Formed in 2023 and piloted by the Greater Paris Metropolis as Lead Partner, the network Cities@Heart brings together 10 different local governments working to create tools for the improvement of city centres. The first network-wide gathering since the URBACT IV launch in 2023, this transnational meeting was a new step in the network journey, an opportunity to exchange and to observe the policies of host partner Sligo County Council and Sligo Business Improvement District. Following 10 different Baseline Study Visits conducted by Lead Expert Mar Santamaria Varas, this meeting also represents the network’s shift from the preparatory to activation phase.

Meeting in the Land of Heart's Desire

The first transnational meeting provided project partners the opportunity to obtain feedback on their baseline study visit in the form of the presentation of an overarching methodology to ground the study and set the course for the following two years of inter-european collaboration.

To kick off the first morning of workshops, participants shared their experiences in the realm of public-private partnership. In Krakow (PL), the city approached the Wesoła District’s revitalization with workshops on prototyping solutions for shared spaces to build a sense of community and responsibility for its development among citizens. In Celje (SI), a vacant storefront was left to the use of local stakeholders, providing a successful brick-and-mortar testing ground for new ideas or projects. Back in Sligo, the public-private partnership has proved to be fruitful: the business perspective encourages an objective data-driven approach and the public sector can intervene to implement holistic policy improvements.

If we can make it in the city centre, we can make it anywhere

A city centre is a microcosm of social functions and represents the most intricate iteration of urban complexity. While each project partner experiences their city centre in a different way, the network Baseline Study represents the structure of all city centers using a matrix contrasting 7 challenges with 5 indicators.

From metropolises like Greater Paris (FR) or Krakow (PL)  to smaller cities like Fleurus (BE), for each partner, the diverse challenges may be more or less acute depending on the local context and the means available. Indeed, an imbalance in one of these topics or challenges can greatly aggravate the local context in the city centre, as evinced by the diagrams below.

To showcase Sligo’s strengths and best practices, the meeting focused on the management of data and local commerce in the city centre. Sligo is a lovely town nestled in a blustery corner of northwest Ireland, minutes from the Atlantic Coast and known for being a literary “land of heart’s desire” with poet W.B. Yeats as a native son. Yet, none of these attributes bring to mind words like “innovation” or “world renowned”. Public policy in Ireland is centralised in Dublin and towns “west of the Shannon” are considered out of the purview of the national stage. In fact, Sligo had historically been “left behind” by urban development schemes deployed elsewhere in the Republic of Ireland.

Urban solutions with a human approach

This brings us back to the coffee anecdote… After living and working abroad in the U.S.A. and Australia, Sligo native Gail McGibbon decided to return home. In order to start what would become Ireland’s fourth BID, Gail McGibbon went to work in a seemingly slow way: meeting for a cup of coffee with likely every single business owner in the town, having no other overt objective than sharing a chat. In her seminal work, The Death and LIfe of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs posits, “there must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street." While this declaration has taken on a “big brother” connotation since the book’s publication in 1961, the principle rings just as true today. In every city centre, there is a need to be aware of what is happening in the street and with our neighbors or shopkeepers to make sure all are safe and provided for. Indeed, neighborliness proved to be the perfect ingredient to kick-starting the town’s transformation.

As Chief Executive Officer Martin Lydon explained, in a post-pandemic society, Sligo is leveraging cultural shifts to become a destination for young professionals, students and families seeking proximity to nature and a high level of services. Looking to attract a pool of potential inhabitants keen on finding property in the more affordable western coast of the country, Sligo has invested in a place branding campaign, infrastructure to increase connectivity and the tourism sector, inaugurating their National Surf Centre and a network of cycle paths.

Turning the local economy around

Now in 2023, the Sligo BID is healthy and counts 758 members. The BID and Sligo County have worked together tirelessly to introduce innovative measures for data collection, property management, tourism policy and event nightlife. Sligo has developed a Welcome Ambassador Programme, won the Purple Flag Award for night time economy, the label of Coach Friendly Destination and continues to attract international visitors curious about the town’s policies. In the end, Sligo’s shortcomings would eventually become strengths. The lack of urban sprawl meant that the town and county could promote closeness to nature and life at a human scale. The local counter-culture turned out to be a good thing for the health of the town’s high street district.

