Latin America
Asia & Australasia
North America
EU Cities Gateway
China

Category: Thematic Cluster 2025-2027

Affordable housing up close in Barcelona: Field notes from the Advanced Cooperation Mission

Barcelona (Spain) | 26 – 28 May The IURC programme held its Advanced Cooperation Mission in Barcelona, bringing together representatives from Cartagena (Colombia), Concepción (Chile), and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to explore how Barcelona approaches the affordable housing crisis — from regulatory frameworks and land management to neighbourhood rehabilitation and large-scale urban development. Over three days, participants combined workshops, site...

Exploring smart city platforms in Famalicão: Field notes from the Advanced Cooperation Mission

Famalicão, Portugal | 19 – 21 May The IURC programme held its Advanced Cooperation Mission in Famalicão, bringing together representatives from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Guadalajara (Mexico), and Piraeus (Greece) to explore how urban data and smart city platforms can strengthen local governance and support risk management. Over three days, participants explored how Famalicão has built its smart city ecosystem...

2nd Business Talk Webinar: Exploring How the GDS Index Helps Destinations Turn Sustainability Ambitions into Action

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme hosted a Knowledge Transfer Webinar on 3 June 2026 titled “Deconstructing Sustainability: How the GDS Index Can Help You Transform Your Destination.” The event brought together representatives from cities, regions, tourism organizations, and sustainability practitioners to explore how destinations can measure, benchmark, and improve their sustainability performance using the Global Destination Sustainability...

IURC Regions Explore Joint Climate Adaptation Strategies for Forestry and Viticulture

Climate change is increasingly reshaping landscapes, ecosystems, and agricultural systems across the globe. To explore practical responses to these challenges, the region-to-region Community of Practice (CoP) #2 - Resilient Agri-food Industry & Forestry - recently brought together experts, researchers, policymakers, and regional representatives from Europe and Australia for a webinar focused on the impacts of climate change on forestry and viticulture. The event provided...

Bologna Hosts International Exchange on Repair and Circular Economy under the IURC Programme

From 24–26 May 2026, the Metropolitan City of Bologna hosted the first Advanced Cooperation Mission (ACM) under Community of Practice (CoP) 8: Circular Economy Urban Centres, bringing together representatives from Europe and Asia & Australasia to exchange knowledge and practical experiences on repair culture and circular economy solutions. Delegations from Bologna, Riga, Gangtok and Seberang Perai participated in a series...

Webinar: Digital & AI Deployment within Existing Companies

A webinar hosted by Sisak-Moslavina County (Croatia) was held on May 26, 2026 on behalf of the Community of Practice for Industrial Modernization and AI – Human-Centric Digital & AI Transformation. The session, which drew approximately 80 participants, highlighted practical pathways for SMEs to adopt AI, drawing on case studies from Croatia and Japan as well as cross-regional expert panel...

IURC Sustainable Tourism Collaboration Featured in Korean Local Media

An IURC CoP 3 (Sustainable Smart Tourism) collaboration involving Jeonju (Republic of Korea) has been featured in Korean local media following its successful selection for EU competitive funding support. English Translation Jeonju City has been awarded €10,000 under a European Union (EU) urban cooperation initiative. According to the city government, its collaborative project on sustainable tourism, implemented in partnership with...

Prato Showcases Smart and Sustainable Industrial Tourism Solutions in IURC AA Technical Deep Dive

The third Technical Deep Dive Session under the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia Community of Practice (CoP3) on Sustainable Smart Tourism brought together city representatives, experts, and project partners to exchange innovative approaches for sustainable tourism development. The session was hosted by the city of Prato, Italy, and focused on the EPIC project, which promotes industrial...

From Floods to Resilience: Global Cities Share Nature-Based Adaptation Solutions in IURC Webinar

The International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Programme successfully hosted the second webinar of Community of Practice 14 (CoP 14) on Climate Adaptation, bringing together cities, regions, researchers, and urban practitioners to exchange experiences on multi-hazard nature-based adaptation with a particular focus on water-related risks. Led by the Region of Valencia, the webinar formed part of the IURC Climate Adaptation...

IURC CoP 4 Regions Exchange Lessons on Just Transition Governance and Workforce Transformation

On 21 May 2026, regional partners under the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) programme’s Community of Practice 4 (CoP 4) on Just Transition and Low-Carbon Technologies gathered for the first deep-dive session focused on stakeholder governance, engagement, and workforce transition in the context of just transition.  The session brought together representatives from Bremen (Germany), Chungcheongnam-do (Republic of Korea), Chungnam...