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Tag: cooperation

Best Urban Practices from IURC LAC: Pla Viure in Barcelona

Barcelona faces a severe housing affordability crisis, with access to decent housing ranking as the top concern for 28.8% of residents. Decades of insufficient public housing investment left the city with one of the lowest social housing stocks among comparable European capitals, with historically only 20% of new developments allocated to affordable use. Pla Viure is Barcelona’s city council housing...

Best Urban Practices from IURC LAC: The Zoom Metropolitano project in Guadalajara

Zoom Metropolitano is a geographic information platform for the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara (AMG), developed by Imeplan to make urban and territorial data accessible to both citizens and decision-makers without requiring specialized technical knowledge. Users can access more than 700 layers of verified, standardized, and up-to-date information, organized around metropolitan priorities: land-use planning, environmental sustainability, mobility, and resilience. Download

The city after dark in Buenos Aires: Field notes from the Advanced Cooperation Mission

Buenos Aires (Argentina) | 26 – 28 May The IURC programme held its Advanced Cooperation Mission in Buenos Aires as part of the Community of Practice on nighttime economy, bringing together representatives from Braga (Portugal) and Genoa (Italy) as European partners, and Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) from Latin America, hosted by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires. Over...

Best Regional Practices from IURC LAC: The Digital Innovation Lab in Mendoza

The Digital Innovation Lab is a public innovation and digital transformation initiative in Mendoza, Argentina. Its main purpose is to help companies — especially SMEs — adopt digital technologies and move toward Industry 5.0, combining digitalisation, sustainability, resilience, and human-centred innovation. Download

From Rome to Bologna on citizen participation: Field notes from the Advanced Cooperation Mission

Rome and Bologna (Italy) | 25— 28 May The IURC–LAC Community of Practice on citizen participation methodologies and nature-based solutions reunited in Italy for an intensive stretch of exchange between Latin American and European cities. Over the course of two visits — first in Rome and then in Bologna — delegations from Salvador de Bahia (Brazil) and Buenos Aires (Argentina),...

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...

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...