The human-ness at the origins of Sligo’s strategy is well reflected in the national Irish Town Centre First strategy which is based at the LGMA and places pragmatism and open dialogue at the forefront. One of the measuring tools of the programme, the Town Centre Health Check Programme, is a public document that serves as an objective evaluation of the town’s progress in implementing best practices. National Coordinator Mairead Hunt presented the country’s policy at the transnational meeting in Sligo and highlighted three core principles: understanding the place, defining the place and enabling the place. The national meeting of Town Regeneration Officers shies away from speeches by elected officials and focuses on peer-to-peer learning.

Soft approach, hard data

And yet, Sligo’s strategy didn’t stop at a friendly chat. The county and BID got to work monitoring, measuring and adapting their strategies. Brían Flynn, Town Regeneration Officer, presented the town’s creative use of data in developing their policies. In 2023 the Irish business platform GeoDirectory released data on commercial vacancy in the country. At 25.4%, the rate in Sligo was listed as the highest in the country. In order to curb the negative press and further investigate the truth behind this report which seemed incomplete to local officials, the town decided to collect its own data in the form of a comprehensive land-use policy survey. The study is still being carried out but the town has already gained valuable knowledge on the vacancy profile of downtown property and 16 landowners have discovered the national Croí Conaithe scheme for refurbishment of vacant buildings.

In turn, after witnessing Sligo policies first-hand through a series of site-specific visits and presentations, the network conducted a workshop on the subject of information gathering to address issues all along the chain of data management: identifying data sources, collecting data and data governance. While obtaining data can be simpler than expected, data-driven policy requires vision and advanced planning in order to identify independent sources of information and a successful, manageable tool for translating data into actionable proposals for city improvement.

An inaugural meeting for the network and for new URBACT participant Sligo, the event was opened by Cllr. Gerard Mullaney, Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council and attended by Irish National URBACT Point Karl Murphy and Kristijan Radojčić of the URBACT Secretariat. The meeting was drawn to a close with a hike to glimpse the breathtaking vistas at the summit of the Knocknarea rock formation, providing a bird’s eye view of the Atlantic coast and the Sligo town centre.

With one meeting completed and the new year well on its way, the URBACT Cities@Heart network has three transnational meetings planned in Granada (ES), with the Quadrilatero Urbano Association (PT) and in Cesena (IT). Ensuing transnational meetings and those of Urban Local Groups (ULGs) will allow the network to share learnings and experiment small-scale actions over the next year.

Network members :

• The Greater Paris Metropolis, France
• The City of Cesena, Italy
• The City of Granada, Spain
• The City of Osijek, Croatia
• Amfiktyonies, a business development organization representing the City of Lamia, Greece
• The City of Celje, Slovenia
• The City of Fleurus, Belgium
• The City of Sligo, Ireland
• The Krakow Metropolis Association, Poland
• The Quadrilátero Urbano Association, Portugal

The last few years have been defined by transition, planned or not, and 2024 will be no different. Voting in June and November will welcome a new European Parliament and European Commission, which, in turn, will influence proceedings for the EU’s Cohesion Policy post 2027. 

Looking ahead to a new EU policy cycle, it is worth zooming in on the Council Presidency of the European Union. Every six months, a Member State oversees the Council of the EU, the co-legislating body alongside the European Parliament. In December 2023, the Spanish Presidency concluded its term, passing on the torch to the Belgian Presidency, which will run until 30 June 2024.  

What are the achievements of the Spanish Presidency in furthering sustainable urban development policy under the Urban Agenda for the EU (UAEU)? What roles will cities and local actors play in building on these achievements under the Belgian Presidency? And how do URBACT cities fit into all this?  

Read on for some answers as well as next steps. 

