European Regeneration Latest - 16/02/2010

URBACT is a European exchange and learning programme promoting sustainable urban development, funded by the European Union.

For the interest of SURF network members and contacts, the latest URBACT developments are as follows:

Recession Watch

The URBACT website now has a dedicated section called, ‘Economic Crises: Cities’ Response and Resources’. This regularly updated section hosts information on how the recession is affecting regeneration developments in 221 European cities, including results from recent URBACT surveys. Click here for access.

Cities of Culture

Three European cities are set to kick off a year-long culture festival featuring exhibitions, music and theatre. The cities chosen to be this year's European capitals of culture are Essen and the Ruhr region of Germany, Istanbul in Turkey and Pecs in southern Hungary. For more information, click here.

Roma-Net

Roma-Net is a new trans-national exchange project, approved in November 2009, setting out to improve the integration of Roma populations in Europe. The estimated 8 million Roma citizens face a series of challenges in contemporary Europe including xenophobia, poverty, and exclusion from healthcare, schools and jobs. The project has five partner cities: Budapest in Hungary, Udine in Italy, Heraklion in Greece, Karvina in Czech Republic and Amadora in Portugal. Click here for more details.

City-Hinterland Cooperations

City-hinterland co-operations: A challenge to accomplish in urban agglomerations made worse by the crisis is a recent paper by Bernd Glasser, Lead Expert of URBACT’s City Regions project. Click here to access a PDF version.

16 New URBACT Projects

URBACT launched 16 new projects at the end of 2009, including major initiatives in the field of transport problems, sustainable housing renovation, energy efficiency, and combating the effects of the economic crisis. Click here for details of each of these initiatives.

URBACT Blog

The URBACT website also hosts a regularly updated blog, for the interest of stakeholders in European regeneration.

For more information on URBACT, visit their website at the link below.

Website: urbact.eu/