LOCAL ACTION PLAN City of Regensburg

Transcription

1 LOCAL ACTION PLAN City of Regensburg April 2011 Photograph: Nürnberg Luftbild, Hajo Dietz

2 THE CITY OF REGENSBURG REGENSBURG HAS APPROXIMATELY INHABITANTS OUT OF WHICH ABOUT LIVE IN THE HISTORIC CITY CENTRE. BEING A UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF A MEDIEVAL TRADING TOWN THE OLD TOWN OF REGENSBURG HAS BEEN INSCRIBED ON THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST IN THE YEAR Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate. Its population is about 147,000. The town measures 81 km2, the historic city centre is about 183 hectares in size. The first settlements in Regensburg date to the Stone Age. The Celtic name Radasbona was the oldest name given to a settlement near the present city. The large medieval centre of the city with well preserved original basic outline of the 14th century is since 2006 a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It covers an area of 1.83 km2 with inhabitants and 984 monuments. Public buildings, private residences and the imposing grounds of churches, monasteries and religious foundations contribute to an authentic picture of medieval urban culture and architecture. The most important cultural heritage sites are: the Dom (Cathedral, very interesting example of pure German Gothic, it counts as the main work of Gothic architecture in Bavaria); the Stone Bridge (built , a highlight of medieval bridge building); the Church of St. James (Romanesque basilica of the 12th century); the old parish church of St. Ulrich (a good example of the Transition style of the 13th century); the church of Obermünster and the abbey church of St. Emmeram (examples of Romanesque basilica style); the Town Hall (dating in part from the 14th century); St. Emmeram's Abbey (huge castle owned by the Thurn and Taxis family). Further information: The City of Regensburg (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg)

3 Local Challenges Regensburg historic centre is in a very good condition. Most buildings are professionally restored and the heritage values are preserved. There is a vital mixture of housing, retail facilities and restaurants. Nevertheless, Regensburg s major task is to maintain its cultural heritage values. Furthermore, the overall city is growing rapidly, thus steadily increasing the pressure on the housing market. The demand for new infrastructure, modern buildings to cope with new communal functions and for improvement of the public transport scheme needs is increasing and has to be well-balanced with the protection of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage assets. Key problems and challenges concerning Visual integrity of the historic urban landscape are: To develop and implement new instruments to preserve the visual integrity of the historic urban landscape; To integrate new architecture into the historic cityscape without harming the historic, spatial and townscape characteristics; To develop a methodology to adjust large-scale projects to the development needs of the historic urban landscape and to decide about their importance; To integrate large-scale structures (e.g. large-scale retail) into the small-scale historic structure; To integrate new telecommunication infrastructure into the historic centre; To communicate the cultural heritage values to the different target groups. heritage, in particular to international tourists and to guiding systems; To secure the multi-functionality of the historic centre and balance the (conflicting) needs of the stakeholders, in particular the demands of retailers, tourists and inhabitants (e.g. increasing product offers for tourists and decreasing supply for inhabitants, lack of supermarkets in the Old Town); To improve the energy efficiency of historic buildings. Further Regensburg is going to focus on the following issues: Development of a management system for the historic urban landscape together with relevant stakeholders; Setting up of a Steering committee for the Old Town, which serves to early recognize possible conflicts of urban planning developments and to warrant the compatibility of construction measures with needs of the historic urban landscape; Improving communication and cooperation with and between the stakeholders in support of the protection and further development of the historic urban landscape. Key problems and challenges concerning the Integrated revitalisation to balance/adapt the uses/functions of the historic urban landscape to the different stakeholder needs are: To improve multimodal public transport in the historic centre (mobility); To strengthen the historic centre as location for local and (sub-)regional retail trade, keeping a good balance of traditional local stores and chain stores; To support new business ideas (in particular in relation to the demographic change) to settle their businesses in the historic city centre To strengthen the housing function for multiple target groups (families, cross-generational housing; handicapped; currently flats are converted to more lucrative single apartments); To improve the attached housing infrastructure (courtyards, adjacent public space in front of buildings, parking for inhabitants, etc. to improve the quality of life) To make it a true experience and to market the cultural Hinter der Grieb (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg)