State of play: cities & EU urban policy 

Before looking at the Spanish and Belgian agendas, let’s orient the discussion around cities in the EU policy landscape. According to the latest statistics a substantial percentage of Europeans live in urban areas, and cities account for around 75% of global emissions. Belgian Minister of Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal Zakia Khattabi attests to the essential role of cities in developing solutions to cross-cutting, interconnected challenges. ‘By implementing policies to improve air quality, support a local economy and sustainable food supply, and strengthen the resilience of their territory in the face of the increasingly violent effects of climate change, cities have the power to inspire change on a larger scale, to ensure a just and sustainable transition for our societies.’ 

If most citizens live in characteristically urban environments, logically, EU policies cannot overlook the diverse needs and challenges of its cities and towns. Furthermore, these policies need to engage and empower cities to address these challenges locally. Over the years, there has been an accumulated focus on urban issues in Europe and internationally. In 2020, we welcomed the New Leipzig Charter, introduced under the German Presidency of the Council of the EU, and urban issues have appeared prominently in the 2021-2027 EU Cohesion Policy. It is generally accepted that urban policy solutions are interconnected and transversal – just look at the Urban Agenda for the EU, the European Green Deal, the Paris Agreement, UN Sustainable Development Goals, the 2030 Agenda and New Urban Agenda, Habitat III principles.  

In this context, let’s turn to the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU and its contribution to a common EU legislative framework for sustainable urban development. 

The Spanish Presidency: defining next steps of the Urban Agenda for the EU 

Running from 1 July to 31 December 2023, the Spanish Presidency set out a programme and priorities for a greener, healthier, more inclusive and competitive Europe. There were many achievements, but this article will focus on the accomplishments in the realm of urban affairs. 

Through its meetings, events and initiatives, the Presidency singled out cities and local municipalities as critical actors in furthering the objectives of the Urban Agenda of the EU and the European Green Deal. A milestone came in the form of the Gijón Declaration, which advocates for a collaborative, multi-level governance approach by involving local municipalities, national and EU actors.  

The declaration was adopted on 14 November 2023 during an informal ministerial meeting on housing and urban development hosted by the Presidency.

Informal Ministerial Meeting on Housing and Urban Development. Source: EU2023ES.

Ministers pointed out that 8.7% of the EU population pays over 40% of their income on housing. If all households living in market-rate rented accommodation are taken into account, this percentage rises to 20.8%. In response to this, the declaration makes explicit reference to the right to decent, affordable housing as an aspect of sustainable, healthy and inclusive ‘built environments’.  

While in Gijon, ministers took part in a specific session on the Urban Agenda of the EU, agreeing on two new topics for UAEU partnerships:  

- Water-sensitive city 

- Housing decarbonisation, heating and cooling local plans 

The call for these new partnerships has not been launched yet, but both topics were identified because they represent hefty challenges to urban development (namely, water scarcity, flood risks, decarbonisation of buildings, etc.). For further insights on the second topic, our article on the last EU City Lab elaborates on energy sharing and energy communities. Ministers proposed other new topics to be considered in the future, including urban sprawl, skills for urban transitions, and more.  

It is understandable that the Spanish Presidency would push sustainable urban development during its mandate, given that Spain has its own strategic document on urban planning. Under the Spanish Urban Agenda, local municipalities are encouraged to develop action plans in line with the Urban Agenda for the EU, UN 2030 Agenda and cross-cutting EU initiatives, priorities and themes.  

URBACT at the Spanish Urban Forum 

The second Spanish Urban Forum was held in Granada from 16-17 October 2023. During the Forum, the National URBACT Point in Spain organised a special workshop for Spanish beneficiaries of the latest call for Action Planning Networks to connect and exchange best practices on the Action Planning process. The session was attended by representatives of 15 municipalities from across the country. The same day as the workshop, the Spanish National URBACT Point also chaired a roundtable session on the URBACT IV programme: a success for Spanish municipalities, which involved contributions from Luis Pedro Arechederra Calderón (Spanish Ministry of Finance) and five municipalities. Participants recognised the potential of focus groups and URBACT tools to support local municipalities developing action plans under Spain’s urban agenda. 

