevane roheline kops Ondas, Station-Bréquerecque'i ala Boulogne-Sur-Meris, Martin's Hill - endine sõjaväe kasarmuala Nitras.

Löbau partnerid andsid hiljuti aru kohaliku kogukonna kaasamisest mahajäetud tehase territooriumi taaselustamise kavasse.

URBACTi tegevusplaneerimise võrgustikud: rohelisemad horisondid

GreenPlace'i tegevusplaneerimise võrgustiku töö edenedes on peagi oodata veel rohkem uudiseid.

URBACT IV programmi laiemas plaanis ei ole GreenPlace ainus URBACTi tegevusplaneerimise võrgustik, mis muudab linnu rohelisemaks. Veel mõned märkimisväärsed võrgustikud on COPE, Let's Go Circular, BiodiverCity, Eco-Core ja In4Green on!

A city made of diversity 

Benissa, located on the Costa Blanca of the Valencian Community in Spain, effectively combines history, culture, biodiversity and environmental sustainability. With a population of 11,462 inhabitants, the town benefits from a geographical position that provides a diverse landscape ranging from clean beaches to verdant mountains, which is essential for a sustainable development and a healthy lifestyle.

The service sector dominates the local economy, accounting for 76.7%, complemented by construction, industry, and agriculture which, although limited in scale, is crucial to maintaining the area's biodiversity and landscape. The well-preserved old town, together with Benissa's historic architecture, not only attracts cultural and beach tourism, but has also made the town an attractive place for international residents, enriching the cultural diversity of the community. Currently, 40.12% of Benissa's population is of foreign origin, which contributes to a rich cultural mix and shows the relevance of its attractions for developing a healthy lifestyle.

Benissa faces the challenge of conserving and valorising its environmental heritage while improving quality of life and promoting inclusive and sustainable development, adapting to the dynamics of a changing world without compromising the health and well-being of its citizens or the integrity of its environment.

 

The One health approach to foster the process of making the city a model of sustainability

Benissa is committed to a future where wellbeing, environmental health and sustainability form an inseparable whole. In fact, the town was nominated as a "sustainable municipality" in a regional award. The city wants to adopt the "One Health" approach in its core urban planning, recognising the interdependence between human, animal and environmental health. This holistic approach responds to local challenges such as climate change, which degrades its large natural mass, and also promotes healthy lifestyles, positioning it as a role model town in sustainability.

From learning from other green models to understanding how town councils coordinate to implement cross-cutting actions, Benissa seeks to consolidate its status as a sustainable municipality by participating in the One Health 4 Cities project. Currently, the town offers a natural environment accessible in less than 15 minutes from the town centre, which promotes and enhances it as a high quality of life. Taking advantage of its natural, sporting and urban resources, Benissa aims to strengthen its commitment and action to protect its assets and provide positive social, economic and environmental impact.

The commitment to "One Health" aims to improve the quality of life of local inhabitants but also to offer high quality services to visitors for now and for the future. Benissa seeks to create a resilient and prosperous society, capable of facing future challenges with innovation and sustainability. The town hopes to be a benchmark in the integration of human, animal and ecosystem health in a unified strategy, transforming Benissa into a model of holistic wellbeing: consolidating the care economy as an engine to generate income, employment and prosperity.

Towards a strategy that enhances biodiversity and cultural heritage while promoting the health and wellbeing of its inhabitants and visitors  

Benissa plans to develop a comprehensive strategy that respects and enhances its biodiversity and cultural heritage, while promoting the health and wellbeing of all its inhabitants and visitors inclusively. The strategy will include improvements in the health and social services sector, focusing on raising the quality of life for all citizens, particularly the most vulnerable groups such as the growing elderly population and young people with mental health challenges. 

In March, the town formed a Citizens' Health Council, which will ensure clear and precise monitoring of such measures. From the Urbact Network, sustainable mobility initiatives, the development of accessible green spaces, and the adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural and waste management practices will be promoted.

In addition, efforts will be intensified to educate and raise awareness about healthy lifestyles and the importance of biodiversity and environmental conservation. With a focus on inclusion and citizen participation, Benissa aims to be an example of how local and international residents can be active partners in defining their future. This collaborative and integrated model will ensure that policies and projects not only address current challenges but are also prepared to adapt and respond to future community needs.