4 Overview of experiences and good-practice examples Regensburg has set up a number of policies and management strategies to safeguard the cultural heritage values and the sustainable development of the historic urban landscape. The most important are: Design Advisory board (Gestaltungsbeirat): It is a useful and effective board, which aims to supervise the integration of new architecture into the historic cityscape and to ensure that new developments in the historic city centre are of high quality and are compatible with the heritage assets; Integrated vision/ concept for the retail development (recently developed): Framework for the development of retail trade in the Old Town targeting retailers, citizens and city administration. The model will be used by the city administration for the further development trade framework and the Old Town Management Plan" and "Development Plan ; Old Town Protection Statues (Altstadtschutzsatzung): The purpose of the statute is to implement building measures and advertising which show consideration and respect for the existing historic buildings and for indigenous styles of design and their traditional rules. The statute applies to outside walls, roofs, roof superstructures and segments, windows and other openings, balconies, railings, overhead lines, antennas, enclosures and advertising billboards; Concept for an information centre for the World Heritage area: Target groups are tourists, inhabitants, professionals and children, which will be presented the theme of the UNESCO world cultural heritage in general and of Regensburg in particular ; Events to communicate the cultural heritage values of a place to different target groups. Further Regensburg has profound experience in: Urban rehabilitation programs and preserving historic monuments; Cross-sectoral departmental co-operation via "Future workshops" to ensure a comprehensive view of the subject "Old Town"; Pact for the Old Town: The Pact for the Old Town is a strategic alliance of concerned public and private actors, which is looking ahead regarding Regensburg s Old Town and therefore developing an overall concept and arrangements, accountig the realization in trade-off and corporately campaigning for the location. Retail Trade: Spatial Clustering and Vacancy Management: Via biannual census of retail businesses and vacancies in the historic centre, classes of businesses in the same or similar commercial sectors are created (clusters) as well as a vacancy map via geocoding (GIS). The results are used to upgrade and strengthen the clusters (filling the vacancies with the fitting retail in the location or supporting relocation of retail trade) thus, strengthening the retail location. For this the post of Person in charge of the Old Town was established to assist and advise new start-ups, existing businesses, house owners and real estate agents in taking the right decision. Business Founder Project: Encouragement of innovative business start-ups via the pilot project Foundation Agency Regensburg and the supportive service of Start-up Capital. The pilot project facilitates business start-ups by linking all participants and providing extensive, neutral and qualified advice and assistance. Start-up Capital Regensburg allows start-ups without having sufficient funding, in many cases in favourable i. e. low-cost locations; Accessibility of the Old Town: Coordinated mobility system within a pedestrian zone, which is partly open to (individual) motorized traffic; Multifunctionality: Achieving a mix of residential uses and retail facilities (working and living); Public space: Creating benefical conditions for Regensburg s citizens; Tourism: Marketing itself as traditional identity. Contact Mr Matthias Ripp, World Heritage Coordinator of Regensburg ripp.matthias@regensburg.de Website Managing Authority The Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology Arnulfsplatz (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg)