Roundtable during the II Urban Forum in Granada. Source: URBACT Spain.

The Belgian Presidency: a place for cities at the (negotiating) table 

One month into the Belgian Presidency, we can see a couple throughlines emerging from the EU urban development policy framework set out by the Spanish Presidency. Following in Spain’s footsteps, the Belgian Presidency intends to put cities and local municipalities at the centre of European urban policy for this programming period and beyond 2027. During the Presidency, the Brussels-Capital Region will chair the ‘Environment’ and ‘Urban Policy’ Councils. Antoine de Borman, CEO of perspective.brussels (the regional administration on urban development), weighs in on the anticipated role of cities: ‘From the very beginning, we have developed our Presidency programme with cities and important urban European networks. The result is a programme dedicated to European cities.’  

Both Presidencies share thematic priorities for the EU 2024-2029 strategic agenda (e.g. housing, territorial cohesion). It is also worth noting that Belgium plans to advance negotiations on new legislation related to the green transition, including items pushed forward by Spain (i.e. general guidance on the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive). 

A series of high-level and stakeholder meetings have been planned around urban development policy, starting on 24 January with ‘A European urban policy fit for the future’ in Brussels (read on for more on this). Between March and April, there will be the Urban Agenda Thematic Partnerships Group meetings, followed by the Urban Agenda for the EU Lab (24 April), to name a few upcoming meetings. 

City mayors sign on with the Belgian Presidency 

A key outcome of the the 24 January meeting, mentioned above, was the Brussels Declaration of European Mayors, signed by 41 mayors from 19 European countries. The declaration can still be signed here. Margit Tünnemann, Senior Policy Officer, URBACT Secretariat, present at the meeting, states that: ‘This comes at the right time, at the beginning of the Belgian Presidency, when the debate on the future European policies is gaining momentum’, adding, ‘It sends a strong signal for an ambitious European urban policy that is not only designed for cities, but clearly made together with cities.’ 

Hitting closer to home 

The Belgian Presidency programme has announced that it will foster urban transitions and combat specific challenges – e.g. urban sprawl and density. Two aspects of territorial cohesion will be emphasised: (1) tackling land artificialisation, urban sprawl and soil sealing and (2) review of the 2030 territorial agenda.  

The right to affordable, quality and sustainable housing is a critical element of the Brussels Declaration of European Mayors which, according to de Borman, reflects ‘a strong demand from cities to tackle the issues of housing, social inequalities and also cooperation between urban and rural communities.’ 

Much like the Spanish Urban Agenda and contributions to the Urban Agenda for the EU, the declaration also endorses a coordinated, multi-level approach as essential for a sustainable urban model. 

URBACT on the frontlines 

There might be an extensive legacy of contributors to European urban policy, some mentioned above. The achievements of the Spanish Presidency, and the priority actions of the Belgian Presidency, serve to push the urban agenda to the next level.  

The URBACT programme is on track and will continue to offer cities support to tackle pressing issues through cooperation with each other and European partners. According to Tünnemann, ‘It is good to see that many of the URBACT cities are addressing precisely these burning issues and are working together to develop solutions for better and affordable housing, for a sustainable energy system or for healthy and regional food.’ Starting in March, URBACT, together with the European Urban Initiative, will continue to support current partnerships on different thematic areas with the three EU City Labs on ‘Local Food Systems’. 

Over the next months, URBACT will support the Belgian Presidency, bringing URBACT cities’ knowledge and perspectives to the table at the Urban Agenda steering meetings. In June, URBACT will participate in the Urban Development Group (Namur) and the Director-Generals for Urban Matters (Brussels) meetings. The URBACT programme will continue to share knowledge and develop local actions through networks on related topics as well as offer opportunities for cities to join urban agenda partnerships.  

What’s next on the agenda? You can visit the URBACT website to stay updated on insights from our thematic experts, networking and partnering opportunities, events and more. 