 

To know more about Benissa : 

• Maite Escriva, Local project coordinator maiteescriva@ajbenissa.es

• Jorge Ivars, Vice-Mayor of Benissa jorgeivars@ajbenissa.es 
  

On 15 April, URBACT launched a call for Good Practices (running until 30 July 2024). The call aims to reward impactful local practices in sustainable urban development, which can be a source of inspiration and transfer to other European cities.  

If you are working on sustainable urban development, you might be asking yourself: What, exactly, makes a practice ‘good’? This article looks at a handful of the 97 URBACT Good Practices awarded to cities from 25 EU countries in 2017. While these practices cover environmental, social, governance or economic themes, what got them their URBACT label?  

Four fundamental dimensions enable a local good practice to be awarded as an URBACT Good Practice. These represent the principles and values underpinning URBACT since 2002:

- Relevance at European level

- A participatory and integrated approach

- Positive local impact

- Transferability 

Relevance at European Level

As a European Territorial Cooperation programme, URBACT has to respond to the needs and priorities of European cities on urban development in accordance with the EU Cohesion Policy and its objectives. An URBACT Good Practice, therefore, serves or contributes to this framework, or the Sustainable Development Goals, or topics of the partnerships of the Urban Agenda for the EU. This is evident in the topics covered by the 97 URBACT Good Practices awarded in 2017: 

The examples featured in this article touch on these different themes. They also exemplify other characteristics that are considered when selecting an URBACT Good Practice. 

A participatory and integrated approach  

Cities face a spectrum of environmental, economic and social challenges, which are becoming more interconnected. Even if a challenge might fall under one theme (for example, motorised mobility), an integrated approach considers other important dimensions, like gender equality, digital, green transition, related to mobility and the different groups of the local population. The participatory element of a Good Practice refers to the involvement of different local actors, not only from different departments of the city administration, but with the civil society itself.  

Riga (LV) has found a way to use social urban spaces (i.e. community centres) to boost social integration and awareness of local affairs. Established in 2013, the Riga NGO House was created in response to requests from the inhabitants of Riga, themselves. As a community-inspired initiative, the NGO House serves the educational, technical and information support needs of the immediate community. It has gone on to host thousands of visits and events, organised by different NGOs and sometimes coordinated with other municipalities (e.g. twinning and networking events).  

This practice has been officially recognised by URBACT for empowering the non-governmental sector. The lessons learnt and exchange visits are documented in the final outcome of the Active NGOs Transfer Network, ‘The Power of Civic Ecosystems’. 

Located in a designated ‘buffer zone’, the small town of Athienou (CY) faces a unique set of historical, geographical, intergenerational, urban-rural challenges. The town’s Municipal Council of Volunteers (MCV) has been recognised by URBACT for its intergenerational approach to volunteerism. Volunteers work to address local social challenges and provide support services to residents, particularly from vulnerable communities. The volunteering activities take place at the Kleanthios Elderly Home, the Konstanileneion Center for Adults, the Municipal Nursery Center and the Social Welfare Committee. The MCV’s membership is seeing an increase, particularly of younger volunteers, a general awareness and commitment to rebuilding social ties. 

Athienou’s breakthrough active civic participation solution has been adapted by other European cities through the Volunteering Cities Transfer Network.  

In 2014 Turin (IT) launched a competition for all municipal employees (counting around 10.000) to push innovative projects and ideas for the city, developing and improving new services, environment-friendly projects, using information and communication technologies. This served as a model for creating a culture for innovation within the city administration  (e.g. improving performance, reducing waste, maximising resources). In 2017, 71 projects have been submitted, 111 employees involved, and 10 proposals rewarded.  

The practice was designated as an URBACT Good Practice because it helps to increase data and digital tools management to address urban challenges. The application can be seen in the partner cities of Innovato-R Transfer Network. 

Positive impact at local level

All URBACT Good Practices need to have a concrete solution to a host of thematic urban challenges. These, inevitably, have to respond to local needs. For a practice to be an URBACT Good Practice, ‘positive impact’ really means the positive change in a community. In other words, there should be a clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ effect, and a specific explanation of how and why it was effective. 