5 Good-Practice-Examples from Regensburg (as part of the HerO Good-Practice-Compilation published in April 2009) I. Old Town of Regensburg Retail Concept 2020 Background and reason for the project Difficult situation of the retail trade in the old town (i.e. declining store flats) Old Town retail vs. shopping centres According to the principle of representation there were two strategic conferences uniting citizens, representatives of the economy, society and city administration. They discussed the current situation, opportunities, risks and prospects relating to retail and influential factors affecting retail in the Old Town. Careful public relation kept informing the citizens (i.e. the inhabitants) and ensured their participation. Subsequently, they developed guidelines for the topics retail traffic working/living public space tourism protection of historic buildings and structures/world heritage which were in the next step put in concrete terms by means of sub-goals and projects. The participation process is based on the Manual on public information meetings and public participation processes which had been developed by the city. OBJECTIVES Developing a vision of retail trade for 2020: Guidelines for retail development in minor locations in the Old Town centre; Definition of basic conditions in the major fields of action; A basis from which objectives, strategies, measures and projects can be derived. The project aimed at strengthening the multi-use function of the Old Town in general and the retail use as its most important asset in particular. What is special about the Old Town are the multitude and diversity of functions which therefore need to be maintained. The main questions had been: how can retail remain economically sound/viable, how can mobility and traffic be reasonably organised, how can working and living be up to modern living conditions, how can public space be created and designed to attract people, how can tourism be authentic and how can the built cultural heritage be used and preserved at the same time. KEY STEPS AND ACTIVITIES The key activities were two strategy conferences to discuss and find the approaches to future retail in the Regensburg Old Town. The concept development has been assisted by constant discussion and coordination according to the principle of representation (citizens and representatives of the economy, society and city administration). The guidelines were resolved by the city council. Developing a retail concept was a project of the city of Regensburg as a project partner of the EU-project Hist. Urban. RESULTS AND IMPACTS More confidence in the administration as a result of the communication process with the inhabitants and the networks of institutions, associations and individuals learning from each other and with each other. Increased awareness of house owners for the impact of their actions on their neighbourhood. Etagére, Wahlenstrasse (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg) LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS In many cases the administration can only give an input and act as a moderator of the process, the actual implementation depends, however, on the individual citizen and retailers respectively. Active involvement of citizens in the process is necessary for transparency, legitimation and creative inputs. Complex interconnections call for interdisciplinary approaches. There needs to be a person in charge who accompanies and coordinates the process and the actions. The guidelines were distributed to every household so that the public can control whether the measures are implemented.

6 Good-Practice-Examples from Regensburg (as part of the HerO Good-Practice-Compilation published in April 2009) II. Pact for the Old Town Background/ reason for the activity Growth of commercial vacancies and catering use; Increasing conflicts between different uses; Right balance between the different functions seemed to be endangered. Under the umbrella of the city marketing group the pact for the Old Town was established by the municipality, board of trade, retailers, owners of real estate, associations and further initiatives. The so called Pact for the Old Town is an initiative for strengthening and developing the Old Town of Regensburg by a multitude of individual projects, for example by the image campaign Keen on Regensburg summer in the city, by the English language courses for the trade and catering sector and by shopping-touristguides and real estate forum Old Town. OBJECTIVES The Pact for the Old Town of Regensburg is a strategic alliance of concerned actors looking ahead regarding Regensburg s Old Town and is therefore aimed to develop an overall concept and arrangements, account for the realization in trade-off and corporately campaign for the location. Obere Bachgasse (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg) The Pact for the Old Town as a strategic alliance for the future of the Old Town was founded by all relevant actors (e.g. municipality, board of trade, retailers, owners of real estate, associations and further initiatives). The participants worked out an approach and action plan, supported the realization and promotion of the Old Town. In October 2005 the pact for the Old Town was presented to the public by the city marketing. All persons and initiatives involved signed the pact. Thus they committed themselves to support of the work and future projects, realizing the developed action plan. The main objective is to strengthen the position of the Old Town as a location factor generating identity by working together With each other, not against each other. Living, working, shopping, coming together and having fun - all of theese work together side-by-side. This multi-use function also needs to be maintained in the future and organized with as little conflict as possible. KEY STEPS AND ACTIVITIES RESULTS AND IMPACTS The main results of the pact for the Old Town are the enhanced cooperation of the different groups as well as the common awareness of future problems and needs. The different organisations promote the location with concerned actions. In the meantime the amount of vacant stores has significantly diminished and a lot of new retail stores have opened. LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS A very important factor for success is the voluntary commitment of all involved actors and the permanent care of the network. CONTACT DETAILS Mr Bertram Vogel, City Marketing Regensburg