Having a chat with your neighbourhood baker, running into an old friend, finding all you need in one place: these are just some of the reasons why we feel so attached to our city centres. However, today in the 21st century, city centres are facing more than just a little competition. From the rise of big-box stores and franchises to the omnipresence of online commerce, downtown areas have lost some of their edge. A result of urban sprawl and rising property values, the spatial fragmentation of our cities further strains the resilience of the high street. Amid all these challenges, city centres are well worth understanding, defending and improving. That’s where the URBACT Cities@Heart Action Planning network comes in.

A programme supported by ERDF funds from the European Union, URBACT promotes sustainable urban development in Europe’s cities, both big and small. This year marks the beginning of URBACT IV, the fourth iteration of the programme with the launch of 30 Action Planning Networks throughout Europe and IPA countries. Harnessing an understanding of governance and recognizing the transverse coordination between the public, private and civic sectors as a driver for change, Cities@Heart partners will work together with a data-driven approach to plan, monitor and evaluate the implemented policies in the urban core. For the next 2.5 years, Cities@Heart will mobilise ten European urban areas. Network partners will work together to understand the way city centres function and create new monitoring tools to be used in city centre improvement initiatives.

The Greater Paris Metropolis (Métropole du Grand Paris, France) coordinates the network in the role of Lead Partner. With a strong track record in downtown revitalisation policy, The Greater Paris Metropolis is a public entity representing 131 cities in the French capital region including the city of Paris. Endowed with extensive experience in local economy, architecture and urban planning, Barcelona-based Mar Santamaria Varas will assist the network as Lead Expert.

The ten network partners include:

    The Greater Paris Metropolis, France (Lead Partner)
    The City of Cesena, Italy
    The City of Granada, Spain  
    The City of Osijek, Croatia
    Amfiktyonies, a business development organisation representing the City of Lamia, Greece
    The City of Celje, Slovenia
    The City of Fleurus, Belgium
    The City of Sligo, Ireland
    The Krakow Metropolis Association, Poland
    The Quadrilátero Urbano Association, Portugal

Each partner in the network is facing their own challenges: loss of inhabitants to the peripheries or the metropolitan areas, underdeveloped local commerce networks, conflicts generated by the intensive use of public space, the transition to walkable and carless environments, gentrification and over-tourism, gender equality and inclusion... Yet, all partners can agree on one thing: city centres are unique places and not just because they hold a certain affective charm: they truly are the lifeforce of our urban societies. Keeping the heart of downtown healthy is key to ensuring the vibrancy of local economies and the well-being of inhabitants.

During the network’s lifespan, project partners will have the opportunity to travel throughout the European Union to see first-hand examples of city solutions driving change for better cities as they take part in transnational meetings hosted by the different project partners. To kick things off, the URBACT Secretariat hosted Summer University in Malmö, Sweden this past 28-30 August. Here, project partners met for the first time to discuss the framework of their networks, building capacity and learning more about the URBACT methodology for better cities. 

Over the course of the autumn months, Lead Expert Mar Santamaria-Varas has travelled with the Greater Paris Metropolis to visit the ten project partners spread out across the European Union. From Poland to Greece, from Croatia to Portugal, the recent mobilities have provided a wealth of insight for this network of urban areas. The first transnational meeting of the network is planned for 6-7 December in Sligo, Ireland. After completing the Baseline Study Visit with Project Partners, the findings will allow the network to go from knowledge to action, laying out the roadmap for the next two years.

With activities well underway, Cities@Heart is off to an exciting start. Check in regularly with the LinkedIn Page and the URBACT network webpage to stay up to date on project mobilities and findings!

Cities@Heart is an URBACT Action Planning network bringing together ten urban areas from all across Europe. With three different time zones, contrasting demographics and over 12 official languages, the Cities@Heart network draws upon a diverse pool of urban professionals, civil servants and citizens dedicated to improving their downtown areas. Taking the form of an observatory, the network employs a broad approach to improving city centres. Rather than focusing on one aspect of local economy or urban planning, Cities@Heart is working to develop a tool to measure factors contributing to the success of city centres in places as diverse as Sligo, Ireland or Lamia, Greece, two of the project partners.