Mouans-Sartoux (FR) has been serving 100% organic daily meals in its schools since 2012. The city’s collective school catering scheme is officially recognised as an URBACT Good Practice, not simply because of its holistic approach, which brings together municipal farmers, schools, NGOs and local organisations. The decision to procure organic meals in school canteens has welcomed a behavioural shift in the local population. More residents are becoming aware and adopting healthier and sustainable food diets. In fact, in the last five years, Mouans-Sartoux has reduced its carbon impact by more than 20%!

Mouans-Sartoux’s practice offers critical insights into how other cities can bring about shifts in food systems for the betterment of the local community. The practice has since been adapted by other European cities through two URBACT Transfer Networks, BioCanteens and BioCanteens #2 Transfer Network. 

Chemnitz (DE) has developed a real estate management solution to deal with the problem of decaying historic buildings in the city centre. The city’s real estate authority, Agentur StadtWohnen Chemnitz, conducted a survey on vacant/derelict buildings and apartments, identified potential buyers and investors and activated support from public and private stakeholders. The results were compelling, which is why URBACT recognises the practice for its positive local impact: Chemnitz has seen an increasing interest from local investors in rehabilitating historic housing and repurposing abandoned buildings (with housing cohabitations, shelters, social institutions).  

The Chemnitz practice also holds promise for how cities can combat negative trends and urban processes that are not sustainable (e.g. suburban sprawl, car use, expensive housing, etc.).  

Learn more about this practice and how it was transferred through the ALT/BAU Transfer Network. 

Santiago De Compastela (ES) developed a game-based web platform to encourage recycling and other environmentally responsible behaviour. Green points (waste disposal points) were set up in the city centre. In exchange for disposing of waste at these points, citizens have the chance to win recycling vouchers, which can be used at local shops or exchanged at the City Council. In the first 2 years, tens-of-thousands of recycling actions have been registered at civic centres and green points and more than 115 local sponsors had delivered 800 rewards via the Tropa Verde platform.  

The gamification of urban waste reduction developed by Santiago De Compastela shows how to involve local communities in the green transition. The practice has been adapted by partner cities (including Zugló (HU) involved in the Tropa Verde Transfer Network.  

Transferability 

From the 2018 to 2022, 23 of the above-mentioned 97 URBACT Good Practices have been transferred and adapted in other 188 European cities, thanks to URBACT Transfer Networks. These 23 URBACT Good Practice Cities have also benefitted from the exchanges with the other cities, and with URBACT experts, to further improve their practice. URBACT Good Practice Cities set an example through and beyond the URBACT Networks. This potential for transferability is a key award criterion: the practice should be applicable to different contexts and regions.

For instance, Ljubljana (SI) set up ‘the Bee Path’ programme in 2015 to raise awareness of the city’s bee-keeping heritage: its over 300 beekeepers, 4.500 beehives housing, more than180 million bees. The path is designed in such a way that visitors realise the importance of bees for our survival, in addition to discovering the city's beekeeping and honey-making culture.  

This practice is centred around raising awareness of and preserving urban biodiversity and contributing to a more sustainable and sufficient community in Ljubljana. However, its legacy lives on through the BeePathNet Transfer Network and a European-wide network of bee-friendly cities (‘Bee Path Cities’).  

Learn more about Bee Path Cities and check examples of how the practice has been transferred in Bydgoszcz (PL) and the other European cities. 

In 2014, Piraeus (EL) established Blue Growth Piraeus: an urban sustainable development initiative focused on the Blue Economy. Still rocking in the waves of the 2008 global financial crisis, this initiative set out to boost the local maritime economy. Still in practice, Blue Growth Piraeus aims to mentor and encourage start-ups to develop services and solutions for the  maritime economy, adapted to the digital transition.  

Piraeus was able to transfer its URBACT Good Practice as leader of the BluAct URBACT Transfer Network (2018-2021) and another pilot URBACT Transfer Network, BluAct second wave (2021-2022). What was observed in Piraeus can easily be replicated and adapted in other European cities that have coastal or maritime economies.

This transferability has been proven in Mataro (ES), which adapted the five stages of the Blue Growth Piraeus Competition and other partner cities through BluAct Transfer Networks. 

