The online Capacity Building on Regenerative Design by ACCIONA, organised by the IURC Central Coordination Services in coordination with the Geographical Areas in two sessions (morning for Asia & Australasia and China; afternoon for Latin America and North America) aimed to support our worldwide pairings and clusters to path the way of their ongoing projects during the last year of the programme. The training was conducted on March 7th 2023 and welcomed more than 75 participants from all around the globe.
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During the first part of the session, Sustainable and Urban experts shared some valuable insights for regenerative design, establishing linkages with the European Commission’s new framework and initiatives as the “New European Bauhaus” (to make tangible the Green Deal). Afterwards, some of the IURC’s parings shared their joint projects with a focus on their financial challenges (NCI-Bologna / Yangzhou; Rotterdam / Surat; Sofia / Sejong; Essen / Fortaleza; Aurora / Bergamo / Rimini; and Silesia / Parana) and received some tips for project financing from an operational perspective.
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A final interactive session, through ACCIONA’s RESILIENCE tool, showed how the decision-making process can be accelerated considering common challenges and lessons learned from previous experiences, establishing interesting links between the most common issues as multilevel governance, the importance of the context, innovative technologies or public-private models.
ACCIONA is an international reference as a designer of regenerative infrastructures shifting to a more long-term of imagining, nurturing and stewarding places creating multi-dimensional benefits for all (social, environmental and economic). The company has been carbon-neutral since 2016 and integrates its culture of sustainability, and now of regenerative design, across all its projects and solutions as accelerators contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
This first online session of our Renovation Wave series will feature Dan Dicaire, Manager of Energy and Sustainability, and Melissa Jort-Conway, Planner II in Climate Change and Resiliency, both from the City of Ottawa. They will share their role in the Race to Zero to eliminate Ottawa’s GHG emissions by 2040, including the retrofit strategy for OCH’s 15,000 units and several projects which hold the blueprints to eliminating GHG emissions from their entire portfolio. We will talk about financing, long-term planning, and community partnerships, which are crucial for deploying and implementing these concepts. We will also hear from Paloma Bozman, Director of the Zaragoza (Spain) social housing department, who will add a European perspective to this kind of policies by sharing their experience promoting retrofit projects – both in the private and public sectors – as part of their local strategy towards Zero Emissions in 2030. A discussion with other IURC cities will follow the presentations so they can share their experiences and challenges in this field.
The 5th edition of Cities Forum will be held in Torino, Italy from 16 to 17 March 2023. The event brings together key urban stakeholders at European, national, regional and local levels who are committed to a green and just future of cities.
IURC will have a parallel session on the 17 March from 16.00-17:30 ‘Coming out of the European Box: international cooperation to inspire Sustainable Urban Transformation’ – don’t miss it!
The Cities Forum 2023 will offer high-level debates, participatory sessions and interactive workshops on cohesion and recovery in cities. It will provide participants with a unique opportunity to network and discuss the recent developments of various EU initiatives and policies as well as to explore our host city through several site visits. Make sure to review the programme section for a detailed description of each session.
Together for green and just cities
Even though implementing EU Cohesion Policy for the 2021-2027 period is still in the early stages, Europe’s cities find themselves in unprecedented times. New challenges arise along with the green and digital transition. Several crises from the pandemic to the war in Ukraine and food and energy insecurity are changing the way citizens live.
In these demanding times, support, dialogue, and cooperation are more important than ever to continue our sustainable urban development efforts so no place is left behind.
Cities Forum 2023 is the place and moment to discuss the urban dimension of Cohesion Policy for 2021-2027, namely how our main investment policy can help cities advance by financing sustainable urban development. A key moment of the event will be the presentation of new EU level initiatives created to support cities. The 5th edition of the Cities Forum will host the official launch of the European Urban Initiative (EUI) and its first EU level capacity building event.
The forum will put a spotlight on the recent developments under the key policies and initiatives which engage cities such: as the Urban Agenda for the EU, the EU Mission for 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities and explore how the New European Bauhaus can be used to make a difference in local development. As place-based approaches are at the core of Cohesion Policy, we aim to underline the role of small- and medium-sized cities and functional territories in developing tailor-made solutions for local challenges.
Following the theme of this year’s edition, the event will focus on the role of cities in implementing the European Green Deal and the importance of strategic approaches to address the needs for climate adaptation and environmental protection.
The 5th edition of the Cities Forum will provide an opportunity to strengthen the core EU objective of social inclusion by bringing forward measures for welcoming people with a migrant background and for their inclusion at a local level, including but not limited to the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In our efforts to achieve the objective of leaving no one behind, the exchange on effective practices for the socio-economic inclusion of marginalised groups at the local level and preventing and combatting segregation will continue during the forum.
Join in Torino on 16-17 March 2023 to discover what’s next in sustainable urban development.
The webinar “Right to Green: Building parks through Community Engagement. Case Studies from Barranquilla, Essen, and Fortaleza” organized by the International Urban and Regional Cooperation Latin America (IURC-LAC) Programme sougth to open up a technical discussion on the provision of inclusive access to green areas in cities. Three international experiences on the creation of micro-parks and the implementation of greening strategies, with strong participatory methodologies and community engagement approaches, were discussed to highlight opportunities and challenges.
