Delivering Urban Transformation through Co-production
2022-01-24 - 2022-01-25
The department of European Planning Cultures at the Faculty of Spatial Planning at the Technical University of Dortmund, invites you to the symposium Delivering Urban Transformation through Co-production, to take place online 24- 25 January 2022. The symposium brings together people from academia, industry, and governmental organisations, to exchange knowledge and ideas.

Sixty presentations will highlight the relevance of co-production in a range of contexts. These will be book-ended by an opening keynote lecture from Angela Million, Professor of Urban Design and Urban Development, Technical University of Berlin. Closing the event, guests from Vancouver (CA) will cover how urban industrial lands are fruitful sites of co-production.

Read more and submit your abstract

Urban Lunch/Breakfast Talk #19: Envisioning a sustainable future: When 15 min cities are realised in China and Europe
2022-01-27 08:00 - 09:30 UTC | Zoom Webinar
Welcome to this Urban Lunch/Breakfast Talk about sustainable urban futures and mobility. What can 15 min cities look like in China and Europe? Will the dilemmas, and everyday life, be the same or radically different in the future? Register today!
Towards the end of this webinar, JPI Urban Europe will present this new Sino-European call for projects proposals!

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Guests

Erik Verhoef from the U-PASS project: Urban Public Administration and Services innovation for Innovative Urban Mobility Management and Policy. Erik is professor in Spatial Economics and is knowledgeable in efficiency and equity aspects of spatial externalities and their economic regulation, in particular in transport and spatial systems. His research focuses on efficiency aspects versus equity and social acceptability, behavioural modelling, and policy evaluation.
Joana Barros from the SIMETRI project: Sustainable Mobility and Equality in mega-city Regions. Joana is an urban planner and geographic information scientist at Birkbeck University of London. She is knowledgeable in applying geographic information data and technologies to improve the understanding of urban inequalities and promote social justice.
Tao Feng is an associate professor in urban planning and data-driven mobility in the built environment at Eindhoven University of Technology. Some of his research interests are modeling people’s decision preferences in urban environments, dynamic models, behavior change, and data-driven technologies in transportation. Tao Feng has been working on various topics linked to travel demand forecasting, traffic network analysis, transport air quality analysis, and choice of housing and work. He has also contributed to big data and travel surveys, by developing algorithms to efficiently transform GPS data. Tao Feng has been a part of the DESENT project under the call of ENSCC.

U-PASS and SIMETRI is funded in the pilot call Sustainable and Liveable Cities and Urban Areas organized by JPI Urban Europe and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

Background: 15-minute cities – Rethinking the urban mobility system

Concepts for the 15 Minute City are gaining traction throughout Europe and the world. Amplified by urban vulnerabilities and weaknesses which have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, rethinking urban areas along the principles of the 15 Minute City has been illustrated as one central pathway towards sustainability and liveability. The 15 Minute City is one priority of the upcoming Driving Urban Transitions Partnership which JPI Urban Europe is currently designing. The partnership proposes to follow the vision of the 15-minute city as a way towards a holistic, people-oriented, and challenge-driven perspective for the redesign of urban mobility and planning.

Image: StockSnap/Pixabay

International Symposium on Sustainable Urban Development
2022-02-01 09:00 - 16:45 UTC | Digital
JPI Urban Europe will join the International Symposium on Sustainable Urban Development, where our Chair of the Management Board, Margit Noll, will participate in the roundtable discussion on affordable housing and quality of land-use. The symposium is organised by the French ministry of the Ecological Transition.

The French ministry of the Ecological Transition are pleased to invite you at the International Symposium on Sustainable Urban Development that will be held on 1th february, in the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Symposium is organized by the French ministry in charge of housing in connection with the French Partnership for the City and Territories (PFVT).
This meeting will be an opportunity to share with member countries the tools and methods developed by France and part of the French government’s dynamic in favour of the city and sustainable territories. It will also strengthen the link between French national policies and European policies at all territorial levels. Furthermore, the event will highlight Europe’s role in the development of tools, cooperation and policies for the global urban agenda and sustainable urban development. This symposium I s part of the preparation for the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum in Katowice, Poland, in June 2022. To confirm your interest in participating, access the following accreditation platform by clicking here. Accreditation requests are open and will end on January 24th. To apply for accreditation, please create an account through the link, once you receive confirmation of your account you may then register on the designated platform using the following information:
· Delegation name: SustainableUrban.Guests
· User code: R+UzWR72kPhS
Once your accreditation request is confirmed, you will receive all necessary information related to the organization.
This conference will be held online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find the program of the event here.

