Two Communities of Practice Focusing on Urban Regeneration and Social Cohesion Review Cooperation Plans

On 12 and 18 March respectively, CoP 15 on ‘Urban Planning – Affordable Housing and Social Cohesion’ and CoP 16 on ‘Integrated Urban Planning – Connecting People, Economies and Infrastructure’ met to review and refine activities and study visits under each CoP. Activities prioritised will deepen cooperation and accelerate knowledge exchange and partnerships across participating cities and regions, such as deep dive knowledge exchange webinars, virtual and in person workshops through targeted study visits, knowledge products and joint proposals for potential EU funding opportunities beyond the IURC programme.

From webinars to study visits
Participants in both CoPs 15 and 16 agreed to begin with online exchanges to build shared understanding before committing to in‑person activity. For example, Brisbane offered to lead the first CoP 16 webinar, with case studies ready to be shared. These online sessions will feed into synthesising lessons into potential knowledge products and inform targeted workshops and study visit agendas.

Targeted study visits
Both CoPs emphasised focused, thematic study visits—targeting specific sub‑themes such as sustainable mobility, construction productivity and affordable housing—rather than broad programmes. A preference emerged for one city per continent per visit to increase geographic balance, and ensuring a practical balance of cities in attendance to optimise time and resources.

Cities and regions including Brisbane, Madrid, Berlin, Melbourne, Basque Country, Region of Valencia, Rome and Cluj-Napoca shared interests and proposed contributions. Brisbane and Madrid are actively developing itineraries, aligning on topics like ‘Move Green’ (sustainable mobility). Berlin confirmed a study visit open to CoP 15 members, while Singapore’s World Cities Summit (14–16 June) was identified as a key opportunity for exchanges and developing partnerships. Melbourne, the Basque Country and Region of Valencia also outlined priorities—ranging from construction innovation to affordable housing and social cohesion—and discussed how private‑sector engagement can be integrated.

Next steps
Both CoPs 15 and 16 will continue to update their cooperation and study visit plans to reflect meeting inputs and to continue bilateral and small‑group discussions to finalise study‑visit proposals, schedules and topic matching. Organisers will collect case studies and confirm webinar dates, while cities will finalise participation and logistical details in the coming weeks. The approach aims to convert online exchanges into concrete cooperation and actionable outcomes under the CoP framework.