A network to rethink public policies, governance models and decision-making tools for city centres

As a response to this multifaceted challenge of city centre management, Cities@Heart proposes the creation of a shared methodology applicable to different types of urban contexts. Relying on a bottom-up approach integrating data management, this accessible, user-friendly framework will support decision-making processes as well as the implementation and efficiency of cross-cutting sustainable urban policies.

The Cities@Heart methodology is based on five fundamental pillars:

Governance: exploring existing models of town centre management (public vs. private, formal vs. informal) and new paradigms of participatory agreements among stakeholders in the form of multi-level partnership

Integrated Public Policies: deploying policies that cut across multiple policy domains (housing, public services, mobility, public space, commerce, etc.)

Decision-Making Tools: integrating data and indicators to support the analysis, formulation, and monitoring of implemented actions

Sustainability: ensuring urban centres can adapt to climate change despite facing greater difficulties in comparison to the rest of the city (such as scarcity and limited space in public areas, a poorly maintained built environment, household incomes incapable of coping with transformation, etc.).

Inclusion: providing optimal living conditions for all residents (regardless of gender, age, or background) and promoting personal autonomy through inclusive care

The ten network partners include:

    The Greater Paris Metropolis, France (Lead Partner)
    The City of Cesena, Italy
    The City of Granada, Spain  
    The City of Osijek, Croatia
    Amfiktyonies, a business development organisation representing the City of Lamia, Greece
    The City of Celje, Slovenia
    The City of Fleurus, Belgium
    The City of Sligo, Ireland
    The Krakow Metropolis Association, Poland
    The Quadrilátero Urbano Association, Portugal

The Cities@Heart Baseline Study

Within the context of the URBACT methodology, each Lead Partner must conduct visits with the different partners comprising the network. These study visits allow the Lead Partner and Lead Expert to better understand the local context for each project partner all while revealing the commonalities shared across the network. During this phase, from June to December 2023, each partner in the network had the opportunity to host a visit in order to highlight their best practices but also their challenges: gentrification and over-tourism, adaptation to climate change, overuse or conviviality in the public space, improvement of local commerce networks and integration of new habits of consumption, creating a sense of belonging and identity, coordination between the public and private sectors or bolstering efforts for more inclusion and gender equality in the public space.

Over the course of the Baseline Study, the network has also identified innovative solutions to these challenges in addition to methods for capacity building and scaling actions: collaborative models of town-centre management, data observatories and sectorial indicator tools, strategies to renovate listed buildings, greening initiatives for the public space, monitoring of tourism, revitalisation of vacant premises, night-life economy initiatives, creation of new commercial polarities around local markets or enlivening the city centre through festivals or citizen-based initiatives.

Contextual Examples from the Network

City centres have undergone significant changes in the past century. To understand the context of Cities@Heart, it is important to provide a brief historical background. With the advent of industrialisation, the early 1900’s witnessed the rapid growth of cities in Europe. These new metropolises developed and  gradually endowed themselves with new, more modern infrastructure and services. By the mid-20th Century, a phenomenon of urban sprawl could be observed, with peripheral, “sub-urban” areas offering a higher standard of living than the historic centres, then perceived as dense, unhealthy, and obsolete.

However, starting in the second half of the 20th century, an awareness of the importance of historic centres began to emerge. European urban centres became a prominent target for urban regeneration initiatives. City centres started to be recognised for their crucial role in urban dynamics and social cohesion. From the 1970s, city management started directing resources to the historic centre. These oftentimes obsolete and abandoned central spaces gained prominence in spite of contradictory policies encouraging unlimited urban development in the preceding decades. In response to the renewed concern for urban areas, city centres are now poised to become the focus of urban transformation and revitalization initiatives.