Information webinar: ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity Sino-European call
2022-02-16 09:00 - 10:00 UTC
This is the first of four webinars for the ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity Sino-European call, and is centred around the thematic foci and the transnational eligibility criteria. The Call Secretariat, consisting of representatives of NWO, UEFISCDI, ANR and NSFC, will be present to answer your questions regarding these topics.
Click here to register through NWOs website

Energy Lunch Talk 1 – Energy communities as accelerators for PED development
2022-02-16 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
In this talk, Energy Cities will ask if and how energy communities support the development of PEDs. How are energy communities already realised in Vienna and Brussels (legal and organisational background)? Which effects are achieved, what are the struggles and how can they be overcome? Who is taking the initiative? What are the conditions connected to electrical and/or thermal energy communities?

Agenda

13:00 -13:10 – Introduction
13:10 -13:25 – Learning from Brussels: co-ownership and citizens engagement for the appropriation of the district transition. Presentation by City Mine(d) (tbc)
13:25 – 13:40 – Learning from Valencia: towards 100 energy communities by 2030. Presentation by Alejandro Gómez Gil, Valencia Climate and Energy Foundation.
13:40 – 14:00 – Open discussion

Register here

AGORA Strategic Dialogue: Identifying the crossroads between urban circularity, mobility and energy
2022-02-17
THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED. If you have any questions please contact johannes.riegler@jpi-urbaneurope.eu

16 February 2022 – 16.00-18.00 CET
17 February 2022 – 10.00-16.00 CET
Online via Zoom
Virtual host city: Athens, Greece
Click here for the PDF invitation

In mid-2022, JPI Urban Europe’s Driving Urban Transitions programme (DUT) will be launched which focuses on three urban transition pathways: (1) Circular urban economies for regenerative urbanism, (2) 15-minute cities: driving mobility transitions through the neighbourhood level, and (3) Urban energy transition through positive energy districts. While each transition pathway follows a mission to make urban areas more climate-neutral, liveable and sustainable, identifying the interrelationships, connections, contradictions and synergies between them is essential to support urban transitions in an integrated manner.
The AGORA Strategic Dialogue: “Identifying the crossroads between urban circularity, mobility and energy” aims at identifying priorities, issues and concerns which link in between the three thematic priorities. The results of the workshop will help to set the priorities of the first phase of the Driving Urban Transitions programme by identifying the most critical and urgent challenges and issues and how to approach them. Join the AGORA Dialogue and co-develop the Driving Urban Transitions nexus.
What you can expect from your participation in the AGORA Dialogue:

Contribute to Driving Urban Transition’s priority setting: The results of the workshop will be used for identifying priority issues for DUT’s implementation measures for the next 1-2 years.
Exchange, discussions, co-creation: You will have the possibility to join about 50 change makers, urban practitioners, researchers and others in discussions on what is needed to drive urban transitions.
Interactive formats: You will engage in interactive exercises in virtual breakout rooms to jointly reflect on how to bring research and innovation into local action and support capacity building for urban transformation.
Networking: You will be able to connect to the AGORA community, the informal stakeholder network maintained by JPI Urban Europe.

What is the AGORA?
THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED. If you have any questions please contact johannes.riegler@jpi-urbaneurope.eu

Circular and Regenerative Urban Economies in African Urban Areas
2022-02-23
Do you work with urban transitions in Africa? This workshop is part of the “Driving Urban Transition towards Sustainable and Just Futures in Africa” workshop series organised by JPI Urban Europe, START and ICLEI Africa. More information will be announced.

JPI Urban Europe, START and ICLEI Africa invite you to join these workshops to share your perspectives, experiences and knowledge on sustainable and livable urban areas. The aim is to identify critical fields for action on urban transitions which have the potential to be addressed jointly. Your participation and input will help shape international outreach activities of the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership (DUT) to Africa. DUT aligns Member States’ and European Commissions’ efforts to build a critical mass for urban transitions.
Read more

Energy Lunch Talk 2 – Instruments for collective renovation of the built environment
2022-02-23 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
In this talk, Energy Cities will discuss how the renovation of existing districts can be accelerated. How do we move from the renovation / retrofitting of singular (private) houses one by one to a collective approach (e‧g. additional subsidies, renovation coaches, energy houses, one-stop-shop or other support schemes)? By bringing in examples from within and outside our own cities, an evaluation will be made of (collective) renovation schemes that worked or not, and especially what are the next steps to be explored on this level.
Agenda
13:00 -13:10 – Introduction
13:10 – 13:25 – Learning from Brussels: collective renovation for district development and social inclusions
13:25 – 13:40 – Learning from Vienna: City instrument “Block Renovation” to accelerate the renovation of existing districts. Presentation by wohnfonds_wien.
13:40 – 14:00 – Open discussion
Register here

