The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Secretariat in partnership with the IURC programme of the European Union is organising an online training on urban food policy through a series of webinars for MUFPP and IURC cities in Asia Pacific. Participating cities will have the opportunity to showcase their best practices and learn from their peers in the region in the way they use food as an entry point for sustainable urban development.
The training will consist of an introductory session, followed by six webinars directly linked to the six categories of the Milan Pact. The introductory webinar will give participating cities the opportunity to understand the key pillars of a food policy and all the associated benefits of developing one. As the first event, the introductory session will provide overviews of the Farm to Fork Strategy of the European Union and the MUFPP. Participating cities will have the possibility to share their learning needs and showcase their best practices on food related issues. The webinar will also be the occasion for presenting the entire series for cities interested to join the training.
Agenda
Overview on the IURC programme (10 minutes)
Michel Mouchiroud, Deputy Head, EU Foreign Policy Instruments Asia-Pacific
Keynote speech on the power of sustainable food system to transform our cities in the framework of the EU Green Deal (10 minutes)
Andrea Magarini, Chair of the Eurocities Working Group Food
Overview on the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and presentation of the webinar series (15 minutes)
Filippo Gavazzeni, Head of the MUFPP Secretariat, City of Milan
According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), before COVID-19, the contribution of China’s tourism industry to the national economy was 9.3%, which was similar to the EU average (9.5%). The Chinese outbound travel market is notable for its large volume and rapid growth. Tourism from China to the EU has tripled in ten years. China has already become an important force in the global tourism economy. With its rich cultural heritage and natural resources, China offered unique tourism destinations. In 2016, China ranked number 8 among non-EU destinations (after USA, Turkey, Switzerland, Norway and Russia, Thailand, and United Arab Emirates). The successful events in the EU-China Tourism Year (2018), announced in 2016 by the (former) President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the Chinese Prime Minister, Li Keqiang, provided a unique opportunity to increase visitors’ flows and investments in both EU and China.
This training session provides the participants an overview about long-term social, economic and ecological change in the tourism and culture industry in China, focusing on innovation-driven action plans in the digital transition and rural revitalisation, therefore supporting the EU-China city and regional cooperation to lead in a more effective way and achieve a more satisfactory result.
OBJECTIVES
This Zoom-in session aims to identify major challenges faced and innovative strategies implemented in the Chinese tourism industry. The training may help EU cities and regions deepen the understanding in the Chinese context and transfer the knowledge to the EU-China city and regional cooperation under the IURC framework by:
(1). Sharing social, economic and ecological context of the tourism industry in China
(2). Identifying potential pilot areas in future cooperation with Chinese counterparts.
Tourism is one of the major economic sectors in many cities and regions in the EU and China, with high potential for employment generation. It is one of the major sources of public revenue and for local communities, including local residents and SMEs. However, tourism, converging with the culture sector, has been hard-hit by the pandemic.
At the EU and national level, action plans have been launched to overcome the challenges for the green and digital transition, to increase resilience, and to lift global competitiveness. For example, the European Union´s green and digital “Transition Pathway for Tourism”, and China’s innovation-driven 14th Five-Year Tourism Development Plan (2021-2025). On the other hand, cities and regions endeavoured to develop strategies complemented with local development plans in various aspects, including data-based tourism services (e.g. Tools to manage sustainable transport, or exceptional occasions), sustainable local production & consumption, energy and resource-efficient tourism infrastructures, and innovative “cultural industry”.
The webinar is organised as a part of the IURC China thematic cluster working session, aiming to share how cities and regions achieve green and digital transformation and resilience of the tourism & culture sector and discuss how EU-China cooperation can help them to reach the goals.
OBJECTIVES
Through deep multilateral discussion, this thematic webinar seeks to showcase challenges and solutions of sustainable tourism in enhancing economic development, social inclusion and innovation in IURC pilot cities & regions and offer them a framework to:
(1) Share perspectives, policy initiatives, and best practices in sustainable tourism.
(2) Identify potential common projects and relevant stakeholders to address green and digital transition and resilience in the tourism sector.
PARTICIPANTS
This webinar will take place among
(1) stakeholders from IURC China pilot cities and regions in the thematic group of Tourism and Culture;
(2) invited participants from IURC global community.