7 LOCAL ACTION PLAN REGENSBURG IN THE HERO NETWORK THE LOCAL ACTION PLAN IS DEFINED AS A CONCEPT PAPER THAT DESCRIBES HOW THE PARTNER CITY PLANS TO ELABORATE AN INTEGRATED CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THEIR OLD TOWN AREA Haidplatz (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg) WORK PLAN FOR THE ELABORATION OF A CULTURAL HERITAGE INTEGRATED MANAGE- MENT PLAN (CHIMP) FOR THE OLD TOWN OF REGENSBURG (AS OF JULY 2009) Name of the Organisation, Country City of Regensburg, World Heritage Coordination Unit, Germany Objectives of the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan The main objectives the City of Regensburg wants to achieve with the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan are: - Safeguarding the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof - Securing the multifunctionality of the Old Town of Regensburg and ensuring a vital and attractive area for residents and visitors alike - Balancing and coordinating the safeguarding of the built cultural heritage with the sustainable development of the area (social, economic and environmental aspects) by using an integrated management approach; - Coordination and management of (conflicting) needs and interests of all stakeholders concerned (e.g. residents, visitors, conservators, etc.) Intended Result Within the course of the project HerO, the City of Regensburg will develop an integrated cultural heritage management plan (CHIMP) for its old town area including strategies for the safeguarding of the World Heritage site and its sustainable development as well as a management system to steer and monitor the safeguarding and development process. The CHIMP will be coordinated and agreed upon within the public administration and with the main private stakeholder groups. It includes concrete as well as normative statements towards the objectives, policies, measures, strategy and structures for the safeguarding and sustainable development of the Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof. The measures will be sorted by fields of actions and by priorities and tuned with the mid-term financial planning of the City of Regensburg (the management plan will contain a strategy and action guide and a local action plan). The Management Plan shall be approved by the City Council and shall act as concept and action paper for all stakeholders of the World Heritage area. It will be reviewed and revised at regular intervals.

8 Structure and Content of the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan The following structure will serve as a basis to further develop and write out Regensburg s cultural heritage integrated management plan: I. Introduction II. Identifying issues II.1 Understanding the site Description of the UNESCO World Heritage site Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof Statement of significance and identification of world heritage values/ authenticity/ integrity Dangers and threats (possible or real) to the world heritage site Instruments of safeguarding the world heritage values Existing policies, strategies, concepts, plans, actions, etc. which are of relevance for the world heritage site II.2 Stakeholders, Structures, Procedures List of relevant stakeholders for the safeguarding and sustainable development of the world heritage site Structures and procedures for safeguarding and the sustainable development of the world heritage site III. Appraisal III.1 Overall vision for the UNESCO World Heritage site Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof III.2 Field of actions, their principles, objectives and actions Field of actions: Safeguarding and sustainable development of the world cultural heritage Culture and Tourism Economic development Urban planning and development: Multifunctionality, public space, housing and working, mobility and accessibility Environmental issues and recreation Awareness raising and Science III.3 Structures and procedures Responsibilities for the safeguarding and sustainable development of the Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof Coordination and Management of the needs of the world heritage and its users (integrated, cross-sectoral administrative structures) Continuous satisfaction monitoring of the world heritage needs and the needs of its users Application of the management system: PDCA-cycle Compliance with the CHIMP Awareness raising with public and private stakeholders about the value and needs of the world heritage Integration of the world heritage unit in the development of relevant concepts and measures with regard to the world heritage site. Settlement of conflicts IV. Implementation and Monitoring IV.1 Action Plan/ Implementation Plan IV.2 Continuous monitoring and review system The Historic Stone Bridge (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg)