Information webinar: ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity Sino-European call
2022-03-02 09:00 - 10:00 UTC
In this second webinar for the ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity Sino-European call, the call secretariat will explain more about the required impact plan. Learn more about productive interactions and Theory of Change, and the sorts of assumptions you may identify as a consortium. Following a presentation, there will be room for questions.
Click here to register through NWOs website

Energy Lunch Talk 3 – Urban Planning instrument supporting & accelerating PEDs implementation & district transformation
2022-03-02 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
In this lunch talk, Energy Cities will explore the different urban planning instruments supporting and accelerating PEDs implementation and district transformation.
Agenda
13:00 -13:10 – Introduction
13:10 – 13:25 – Learning from Vienna: Energy Zoning as urban planning instrument accelerating decarbonisation. Presentation by Stefan Sattler, City of Vienna – Energy planning department.
13:25 – 13:40 – Learning from Aberdeen: local heat planning and “heat networks zones” (tbc)
13:40 – 14:00 – Open discussion
Register here

9th European Summit of regions and cities
2022-03-03 - 2022-03-04 | Marseille​, France
The European Summit of regions and cities is a gathering of local representatives organised every two years by the European Committee of the Regions to discuss the EU’s future challenges. The 9th European Summit of Regions and Cities, scheduled to take place in Marseille (France) on 3-4 March 2022, in the context of the incoming French Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The Summit aims to engage local and regional politicians across the EU in the debate on the Future of Europe and to show how Europe’s regions and cities play a vital role in placing citizens at the heart of Europe.
This event will gather high-level participants and facilitate political exchanges over major societal challenges that cities and regions currently face. Discussions will centre around resilience and how to strive for it, in terms of health, climate change and digitalisation.
Participants will also explore themes linked to cohesion and recovery. Local and regional leaders will seek the most efficient models to implement both urban and rural recovery and explore the possibilities to collaborate within and outside their respective borders by 2050. The Future of the European Union will also be looked at from the perspective of its enlargement policy and of a renewed Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
The Summit will further allow for in-depth discussions on democracy, with a specific focus on women in local politics and on Youth engagement.
The CoR will present its contribution to the Conference on the future of Europe at the Summit in Marseille, one week ahead of the last plenary of the Conference.
To register to the Summit, click here

Energy Lunch Talk 4 – Activation of developers & institutional building owners for PEDs
2022-03-09 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
In this lunch talk, Energy Cities will explore the methods (apart from financial support) that cities can provide to activate developers to realise PEDs. Secondary (and an outlook to): What does a capacity development programme look like in a district with a heterogeneous ownership structure (not only developers but also private homeowners)?
Agenda
13:00 -13:10 – Introduction
13:10 – 13:25 – Learning from Stockholm: capacity building with private developers.
13:25 – 13:40 – Learning from Graz: TRANS-PED project (tbc)
13:40 – 14:00 – Open discussion
Register here

Information webinar: ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity Sino-European call
2022-03-16 09:00 - 10:00 UTC
In this third webinar for the ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity Sino-European call, UEFISCDI will give a presentation about the online submission system UDiManager. What will you have to fill in online while submitting your application? More information about submission to NSFC will also be given, followed by room for questions.
Click here to register through NWOs website

Energy Lunch Talk 5 – City-wide organisation for energy district implementation
2022-03-16 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
In this talk, Energy Cities will discuss what a city-wide organisation that supports the local realisation of energy districts (newly built and existing) looks like. How can we build a strategy to not only test in one district but start to multiply the districts’ transformation and implementation throughout the whole city?
Agenda
13:00 – 13:10 – Introduction
13:10 – 13:25 – Learning from Rotterdam: gas-free districts’ approach (tbc)
13:25 – 13:40 – Learning from Zurich: Wärme Zurich Initiative. Presentation by Silvia Banfi Frost, City of Zurich (tbc).
13:40 – 14:00 – Open discussion
Register here