Thursday, 17 March 2022, 08:00AM – 09:30AM (CET) / 18:00 – 19:30 (AEDT) Moderation: Professor Bruce Wilson at RMIT & Country Coordinator IURC Australia
This thematic cluster webinar is a part of International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia & Australasia, which aims to further urban and regional cooperation in the fields of sustainable urban development and innovation between EU and non-EU cities. The activity is in addition to the ongoing bilateral discussions amongst cities. Within the IURC thematic network n°2 “Urban and Regional Renewal”, this webinar will narrow in on urban renewal precincts.
According to Victoria Planning Authority, “urban renewal precincts are often old industrial areas that are no longer being used for their original purpose, and could benefit from redevelopment. Some urban renewal sites include large parcels of land owned by the government, or a single private owner, which can be transformed into great places for people. Additionally, urban renewal precincts also allow the government to deliver on key policy commitments, such as providing affordable housing and sustainable green spaces to the wider community.”
Agenda
08:00/18:00 – Welcome by HE Michael Pulch, EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Australia
08:15/18:15 – Keynote presenter: Prof Jago Dodson, with Q&A
08:30/18:30 – City case studies (each 10 minutes): • Madrid • Incheon • Melbourne • Sejong
09:10/19:10 – Q&A and comments on the case studies
– Valentina Ridolfi, Coordinator of Rimini Strategic Plan with the City of Rimini (Italy), will present the comprehensive “Villages of Rimini” initiative that has been developed in the region to reactivate the economy with a focus on tourism.
– Ben Seigel, Opportunity Zone and Impact Investment Coordinator with the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) will present the Baltimore BASE Network(Business Assistance and Support for Equity) which is a partnership of entrepreneurial support organizations led by the BDC and the Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development. The Network was launched in April 2020 and has helped more than 2,000 Baltimore businesses access upwards of $40 million in recovery assistance.
The presentations will be followed by an open forum where cities such as Braga, Metropolis GZM, St John’s, and Aurora will have the opportunity to share their specific challenges and solutions related to the topic.
Innovative Local Economic Development Programmes & Strategies for Post-covid Recovery
Source: F.Masi, A.Rizzo, M.Regelsberger (2018). The role of constructed wetlands in a new circular economy, resource oriented, and ecosystem services paradigm. Journal of Environmental Management.
Strategies and actions are needed worldwide to optimize the infrastructure and resource management to confront the challenges of resource depletion, climate change and degradation of ecosystems. Nature-based solutions (NBS) and circular economy (CE) can provide tools for this transition. Implementation of NBS, combined with the concept of the circular economy benefits the ecosystem services and returns resources to the territory. Blue-green infrastructure in smart cities, integrated water management, ICT etc. are considered as enabling tools for NBS in the circular economy (CE) linking to Sustainable Development Goals.
At the EU level and national level, NBS and CE are major parts of future developments in order to provide sustainable resources and ecosystems in urban and rural areas. The proven benefits of NBS and CE is shown in EU legislations, projects and action plans, e.g., The Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe (2011), The European Green Deal (2020), URBAN GreenUP (2017− 2022) and proGIreg (2018− 2023); The Chinese government initiated the “Sponge City Program” (2013) and adopted more than 30 pilot cities for green and blue infrastructure development. The Circular Economy Promotion Plan (NDRC, 2015) and Leading Actions on Circular Development (NDRC, 2016) enhance the CE implementation in urban, industry and agriculture development. Both the EU and China adopted the ambitious CE action plans, which encourage ‘closing the loop’ of product lifecycles through greater recycling and reuse, with significant environmental and economic benefits.
The webinar is organized as a part of the IURC China thematic cluster working session, aiming to share how cities and regions achieve green and digital transformation by NBS and CE approaches and discuss how EU-China cooperation can help them to reach the goals.
Source: F.Masi, A.Rizzo, M.Regelsberger (2018). The role of constructed wetlands in a new circular economy, resource oriented, and ecosystem services paradigm. Journal of Environmental Management.
OBJECTIVES
Through deep multilateral discussion, this thematic webinar seeks to showcase challenges and solutions of Nature-Based Solutions and Circular Economy in enhancing economic development, social inclusion and innovation in IURC pilot cities & regions and offer them a framework to:
(1). Share perspectives, policy initiatives, and best practices in NBS and CE
(2). Identify potential common projects and relevant stakeholders to address the transition to a green and circular economy.
Participants
This webinar will take place among：
(1). stakeholders from IURC China pilot cities and regions in the thematic group of NBS and CE;
(2). invited participants from IURC global community.