9 Work plan 1. SET UP A LOCAL SUPPORT GROUP Set up of the LSG, involving the main public and private stakeholder groups for the safeguarding and sustainable development of the World Heritage site (to secure the integrated approach). The stakeholders to be involved in the process have been appointed by Regensburg s World Heritage Steering Group (Summer 2008) 2. EXTERNAL EXPERT Hiring an external expert to write the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan (CHIMP) and to moderate the elaboration process of the CHIMP by involving the LSG (January 2009). 3. ANALYSIS Analysing existing concepts, plans, studies, instruments of relevance for the world heritage site by the external expert. The LSG members sent corresponding documents to the external expert (March-May 2009). Integrated Management Plan (CHIMP); Presentation and discussion of the objectives and outputs of the LSG in support of the elaboration of the CHIMP and the expectations of the LSG members for taking part in that process. 2nd meeting (May 2009): Presentation and discussion of the work plan of the LSG in support of the elaboration of the CHIMP; Presentation and discussion of the analysis of the existing concepts, plans, studies, instruments of relevance for the world heritage site and its consequences for the further acting. 3rd meeting (July 2009): Presentation and discussion of the vision, principles and objectives for the world heritage site and its field of actions based on the analysis of the status-quo (integrated approach). 4th meeting (September 2009): Presentation and discussion of possible measures within the field of actions to support the vision and objectives for the world heritage site (integrated approach). 4. REGULAR LSG MEETINGS Eight LSG meetings in form of workshops and feedbackrounds (every 3 months): 1st meeting (January 2009): Presentation and discussion of the objectives of Regensburg Cultural Heritage Integrated 5th meeting (December 2009): Presentation and discussion of the Management-System to secure the integrated and management approach of the CHIMP (current structures and procedures and what has to be improved). 3rd Meeting of Regensburg s Local Support Group (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg)

10 UNESCO World Heritage Site The Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof (Photograph: Nürnberg Luftbild, Hajo Dietz) 6th meeting (February 2010): Presentation and discussion of the local implementation plan (concrete measures) as part of the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan (CHIMP). 7th meeting (April 2010): Presentation and discussion of the final structures and procedures to be implemented within the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan (CHIMP). 8th meeting (September 2010): Presentation and discussion of the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan (CHIMP). 5. ELABORATION Elaboration of the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan (CHIMP) (June 2009 November 2010). 6. CITY COUNCIL Approval of the CHIMP by the City Council (end of the year 2010). 7. PUBLICATION Editing a publication of the CHIMP for dissemination to the public (November 2010 February 2011). Between the meetings the LSG-members provide the expert with necessary information and feedback on interim results. This is done via communication and telephone.

11 STEPS UNDERTAKEN WITHIN THE HERO PROJECT PERIOD Facilitating an integrated approach for the elaboration of a Regensburg s Management Plan, an URBACT Local Support Group involving the most relevant stakeholders in regards to the safeguarding and sustainable development of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof has been set up at the beginning of the HerO project work in The members of the Local Support Group are: Municipal Departments: Department for the Preservation of Monuments Planning Department Department of Urban Development Local Building Authority Department for the Environment Department for Urban Development Assistance Funds Department for Economics Press Office External Bodies: Tourist Office Regensburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce City Marketing Regensburg Action Group Old Town World Heritage Development Association Regensburg Bavarian Regional Office for the Preservation of Monuments The Bavarian Ministry of Economics (Managing Authority) Two citizens of Regensburg s Old Town THE STEPS UNDERTAKEN WITH THE LOCAL SUPPORT GROUP SINCE 2008 ARE: Hiring an external expert: An external expert has been hired in early 2009 to write the Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan for Regensburg and to moderate the elaboration process and LSG meetings. Analysis of existing concepts: An analysis of existing concepts, plans, studies and instruments which are of relevance for the Old Town of Regensburg has been carried out by the external expert in collaboration with the members of the Local Support Group. 3rd LSG Meeting (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg) A series of LSG meetings: In total, since the beginning of the HerO project work in 2008, seven meetings of Regensburg s Local Support Group took place on a regular basis: 1st meeting on 11th August nd meeting on 26th January rd meeting on 8th May th meeting on 2nd June th meeting on 15th September th meeting on 3rd December th meeting on 11th March th meeting on 23rd June th meeting on 8th December 2010 During these meetings the objectives and the work plan of Regensburg s LSG have been defined an analysis of existing concepts has been carried out a vision for the site as well as principles, objectives and fields of action for the World Heritage area have been conjointly determined by the LSG a list of concrete measures to support the objectives has been elaborated existing processes and structures have been discussed and evaluated.