Today, city centres still represent an opportunity to address structural challenges in the transition to new urban models fuelled by the green transition and grounded in the principles of  proximity. As proposed by urbanist Carlos Moreno in the 15 minute-city paradigm, town centres have the potential to provide most essential services within a short walking distance: community-scale education and healthcare, retail, parks for recreation, working spaces and more. This hyper-local framework has the potential to generate dynamic local growth, stronger communities, viable businesses and commerce, active mobility, and in turn reduced emissions.

However, the configuration of contemporary city centres also creates conflicting urban realities where several functions coexist in permanent tension. Transition can come at a price. A high quality of life in the city centre also requires healthy environments, efficient infrastructure, and easy access to amenities. In addition to basic everyday amenities , citizens also need to have opportunities to develop economic activities that increase wealth and social mobility. City centres are tasked with providing housing to a diverse population, prioritising affordable housing, catering to diverse socio-economic groups and fostering inclusivity, all while ensuring accessibility to public spaces that enrich communal bonds, promote well-being and create a sense of belonging.

The Next Steps for the Cities@Heart Network

The URBACT framework enables the transfer of knowledge on transnational and local levels, promoting capacity building activities, the development of local action plans together with stakeholders (the ULG or Urban Local Groups) and the dissemination of results with the aim to transfer this evidence-based and integrated approach to other urban contexts.

An interdisciplinary, complex subject matter, city centres are certainly worth observing. Observing the core of the city provides insight to broader national and global trends. Addressing social and urbanistic issues in the city centre may in turn yield more positive effects on the greater urban area, creating more spaces for people to meet and create engagement in their communities. As the Cities@Heart Baseline Study comes to a close, the network partners are looking forward to two more years of collaboration, using the road map generated by the findings of this investigatory period.

  Where do we stand?

Meeting the target of doubling the circularity material use rate (CMUR), meaning increase from 11.7% in 2021 to 23.4% by 2030, is rather unlikely, considering the very slight increase in the CMUR in the previous decade, no increase at all between 2020 and 2021 and projections by the OECD predicting an increased future demand for materials in the EU by 2030. The latter is important, since increasing recycling alone will not allow the EU to achieve the target. Increased recycling coupled with reduced material use would be required.

Nevertheless, there are weaknesses in the monitoring framework of the circular economy. Moreover, circular economy notion is still very much linked to waste management instead of reflecting different R-strategies, and most importantly reduction.
 

Some key facts

The EU generates more than 2.5 billion tons of waste a year. TEU exports of waste to non-EU countries reached 32.7 million tons in 2020.

The majority of shipped waste consists of ferrous and nonferrous metal scrap as well as paper, plastic, textile and glass wastes and mainly goes to Turkey, India and Egypt

Electronic and electrical waste, or e-waste, is the fastest growing waste stream in the EU; less than 40% is recycled

An estimated 20% of food is lost or wasted in the EU

Packaging waste in Europe reached a record high in 2017

Construction accounts for more than 35% of total EU waste

More than 20% of energy consumed in the EU comes from renewable sources

77% of EU consumers would rather repair their goods than buy new ones, but ultimately have to replace or discard them because of the cost of repairs and lack of service provided.

Sectors not covered by the current Emissions Trading System – such as transport, agriculture, buildings and waste management – still account for about 60% of the EU’s overall emissions

In 2021 alone, existing ecodesign requirements saved consumers €120 billion. The rules have also led to a 10% lower annual energy consumption by the products in scope.

EU forests absorb the equivalent of nearly 7% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions each year.
 

Why are cities important for circular economy?
The challenges

Cities are at the centre of key decisions determining economic growth, social well-being, and environmental benefits. Despite taking up just 2% of global landmass, our urban centres consume more than 75% of natural resources, are responsible for over 50% of solid waste, represent almost two-thirds of global energy demand and emit up to 60% of greenhouse gases, contributing to pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. A total of 80% of food is consumed in cities.

Moreover, by 2050, the global population will reach 9 billion people, 55% of which will be living in cities, high-density places of at least 50 000 inhabitants. The pressure on natural resources will increase, while new infrastructure, services and housing will be needed. It is estimated that globally by 2050, the levels of municipal solid waste will double. At the same time, water stress and water consumption will increase by 55% by 2050.