Preston (UK) developed a procurement spending practice that simultaneously jumpstarts the local economy, helps businesses reduce their carbon footprint and combats social exclusion. It is also based on a participatory approach, whereby public (universities, hospitals) in the city and social-sector institutions work together to ensure that their procurement spending is used to bring additional economic, social and environmental benefits to local economies. 

It came up with a toolkit and video series, which were useful tools for transmitting the knowledge and insights acquired by the city through the practice.

The practice has been effectively transferred to Koszalin (PL) and other European cities involved in the Making Spend Matter Transfer Network.  

Find out more: URBACT Call for Good Practices open until 30 June 2024

Evidently, URBACT Good Practices come in all shapes and sizes; the value of a practice extends beyond a specific city or example. Nevertheless, they point to a common throughline for successful and enduring approaches to developing and transferring a practice. First, urban municipalities need to work within the EU and regional policy contexts and objectives to implement good practices. Second, a participatory and integrated approach to sustainable urban development is needed to solve the multi-faceted challenges facing today’s cities. Third, local communities need to be inspired and engaged at all levels of sustainable urban policy making. Fourth, the transferability of a practice, to different cities and contexts, means a wider  impact in Europe thanks to URBACT Transfer Networks. Ultimately, by leading Transfer Networks, URBACT Good Practice Cities can improve the implementation of their practices, following the insights of their partner cities and URBACT experts. 

Interested in applying? All you need to know about the URBACT call for Good Practices (open until 30 July 2024) can be found on urbact.eu/get-involved. 

Az Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium, az URBACT és az EUI - Európai települési kezdeményezések - magyarországi kontakt pontja továbbá a BURST Non-profit Kft. 2024. április 17-én nagyszabású konferenciát rendezett az európai NEB fesztivál szatellit eseményeként. A mintegy 200 döntéshozót, szakembert és civilt összehozó rendezvényre a résztvevők 72 különböző hazai településről érkeztek. A színes és sokrétű előadások 32 hazai jó gyakorlatot mutattak be, amelyek az Új Európai Bauhaus értékeit közvetítik.

A konferenciát házigazdaként Dr. Gyuricza Csaba rektor nyitotta meg, aki kiemelte a Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem egyedülálló szerepét a fenntartható településfejlesztéshez értő szakemberek, a tájépítészmérnökök és településmérnökök képzésében. Dr. Dukai Miklós önkormányzati államtitkár (Közigazgatási és Területfejlesztési Minisztérium) a települési önkormányzatok partnerségét és az alulról jövő kezdeményezések fontosságát emelte ki, melynek egyik fontos települési programjaként említette az éves Virágos Magyarország versenyt. Nyitó előadásában Gombos Márk (Építési és Közlekedési Minisztérium) helyettes államtitkár az új építészeti törvény és az Új Európai Bauhaus program eszmeisége közötti azonosságokat mutatta be. Rávilágított az új törvény értékőrzést, partnerséget és a fenntarthatóságot erősítő elemeire. Legfőbb cél a településen élők igényeinek és szándékainak megértése, a települések békés és biztonságos fejlődése, a közös gondolkodás és együtt cselekvés, a települések ösztönzése tapasztalat szerzésre és szemlélődésre.

A pódiumbeszélgetésen Gombos Márk területi tervezésért és építésügyi igazgatásért felelős helyettes államtitkár (ÉKM), Perényi Lóránt építészeti stratégiáért felelős helyettes államtitkár (ÉKM NEB NCP), Vincze Attila tájépítész, elnök (Magyar Tájépítészek Szövetség), Szemery Samu (Kortárs Építészeti Központ), Kovács Csaba egyetemi tanár, intézetigazgató (MOME Építészeti Intézet), Dr. Alföldi György DLA, egyetemi tanár, dékán (BME Építészmérnöki Kar), Szövényi Anna DLA, tanszékvezető egyetemi docens (MATE TTDI Településépítészeti és Települési Zöldinfrastruktúra Tanszék) és Madaras-Horogh Petra, urbanista, NEB Partnerségi Koordinátor (BURST Nonprofit Kft) vitatták meg, hogy az egyes szakterületek és a hozzájuk kapcsolódó tevékenységek hogyan integrálják a NEB értékeit. Abban egyet értettek, hogy az Új Európai Bauhaus, csak úgy, mint a régi Bauhaus, értékőrző és értékteremtő, multidiszciplináris és egyaránt támogatja a társadalmi és az ökológiai fenntarthatóságot. Az építészet, a városépítészet és a tájépítészet terén számos olyan látható és kevésbé ismert folyamat zajlik már ma is Magyarországon, ami a NEB értékeivel harmonizál.

A jó gyakorlat szekcióban 11 megvalósult vagy már ötlet szinten is elismerést kiváltó települési projektet vagy programot ismertünk meg az építészeti-városépítészeti rehabilitáció, a természet alapú megoldások és a társadalmi bevonás témaköréből.

Azt követően Báthoryné dr. Nagy Ildikó Réka, Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem, Településépítészeti és Települési Zöldinfrastruktúra Tanszékének egyetemi docense, az URBACT és az Európai Városfejlesztési Kezdeményezések (EUI) programok nemzeti koordinátora bemutatta az új URBACT és az EUI aktualitásait, az URBACT Good Practices Call, az EUI Peer Review Call, City-to-city Call és a hamarosan elérhetővé váló EUI Inovative Actions Call sajátosságait. 

Az URBACT és az EUI - Európai települési kezdeményezések - magyarországi kontakt pontja kiemelte a konferencián ismertetett jó gyakorlatok alkalmasságát a hazai és nemzetközi továbbadásra. A fenntartható városfejlesztést segítő, közvetlenül lehívható támogatások a széles partnerségen alapuló, a helyi közösség bevonásával fejlesztett, multidiszciplináris programokat támogatja, ezzel illeszkedik az Új Európai Bauhaus elveihez.

Délután három különböző témában folyt a műhelymunka, további jó gyakorlatok megismerésével és álláspontok ütköztetésével. A megfizethető lakhatás és társadalmi inklúzió, a fenntartható helyi élelmezés és a természet alapú megoldások beszélgetés a rövid idő ellenére is számos megvitatandó kérdést hozott felszínre.

A konferencián elhangzott előadások prezentációi ezen a linken érhetőek el. Továbbá a szakmai beszámolókat is a későbbiekben itt tesszük közzé.

A következő tájékoztató napunkat 2024. május 29-én tartjuk az  URBACT Good Practices felhívás és az EUI Innovative Actions felhívás ismertetésére.

Szerző: B. Nagy Ildikó Réka

This document is divided into three sections. The first presents the major challenges that contemporary urban centres are facing. First in a more general way, locating 15 common challenges. In this section, we will observe that the challenges are complex, overlapped and in need of an integrated approach. The next step has been to understand the policy dimensions of urban centres. This involves first identifying the frameworks that will help the partnership to work holistically and then establishing an own framework that will allocate six main functions that explain the different balances present in urban centres: housing, work, public facilities, commerce, leisure and public space. The combination of these various dimensions will allow us to describe the different dynamics and challenges presented concerning their influence on residents and the external population. Finally, in this initial section, in order to address the complexity of the issues and the different challenges, a proposal is put forth to work on five interrelated fundamental pillars: integrated public policies, governance, decision-making tools, sustainability and inclusion; which are further explained.

In the second chapter, in order to understand the different profiles of the partners that form the network, an overview is presented. First, we provided a general overview of the city and its city centre boundaries, explaining the current situation of the city centre regarding the main functions presented in the previous chapter. We also include a section in which we present the current approach of the partners on to the five fundamental pillars. The composition of the Urban Local Group is then presented, in order to understand the typologies of stakeholders that are embedded in the process. Finally, a general overview is provided on the learning needs and contribution of each partner to the network, along with some best practices that will enhance the knowledge exchange.

Finally, the third chapter synthesises the network methodology and details the proposed activities during the two years and a half of the URBACT programme. Based on the analysis of the major drivers of the revitalisation of city centres, it includes the capacity-building activities and work plan and the potential dissemination and capitalisation of learnings.

This methodology addresses the main challenges presented by the partners. It is first extended to match the network framework and then summarised and synthesised into seven common challenges: managing complexity, gentrification, adaptation to climate change, new supply models, building a city centre identity, public space and managing mixed uses. The methodological framework is then explained, where the seven challenges are overlapped with the five pillars and used as the base to propose the capacity-building and exchange activities. These are divided into transnational meetings, city-to-city exchanges and ULG meetings, along with a work plan. 