In this interactive workshop, Circular Economy Expert Erin Kennedy from Metabolic – a Netherlands-based organization who has over a decade of experience advising businesses, governments, and nonprofits around the world on how to thrive in a circular economy – will offer practical advice and strategies to help cities develop and implement their circular economy plans.
In the past three years, collaborations, investments, and knowledge sharing has multiplied on themes related to the circular economy (CE). Networks, knowledge-sharing hubs, and training tools are bringing to light the CE innovations and best practices in fields such as waste and water management, land-use planning, transportation, infrastructure and buildings, agriculture, and food systems. The cities and regions that are part of the IURC NA network are well-placed to contribute to this global transformation to improve circularity by promoting and...
In the past three years, collaborations, investments, and knowledge sharing has multiplied on themes related to the circular economy (CE)....
You are invited to the first IURC-NA webinar session of 2024, focusing on international cooperation and how it can relate to the sustainable and resilient cities of the future! Climate change and environmental deterioration have become central to cities’ urban development plans. As a result, the European Union’s IURC program facilitates the exchange of challenges and solutions internationally to accelerate the reduction of net greenhouse gas emissions and improve the quality of life in urban areas. This first online session of 2024 will be an opportunity...
You are invited to the first IURC-NA webinar session of 2024, focusing on international cooperation and how it can relate...
The webinar "IURC Latin America: Final lessons from the City-to-City cooperation" organized by the International Urban and Regional Cooperation Latin America (IURC-LAC) Programme sougth to reflect on the main lessons learned from the IURC Latin America City-to-City cooperation and share best practices linked to sustainable urban development. Space The full agenda of the event is available here Space Download the presentations here Space Read the highlights from the event here
The webinar "IURC Latin America: Final lessons from the City-to-City cooperation" organized by the International Urban and Regional Cooperation Latin...
The webinar "IURC Latin America: Final lessons from the Region-to-Region cooperation" organized by the International Urban and Regional Cooperation Latin America (IURC-LAC) Programme sougth to reflect on the main lessons learned from the IURC Latin America Region-to-Region cooperation and share best practices linked to sustainable regional innovation. Space The full agenda of the event is available here Space Download the presentations here Space Read the highlights from the event here
The webinar "IURC Latin America: Final lessons from the Region-to-Region cooperation" organized by the International Urban and Regional Cooperation Latin...
Cities face significant challenges in decarbonizing and improving the resilience of their aging housing stock. Panelization promises to reduce the labour involved with deep retrofits. This presentation covers Canada's first panelized retrofit to achieve net-zero energy performance, the Presland Net-Zero PEER Pilot. Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) will share the results of this ambitious project, which represents a replicable, scalable model for retrofits nationwide. OCH will explain its role as a general contractor and panel...
Cities face significant challenges in decarbonizing and improving the resilience of their aging housing stock. Panelization promises to reduce the...
Companies (large, middle-sized or SME) from our IURC partner cities of Essen (Germany), Grenoble-Alpes Metropole (France), Toyota or Koriyama (Japan), looking for solutions on new energy technologies and/or hydrogen to address climate change challenges, are eligible to participate in the Joint Open Innovation Online Pitches.
Companies (large, middle-sized or SME) from our IURC partner cities of Essen (Germany), Grenoble-Alpes Metropole (France), Toyota or Koriyama (Japan),...
International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) is set to host its Final Event on 24 October 2023. As participants from around the globe convene, the event promises a rich discourse on urban and regional development. The Committee of the Regions' venue will see insights from high-ranking European Commission officials. The day's core discussions will revolve around pivotal themes: the Ecological & Energy Transition, Urban & Regional Renewal, and Innovation Ecosystems & Digital Transition. Sessions will showcase global cooperative case...
International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) is set to host its Final Event on 24 October 2023. As participants from...
IURC North America (NA) and Latin America (LA) have organized an event in combination with the Annual IURC Global event to take place in Brussels on October 23-24th, 2023. Cities, Metropolitan Areas, and Regions participating in the IURC NA and LA geographical areas will present the highlights of their participation in the program, lessons learned, and aspirations for the future of their cooperation. Furthermore, representatives will have an opportunity to network and exchange ideas for similar challenges in sustainable urban...
IURC North America (NA) and Latin America (LA) have organized an event in combination with the Annual IURC Global event...
Among the more problematic effects climate change imposes on urban planners are the challenges of creating and re-purposing public spaces that mitigate urban heat islands and alleviate threats from intense rain events and flooding while positively impacting communities. In this session, we will learn from three different projects. - The Moakley Park Vision Plan, presented by the City of Boston, transforms one of its largest waterfront open spaces from a largely single-use recreational facility into a resilient and...
Among the more problematic effects climate change imposes on urban planners are the challenges of creating and re-purposing public spaces...
The webinar "Cultivating Urban Resilience through Co-creation and Storytelling: Case Studies from Medellín, Colombia – Lecco, Italy" organized by the International Urban and Regional Cooperation Latin America (IURC-LAC) Programme sougth to provide practitioners and policy-makers with concrete examples from relevant case studies on Cultivating Urban Resilience through Co-creation and Storytelling: Case Studies from Medellín, Colombia – Lecco, Italy. Space The full agenda of the event is available here Space Download the presentations here Space Read the highlights from the event...
The webinar "Cultivating Urban Resilience through Co-creation and Storytelling: Case Studies from Medellín, Colombia – Lecco, Italy" organized by the...