SUGI FWE Nexus final event (invitation only)
2022-03-22 - 2022-03-23
Are your in a SUGI Nexus funded project or one of the funding agencies behind the call? Are you involved in other JPI Urban Europe projects, and interested in the food-water-energy nexus? Register for the SUGI FWE Nexus final event, taking place online 22- 23 March 2022! Read this page to explore the details and the instructions for preparations together with your consortium.
The Sustainable Urbanisation Global Initiative (SUGI)/Food-Water-Energy Nexus is coming to an end in 2021 and most of the 15 projects have already finalized or will do so during spring. It is time to come together for the final event!
Purpose: SUGI projects will present their most important results and together with interested parties we will take the first steps towards describing and defining the legacy of SUGI FWE Nexus. Projects will have time to deep-dive into concerns of their preference, and work together prior to the event.
For whom: SUGI projects are encouraged to send 3 – 5 representatives per project. Involved funding agencies and stakeholders from cities and business are also invited and given the opportunity to learn about results and outcomes from the projects. Partners from other Urban Europe calls with a particular interest in FWE Nexus topics are also welcome to join the event on the first day.
Registration: Open now (scroll down). Last day to sign up to present project results and co-create the event is January 17.
Preparations: Projects are welcome to co-create the event. More information has been sent out via email. Contact person: katarina.schylberg@iqs.se or info@jpi-urbaneurope.eu
To read the program in detail, click here!
Draft program (can be subject to change)
Program

Day 1: 22nd March 2022, 13.00 – 16.00 UCT
13.00 Welcome and introduction
13.25 SUGI FWE Project results

Embedding the SUGI FWE Nexus projects in a policy context
8-10 projects present their most important results and expected impacts in short 3 minutes’ presentations
Feedback from Expert Committee on Innovation and Impact Delivery

14.20 Break
14.30 Break-out sessions exploring SUGI Nexus project results

Moderated break-out sessions with 10 mins’ presentations from three SUGI Nexus projects followed by questions and discussions

15.30 Panel discussion: What can be the SUGI legacy for urban transition?

Representatives from JPI Urban Europe, Belmont Forum, European Commission and other relevant organisations

16.00 End of first day

Day 2: 23rd March 2022, 13.00 – 16.00 UCT
13.00 Plenary session with sensemaking
13.15 Synthesis across projects

Breakout sessions prepared and led by members from 2-3 SUGI FWE projects. The aim of these sessions are to provide a space for projects to share insights and take first steps to define key messages and insights to form the SUGI Nexus legacy.

14.15 Break
14.30 Shaping the SUGI Nexus legacy

Interactive and moderated break-sessions using MURAL/CONCEPT board to shape key insights and take aways from SUGI Nexus projects and the initiative

15.00 Looking ahead

Remaining activities in the final SUGI Nexus year
Future funding opportunities

15.25 Joint reflections on the SUGI Nexus initiative

Interactive session using MENTI where the SUGI implementation team and projects together reflect over the SUGI NEXUS initiative

15.50 Wrapping up SUGI projects’ final event
16.00 Optional meet and greet with the funding agencies

Nature of Cities Festival
2022-03-29 - 2022-03-31
TNOC Festival pushes boundaries to radically imagine our cities for the future.
A virtual festival that spans 3 full days with programming across all regional time zones and is provided in multiple languages. A core philosophy of the festival is to foster inclusivity and lower barriers to participation. The festival focuses on facilitating transdisciplinary dialogue, small group workshops, arts engagement, and fostering a collaborative spirit around solutions for how to build cities that are better for nature and all people.
More information will follow on the official website.

Information webinar: ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity Sino-European call
2022-03-30 09:00 - 10:00 UTC
In this fourth and final webinar for the ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity Sino-European call, the call secretariat will provide a brief summary of the topics discussed in the three previous webinars.
Click here to register through NWOs website

ERA-NET Cofund Urban Transformation Capacities (EN-UTC) Kick-off Event & AGORA Dialogue
2022-04-05 - 2022-04-06 | Digital
The 16 projects selected for funding of the ERA-NET Cofund Urban Transformation Capacities (EN-UTC) are starting! A kick-off event will be held on the 5th April 2022, and offer inspiration and opportunities for mutual exchange among the projects to enhance impact early on, and build a community of practice. In order to strengthen networking and community building, the AGORA Dialogue on the 6 th April, invites the EN-UTC projects, as well as a wider spectrum of interested urban stakeholders, to discuss critical factors for delivering transformative urban change. .