This chapter ends with a learning capitalisation and dissemination strategy, which is based on the added value of the network, a toolbox based on five pillars, a policy advocacy and the search for funding opportunities.

Belgian architect Luc Schuiten envisages that in 2100 “Sustainable development will have become a pleonasm”, and as such, all urban development will inevitably be sustainable. Future cities will see new living and working habits, mobility and interfaces intersecting and co-existing with the natural environment. Local authorities will play a role in this transformative change, notably by working on infrastructure: creating green spaces out of abandoned buildings and spaces, joining the urban net, enabling a pedestrian connexion and infrastructure from one neighbourhood to another. Notwithstanding the environmental benefit of such measures, public spaces will also become spaces for creativity, learning and exchange.

Laeken 1800- 2200, La Cité végétale, Luc Schuiten. Source: Vegetalcity. 

This article looks closer at the need for green revitalisation and regeneration in the context of the URBACT GreenPlace Action Planning Network, one of  30 URBACT Action Planning Networks running from June 2023 to December 2025. Led by Wroclaw (PL), GreenPlace addresses unused, abandoned and forgotten places with green revitalisation and regeneration efforts – all involving the local community. 

The issue of forgotten and unused urban spaces

The urban landscape in Europe has evolved over the last decades. Former industrial or rail infrastructures, factories, construction sites, slaughterhouses, large health and social care facilities, shopping centres, offices or incomplete buildings and city centres, former military barracks, parks and greenfields – a variety of buildings and spaces have lost their original functions, left unused, abandoned and/or forgotten. 

Bucharest Delta. Source: Marcelline Bonneau.

These buildings and sites can be abandoned or unused for a variety of reasons:

- radical changes, conditioned by historical or economic events;

- negative connotations linked to places;

- the natural toll of time pr dereliction;

- social, historical and economic changes in a city;

- population shifts from rural to urban areas and changes in residential patterns (e.g. larger houses, fewer people per family unit);

- the low price of undeveloped greenfield land compared with the high cost of redeveloping land (e.g. regeneration of brownfields); or

- becoming too expensive to maintain.
 

Addressing the management of these under-used land, spaces and buildings is a key focal point of European regional development policy and funding frameworks. On the one hand, if nothing is done, these spaces will have a negative impact on the environment and biodiversity. For example, former storage and manoeuvring yards can form ‘heat islands’ and stored pollution can lead to further problems related to, among other things, rainwater management. Unused public spaces can also negatively impact land use, not accounting for land pressure and uncontrolled urban development (sprawl), and socio-economic inequity and insecurity. 

On the other hand, if we do something, we’ll see a positive impact on the environment. Nature-based solutions, brownfield regeneration, green infrastructure and other technical green solutions – including retrofitting or energy networks – can increase biodiversity, protect habitats, attract new fauna and flora  and integrate climate adaptation solutions, for example, related to rainwater management, water retention, cool islands, etc.  

Cities involved in URBACT networks, such as Lille (FR) and Heerlen (NL), serve as case studies on the positive impact of greener rehabilitated public spaces in their communities. Policy recommendations for the reuse of spaces and buildings include, among others: involving architects and planners in the development of land-use plans; fixing realistic land and financial budgets; considering public-private partnership models.

The need to develop green revitalisation and regeneration

Green revitalisation and regeneration are a prominent way of addressing unused, forgotten and abandoned places, both as a means to sustainable urban development and ends in themselves. The most common principles underpinning these concepts are addressed in the following approaches:

GreenPlace: 10 cities revitalising forgotten urban spaces with local communities

The above approaches to green revitalisation and regeneration form the core of the GreenPlace Action Planning Network. Led by the City of Wroclaw (PL), partner cities include Boulogne-sur-mer Développement Côte d’Opale (FR), Bucharest-Ilfov Metropolitan Area Intercommunity Development Association (RO), Cehegin (ES), Limerick (IE), Löbau (DE), Nitra (SK), Onda (ES), Quarto d’Altino (IT) and Vila Nova De Poiares (PT).

The variety of partner profiles stresses the richness and added value of such a diverse partnership. Some of these cities are small (e.g. Vila Nova de Poiares has 7.281 inhabitants) others are very large (e.g. Bucharest-Ilfov, with 2.298.000 inhabitants). Some are rural areas (e.g. Quarto d’Altino), some are very urban (e.g. Wroclaw), while others are considered developed (e.g. Limerick) or less developed (e.g. Nitra).