Acknowledging the challenges, developments in circular manufacturing, fashion, transport, food, and procurement are already being led from urban areas. Now is the time to take full advantage of the wealth of opportunities in cities to create a system that can work long-term for the economy, society, and the environment.
The URBACT ‘’LET’S GO CIRCULAR!’’ Network

The potential of the circular economy to support sustainable cities still needs to be unlocked and the URBACT “LET’S GO CIRCULAR! – Paving the way for a circular transition of cities” Network funded by the URBACT programme, aims to act towards this direction.

With Munich as Lead Partner, the URBACT “LET’S GO CIRCULAR! – Paving the way for a circular transition of cities” Network started in June 2023. The cities that take part in the network, apart from Munich, include Cluj-Napoca in Romania, the Greek island of Corfu, Granada in Spain, Malmö in Sweden, Riga in Latvia, Oulu in Finland, as well as Guimarães and Lisbon in Portugal. Tirana is involved in Albania as an IPA partner.
 

The circular city as envisioned by the URBACT
“LET’S GO CIRCULAR!’’ Network

In our understanding and line with the Mac Arthur Foundation, a circular city has embedded the principles of the circular economy across the entire urban area and operationalizes the 10R-ladder. Products, services, infrastructure, buildings, and vehicles are designed to be durable, adaptable, modular, easy to maintain, share and repurpose, and locally sourced and serving consumption.

A circular city is powered by renewable energy resources. Food waste is eliminated and left-overs are minimized and composted. Businesses operate in a symbiotic model while the city administration acts as an ambassador that inspires, teaches and spreads the appropriate narratives to the citizens in order to change their mindset and value pre-owned goods. Construction and demolition materials can be reused, or recycled. All stakeholders act synergistically, closing the loop of materials and rethinking services and ownership. Air emissions are reduced and nature is flourishing.

Our approach on the circular city concept is illustrated below.

According to our Network, local authorities have a transformational role in circular economy that implies a systemic shift, whereby: services (e.g. from water to waste and energy) are provided making efficient use of natural resources as primary materials and optimising their reuse; economic activities are planned and carried out in a way to close, slow and narrow loops across value chains; and infrastructures are designed and built to avoid linear lock-in (e.g. district heating, smart grid, etc.).

Moreover, cities (and regions) hold core competencies for most policy areas underlying the circular economy; city governments can engage, incentivise, manage, and set a regulatory framework to set the enabling conditions for cities fit for the 21st century to emerge. They can set a direction of travel, a local urban agenda, and a roadmap in line with national and European goals. By embedding circular economy principles into urban policy levers, cities can bring about changes to the use and management of materials in cities; and urban priorities around access to housing, mobility and economic development can also be met in a way that supports prosperity, jobs, health, and communities. Changes to material choices, uses and management, can also open up local production opportunities. For solid waste, cities exercise powers in collection, treatment, cleaning, as well as in communication and information. Most importantly, local authorities can raise the awareness of the citizens at any age, educational level, or background about the principles of circular economy and pave the way for every citizen to have access to circular solutions. In this respect, local authorities can play a fundamental role in educating entrepreneurs, especially the ones involved in the seven important sectors identified by the CEAP 2. Even more significantly, local authorities can teach and enhance industrial symbiosis, especially by practicing an communicating their paradigm of urban symbiosis. Change of mindsets and behavior towards more sustainable choices is definitely an area that local authorities can thrive.

We will explore all our potential to transform our cities, as part of the URBACT ‘’LET’S GO CIRCULAR!’’ Network.

Stay tuned for more insights to come in the next 2 years!

#circulareconomy #bettercities #circularcities #sustainableurbandevelopment #localauthorities

Visit here for more information about the URBACT LET'S GO CIRCULAR! Network

Find our project on LinkedIn

El pasado 17 de octubre celebramos un doble encuentro de los beneficiarios españoles de la última convocatoria de Action Planning Networks en el marco del II Foro Urbano de Granada.

A continuación, se incluye un vídeo resumen de la jornada: