Category: News from IURC

EU – New Zealand Cities: Climatorium Lemvig and Nelson Wakatu

After the joint EU-NZ cities meeting on 27 September 2021, further online meetings were organised by partners from Lemvig (Climatorium) and Nelson (Wakatu Incorporation) without requiring input from the Australasia Helpdesk. The IURC project team has met online with Sarah Lund from the Danish Climatorium. Meetings are currently taking place every fortnight, focused on collaborative planning for a conference scheduled...

EU – New Zealand Cities: Christchurch and Málaga / Vitoria-Gasteiz Collaborations

After the joint EU-NZ cities' meetings on 13 and 27 September 2021, further online meetings with the three cities took place on n 26 October 2021. Overarching potential topics included climate action (mobility, food systems, green infrastructure, risk mitigation); diversifying economic development (new sectors such as cultural sector, high tech sectors in cooperation with universities); and inclusive urban planning (shape...

EU – New Zealand Cities: New Plymouth and Vilnius Collaboration

After the joint EU-NZ cities' meetings on 13 and 27 September 2021, bilateral events between New Plymouth and Vilnius took place on 5 October, 19 October, 3 November, 23 November, and 14 December. The topics discussed at these meetings covered: waste management; local partnerships; hydrogen; emission neutrality; the 2050 roadmap; energy-efficient buildings; and central city strategy. In all of these...

EU-Australian Cities: Follow-Up Meeting

The four European and three Australian pilot cities met online to crystallise where substantive work will start in the new year. Whereas the city pairings were confirmed, it was agreed that during the 1st half of 2022 cities would work together in thematic groups, involving experts according to the needs and demands. Herefore, the IURC project team proposed a series...

5th Thematic Webinar – Circular City Hubs: Improving thriving, liveable, resilient urban centres

IURC cities engaged in Circular City Hubs discussions and recommendations Organised on 14 December, the Circular City Hubs thematic webinar was the final one for the 2021 programme year. The IURC Asia & Australasia team attracted 176 registered participants from  23 countries, namely Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland,...

The future of food markets

In the context of the current COVID-19 crisis, food markets appear as an opportunity to foster new strategies to build more resilient cities. Food markets can contribute to provide healthier food options and improve citizens food habits. Moreover, they can improve connectivity for cities to their natural environment by creating urban-rural connections and help consumers, retailers, and vendors better connect...

Watch the webinar: “Smart Strategies for equality and social inclusion”

https://youtu.be/_tHbPyQKVqo On December 9th, IURC Latin America held the webinar “Smart strategies for equality and social inclusion”. The webinar sought to introduce smart strategies and analyse how innovation and digitalization can promote an important shift in regional and urban planning towards more inclusive practices. The event included an introduction to smart strategies by Fernando Tomás Casado (Smart City Practice Manager, IDOM),...

4th Thematic Webinar – The Role of Municipalities in Promoting the Renovation Wave

For cities to achieve carbon neutrality, renovating old buildings so that they are energy-efficient is crucial. According to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, buildings represent 40% of total energy consumption and 36% of GHG emissions in the EU. Without such renovation, the net zero carbon goal would be unlikely. On 29 November 2021, IURC Asia &...

IURC China Cities and Regions Revealed!

The 22 Chinese cities cover municipalities, sub-provincial cities, provincial capitals and other dynamic cities, new districts, and development areas. Widely distributed in the east, central, west and northeast of China, they embody China´s regional and urbanization strategies. They have unique local resources and achieved notable performance in urban innovation and sustainable development, such as digitization, renewable energy, urban renewal, and...