The partner cities may be in different stages of green revitalisation and community engagement. They may face different contexts and challenges, as indicated in the GreenPlace baseline study, which details the context, methodology and roadmap of the Action Planning Networks. Regardless of these differences, they are already learning so much from each other!

In particular, city partners are focusing on the following main categories of forgotten and unused urban spaces:

- Abandoned buildings: a Noodle Factory in Löbau, a Civic Centre in Quarto d’Altino;

- Forgotten buildings (yet, partially in use): the Popowice Tram Depot in Wroclaw, the Victorei Tram Depot in Bucharest-Ilfov; 

- Unused green areas: a medieval wall in Limerick, a Green Zone in Vila Nova de Poiares, Ejidos in Cehegin; and

- Unused built areas: a future Green Lung in Onda, the Station-Bréquerecque area in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, Martin’s Hill – a former military barracks site in Nitra.

In Löbau, partners have reported back on involving the local community in plans to revitalise an abandoned factory site.

URBACT Action Planning Networks: greener horizons

More updates are still to come from the GreenPlace Action Planning Network as the work progresses. 

In the broader scheme of the URBACT IV programme, GreenPlace is not the only URBACT Action Planning Networks making cities greener. COPE, Let’s Go Circular, BiodiverCity, Eco-Core and In4Green are a few others worth exploring!

This article was updated in April 2024. The original version was submitted by Marcelline Bonneau on 19/12/2023.

Das Gesundheitsreferat der Landeshauptstadt München beteiligt sich von Juni 2023 bis Dezember 2025 am URBACT-Städtenetzwerk „One Health 4 Cities“. Ziel der Partnerstädte aus Deutschland, Finnland, Frankreich, Griechenland, Portugal, Rumänien und Spanien ist es, den One-Health-Ansatz, der die Gesundheit von Menschen, Tieren und der Umwelt gemeinsam betrachtet, in städtische Strategien und Projekte umzusetzen. Der One-Health-Ansatz verbindet und integriert verschiedene Sektoren, Disziplinen und Akteure auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen der Gesellschaft, um gemeinsam Bedrohungen für Gesundheit und Ökosysteme zu bekämpfen und einen Beitrag zur nachhaltigen Entwicklung zu leisten. Der „Planetary Health“-Ansatz konzentriert sich mehr auf die Umwelt, insbesondere den Klimawandel und die menschliche Gesundheit, sowie auf die sozialen Faktoren der menschlichen Gesundheit.

Aktualisierung der Leitlinie Gesundheit in München

Im Rahmen des Projekts wird in München die örtliche Fachleitlinie Gesundheit unter dem Gesichtspunkt des One-Health-Ansatzes aktualisiert. Die Leitlinie Gesundheit ist Teil des Stadtentwicklungskonzepts „Perspektive München“, das seit 1998 kontinuierlich fortgeschrieben wird und sich zu den UN-Nachhaltigkeitszielen bekennt. Durch die Aktualisierung der Leitlinie Gesundheit reagiert die Stadt auf die aktuellen Herausforderungen der letzten Jahre, insbesondere im Kontext der Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf die Bevölkerung in einer wachsenden Metropole. Der integrierte Ansatz fokussiert Handlungsbedarfe und versucht, strukturelle Lösungen an der Schnittstelle von Gesundheit und Umwelt zu geben. Konkret sichtbar werden die Ziele an Leitprojekten, die mit einem Multi-Stakeholder-Ansatz entwickelt und umgesetzt werden. Mit München arbeiten zwei weitere Städte, Lyon und Lahti, an integrierten Ansätzen mit strategischem Fokus. Die Städte bilden eine von drei Cluster-Gruppen des Projekts.

Mitte Februar 2024 trafen sich die Netzwerkpartner:innen zum zweiten „Core Meeting“ in Lahti.

Ziele des Meetings waren:

✅mehr über die Entwicklung einer integrierten One-Health-Strategie zu lernen, 

✅mehr über die Strategie "Nature step to Health" von Lahti und ihrer Vorbildprojekte zu erfahren,

✅relevante Instrumente und Methoden der Gesundheitsstadtplanung kennenzulernen.