12 STEPS UNDERTAKEN WITHIN THE HERO PROJECT PERIOD The six Fields of Action identified by the LSG members are: 1. Built Cultural Heritage: According to UNESCO s requirements, the authenticity and integrity of the World Heritage Site Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof are to be preserved. In this Field of Action a careful development of the area will be defined which is in line with the protection of monuments. 2. Culture and Tourism: The cultural activities in the Old Town address Regensburg s citizens and visitors alike. Furthermore, tourism is an important economic factor in the World Heritage area. In the Field of Action Culture and Tourism priority is given to measures that promote the authentic experience of the site. 3. Economic Development: The Old Town is the central shopping- and business location of Regensburg and its surrounding. For the Field of Action Economic Development measures shall be defined which consider the preservation of the diversity of uses but at the same time also the protection of monuments and the interests of businesses. 4. Urban Development and Urban Planning: The World Heritage Site Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof is characterized by a variety of different uses. The Field of Action Urban Development and Urban Planning is focused on issues related to residential use, traffic and urban design. Furthermore, in February 2009 a public consultation process has been carried out in cooperation with the LSG members. During two days, the process of elaborating a Cultural Heritage Integrated Management Plan for the Old Town of Regensburg with the Local Support Group has been presented to the public and concrete measures for the six Fields of Action have been discussed with about 70 interested citizens. PR activities: Last but not least, PR activities have been undertaken in order to promote the HerO project work, the elaboration of the Management Plan for Regensburg s Old Town as well as to campaign for the public consultation process. Final Steps: The elaboration process of the Management Plan for the "Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof" World Heritage site is currently in its final phase. The presentation to the City Council is planned for July Environmental Issues and Recreation: The green areas and the river banks of the Danube are valuable assets within the World Heritage area and its buffer zone. The Field of Action Environmental Issues and Recreation therefore focuses on leisure activities as well as on environmental and climatic issues. 6. Awareness Raising and Science: The World Heritage Site is an important icon. The Field of Action Awareness Raising and Science will centre measures that deal with initiatives, activities and science related to the World Heritage Site Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof. Public Consultation Process: Both pictures: Public Consultation Process, February 2010 (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg)

13 RESUME Within the frame of the HerO network activities, the nine HerO partner cities developed a new approach to elaboration of a management plan, parallely applying it on the ground. From the beginning the focus was not only on protection of the cultural heritage, but also on sustainable socio-economic development of the Old Town area. Following the principles of integration and public involvement, the Management Plan working group was created, which included municipal as well as external experts. The topic of World Heritage was realised as a communal cross-cutting issue, since it concerned many areas of social life. During the two years of the Management Plan working phase, the stakeholders were involved in a direct dialog, where the mission statement, goals and actions for the "Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof" World Heritage site were defined. 3. The District Government of Upper Palatinate as well as the State of Bavaria as the Managing Authority of the ERDF Operational Programme were from the beginning involved into the elaboration process of the Management Plan. 4. The Management Plan will be realised as a practical working basis and it will be regularly updated. In order to make this happen, the Management Plan working group will meet annually. The involvement of citizens will take place every two years. In general, the elaboration process of the Management Plan as well as the obtained results can be evaluated as very successful. The UNESCO World Heritage in Regensburg will thus be more perceived as a joint community mission, not only within the administrative authorities but also within the urban community. The methods applied to the Management Plan are different from other planning instruments in many ways: 1. The integrated process involved participation of a number of stakeholders, who worked out strategies and actions through direct continuous cooperation. 2. Due to the chosen working mode it was possible to develop on concrete actions next to overall goals. View to the Old Town (Photograph: Peter Ferstl, City of Regensburg)

14 URBACT is a European exchange and learning programme promoting sustainable urban development. It enables cities to work together to develop solutions to major urban challenges, reaffirming the key role they play in facing increasingly complex societal challenges. It helps them to develop pragmatic solutions that are new and sustainable, and that integrate economic, social and environmental dimensions. It enables cities to share good practices and lessons learned with all professionals involved in urban policy throughout Europe. URBACT is 300 cities, 29 countries, and 5,000 active participants. URBACT is co-financed by the ERDF Funds and the