Category: News from IURC

IURC LAC Webinar Explores Urban Regeneration and Social Cohesion

On 30 September 2025, the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Latin America programme held its fifth thematic webinar, bringing together city leaders and experts to discuss strategies for urban regeneration and social cohesion. The event attracted close to 30 registrants and featured presentations from Buenos Aires (Argentina), Famalicão (Portugal), Salvador da Bahia (Brazil), and Barcelona (Spain). Framing the Debate: Urban Regeneration in...

Cities: IURC AA – Deep Dive on Urban Innovation

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia Programme convened its deep dive session 1 on Urban Innovation, bringing together thought leaders and city representatives from Christchurch (New Zealand), Bologna (Italy), Cork (Ireland), and Jeonju (Korea) to spotlight how diverse urban ecosystems are advancing innovation for sustainable growth. Against the backdrop of IURC Phase II, the session provided...

IURC AA Cities Exchange Insights on Digital Transition and Data Utilisation

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) Asia & Australasia hosted its second Urban Innovation Deep Dive Session, focusing on Cities & Data. The event brought together experts from Barcelona, Coimbra, Osaka, Kobe, and Pimpri Chinchwad, highlighting how cities across Europe and Asia are leveraging GIS, BIM, AI, and smart city strategies to drive digital transition. Barcelona: Digital Twins and Urban Data...

IURC AA Regions Present Clean Energy & Blue Economy Initiatives

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia programme held its second thematic session on 23 September, gathering 51 participants from 10 regions across Europe, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The focus was on regional cooperation in clean energy and the blue economy, with regions presenting concrete strategies for hydrogen ecosystems, offshore wind, geothermal, waste-heat recovery, solar innovation,...

IURC-LAC Webinar Showcases Urban Innovation

On 23 September 2025, the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Latin America and the Caribbean programme hosted its third webinar, this time dedicated to urban innovation. The session gathered 17 participants for technical discussions and city presentations that highlighted how digital tools, sustainability initiatives, and collaborative governance are shaping the future of urban areas. The exchange served as preparation for the upcoming Smart City...

IURC Cities Showcase Best Practices on Tourism, Mega-Events and City Branding

The second and final session of the IURC Asia & Australasia Thematic Network on Strategic Sectors brought together 33 participants to explore innovative approaches in cultural heritage, mega-events, sustainable tourism, and city branding. Cities from Italy, Australia, Malaysia, and Poland shared their strategies, challenges, and opportunities, while also setting the stage for deeper collaboration at the upcoming Smart Cites Expo World Congress in...

IURC launches Urban Innovation Thematic Cluster with Cities from EU and Asia & Australasia

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme (IURC) has successfully launched its Urban Innovation Introductory Session as part of the Thematic Network Webinar Series. The online session, held on 18 September 2025, brought together more than 60 participants from Europe and Asia & Australasia for an in-depth exchange on smart cities, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, and citizen-centric governance. Viktorija Kaidalova — EU’s Service for Foreign Policy...

IURC-LAC Webinar Explores Strategic Sectors and Nighttime Economies

On 17 September 2025, the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Latin America and the Caribbean programme held its second webinar in the thematic network series, focusing on strategic sectors of urban development. With 24 participants, the session spotlighted how cities are reshaping their centers, balancing tourism and heritage, and creating vibrant nighttime economies. Moderated by Tatiane Martins, the webinar featured presentations from Genoa (Italy), Buenos Aires...

IURC-LAC Webinar Explores Urban Regeneration and Social Cohesion

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Latin America and the Caribbean programme held the first webinar of its thematic network series on 17 September 2025, gathering 48 participants from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The session marked the start of a series dedicated to urban regeneration and social cohesion, bringing together cities facing common challenges of heritage preservation, citizen participation, tourism management,...

Global Cities Share Innovative Paths to Sustainable Tourism

From the metaverse to organic farming, four regions reveal how they’re balancing growth, culture, and climate resilience A New Era for Tourism: Insights from the IURC Strategic Sectors WebinarOn September 17, the first Strategic Sectors Cluster webinar of the IURC Asia and Australasia programme gathered 43 participants from cities and regions online. The session spotlighted how Prato (Italy), Gangtok (India),...