Lernen von Lahti: Gesundheits- und Umweltziele kombinieren

Am ersten Tag präsentierte das Team aus Lahti den Teilnehmer:innen die Strategie "Nature Step to Health". Im Jahr 2022 starteten die Region Päijät-Häme, die Stadt Lahti und der Campus der Universität Lahti gemeinsam dieses zehnjährige Programm, das darauf abzielt, die Gesundheits- und Umweltziele der Region zu kombinieren. Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden werden umfassend gefördert, indem die Zusammenhänge zwischen Menschen und Natur thematisiert werden. Die Teilnehmer:innen besuchten Projekte wie den Outdoor-Kindergarten und den lokalen „Gesundheitswald“. Der „Gesundheitswald“ wurde im Rahmen des vom Horizon-Europe-Programm finanzierten GoGreenRoutes-Projekts entwickelt. Er soll dazu beitragen, ein positives Verhältnis zwischen Mensch und Natur zu fördern, und die Verbundenheit der Bürger:innen mit der Natur zu stärken. Es geht darum, dass Menschen die umgebende Natur bewusst wahrnehmen, was beispielsweise durch Sinnesübungen entlang der Strecke erleichtert wird.

Austausch und Konferenzteilnahme

Am zweiten Tag konzentrierte das Netzwerk sich auf die Entwicklung lokaler Roadmaps, um die Zusammenarbeit mit den lokalen URBACT-Gruppen und die Erarbeitung der integrierten Handlungskonzepte für die drei Clustergruppen zu erleichtern. Dabei unterstützen die Partner sich gegenseitig, inklusive gegenseitigem Feedback, Unterstützung und Anregungen. Am Ende des Tages standen die kommenden Treffen mit Datum, Themen und Zielen fest. Am dritten Tag standen Stadtplanungstools auf dem Programm. Die Lead-Expertin des Projektes, Sofia Aivalioti, stellte Planungstools für gesunde Städte vor und zeigte Anwendungen und Operationalisierungen auf. Das Kerntreffen fand zeitgleich mit der von der University von Helsinki organisierten Konferenz „People & Planet: From Theory to Solutions“ statt. Die Projektpartner:innen hatten die Möglichkeit, an Sessions der Konferenz teilzunehmen und sich ein Bild der Forschungs- und Studienlage unter anderem in Finnland zu machen.

“Planetary Health” und “One Health” politisch stärker vorantreiben

Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse des Netzwerktreffens waren, dass Planetary Health und One Health mit starkem politischem Engagement angegangen werden müssen. 80 Prozent der nichtübertragbaren Krankheiten könnten durch verbesserte Umweltbedingungen verhindert werden, wie Matilda van den Bosch und das Projekt GOGREENROUTES ausführten. Es gebe zahlreiche Beweise dafür, dass die Natur positive Auswirkungen auf die menschliche Gesundheit hat. Jetzt sei es an der Zeit, Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. Der Verlust der Natur findet außerhalb und innerhalb des menschlichen Körpers statt: Das lässt sich an Forschungen zum Mikrobiom feststellen. Der menschliche Körper und die natürliche Artenvielfalt und ihre Verflechtungen seien, so Professor Tari Haahtela, sehr wichtige Determinanten unserer Gesundheit und brächten ein nachhaltiges Gleichgewicht für die Gesundheit von Menschen, Tieren und ihrer Umwelt. Sicherheitsbedenken können den Menschen in Innenräume treiben. Eine übermäßige Sterilisation von Innenräumen kann die Gesundheit allerdings beeinträchtigen, weil sie die Exposition gegenüber natürlichen Elementen einschränkt und möglicherweise zu Problemen mit dem Immunsystem beiträgt. Sichere Innenräume seien auf Dauer nicht gesund, so Haahtelas Apell. 

Das One Health-4-Cities-Netzwerk tauchte nicht nur ins Wissen um gesund machende Umwelt ein, sondern lebte Naturexposition auch in der Praxis: Das Team stellte beim Besuch des „Gesundheitswalds“ fest, dass das Gehen im Schnee mit Wollsocken wärmer und bequemer ist als mit Schuhen! 

Artikel von Antje Kohlrusch, Gesundheitsplanung, Strategie und Grundsatz, Landeshauptstadt München