Time and place: 5–6 April, online (Zoom)
Purpose: The 16 national funding agencies, from 14 countries, in the call ERA-NET Cofund Urban Transformation Capacities (EN-UTC), have agreed on a list of 16 projects recommended for funding. These transnational innovation and research projects gather more than 200 researchers, cities and municipalities, businesses, civil society, as well as other stakeholders. The kick-off will be a day for inspiration, exciting discussions, and getting to know each other – followed by a second day with in-depth conversations and a wider spectrum of participants (the AGORA Dialogue).
Aim: The event will facilitate exchange and community building among the projects and their project partners, support measures for projects to strengthen communication and impact creation, and inform about formal requirements on monitoring and reporting, and guidelines and support activities. The event will also connect the EN-UTC projects to a wider stakeholder community.
For whom: Project coordinators and project partners are invited to the kick-off as well as the AGORA Dialogue. In order to build a multi-stakeholder community for the EN-UTC, project partners from municipalities, businesses, local communities and research are encouraged to participate in both events.
Registration: Registrations are open (scroll down).
Preparation: Projects for the EN-UTC kick-off event are to prepare for speed presentations for a maximum 90 seconds, focusing on the project’s main ambition and impact. More information for preparation will be provided shortly. Contact: Simon Boström, Formas, Sweden
Draft program (may be subject to changes)
EN-UTC Kick-off, April 5, 09.00–15.00 CEST (Stockholm – Paris time)

09.00 Welcome and introduction

Menti poll
Ugo Guarnacci, Project Adviser, European Commission (tbc)
The JPI Urban Europe initiative, Margit Noll, Chair of the JPI Urban Europe Management Board at FFG

10.00 Speed presentations, 16 projects
11.30 Panel discussion about the challenges of urban transformations
12.00 Lunch break
13.00 Break-out sessions (see below for registrations)

1. Urban Living Labs 2.0 – approaches, methods and how to get things started.
This session will bring together EN-UTC projects who are planning to use experimental, co-creative methods such as urban living labs. Besides an exchange on existing publication and resources that might be helpful for planning, maintaining and boosting the urban living labs, participants will have the chance to exchange on approaches, potential challenges and how to work around them.
2. How can public infrastructures be places of urban change and transformation for sustainable cities and communities?
This session aims at bringing together the EN-UTC project partners who focus on public urban infrastructure, like libraries, schools, and public space, as places of urban change and transformation for sustainable cities and communities – e.g. urban design for circular systems and the extension of gardens in European cities for social-ecological transformations. The session will involve discussions on how places of encounter could take on the challenges for sustainable cities and communities.
3. How can urban governments, researchers and citizens connect to enable participatory policy making and facilitate community-based developments towards urban transformation?
This session intends to address the EN-UTC project partners who work towards participatory policy making and local urban government by facilitating public engagement, thus creating opportunities for more collaborative government approaches. The session will involve discussions on how residents can be included in governmental and planning processes on a local scale, and on the challenges of conducting research into the dynamics between government authorities, citizens and other local stakeholders.
4. Raising awareness to accelerate urban transformations
This session aims at connecting the EN-UTC project partners who work towards increasing knowledge and engagement for a sustainable urban environment. The session will invite discussions on how to get target groups involved, and other efforts related, to raising awareness on sustainability and inspiring confidence to act for transformations of the urban environment, such as the development of a circular economy and nature-based solutions.

14.20 Previous learnings from JPI Urban Europe
14.40 Elena Simion, Call Secretariat, Information on monitoring and reporting
15.00 Open session for networking

AGORA Dialogue, April 6, 09.30-12.30 CEST (Stockholm – Paris time)
The AGORA Dialogue will build upon the EN-UTC projects and facilitate a dialogue between these and interested urban actors, change makers from research and innovation, local public administration, urban doers communities, SMEs, businesses, civil society associations, and others – to exchange on how urban transformative capacities can nurture change towards sustainable and liveable urban futures. ENUTC project partners are especially encouraged to join the AGORA Dialogue to exchange on how their projects will support urban change.
More information about the AGORA Dialogue can be found here.

AGORA Thematic Dialogue: Building transformation capacities for collective urban futures
2022-04-06 09:30 - 12:30 UTC
Online via Zoom
While there are numerous strategies, agendas, calls and activities in science, policy , and practice on various levels aiming at building urban transformation capacities, it remains unclear “what kind of capacity can actually deliver change towards sustainability that is transformative” (Wolfram et al. 2019). The AGORA Dialogue “Building transformation capacities for collective urban futures” will spark a discussion and exchange on critical factors for delivering transformative urban change.
JPI Urban Europe recently funded 16 projects which aim at building urban transformation capacities. The projects bring together a total of 214 local public administrations, SMEs, research and innovation organisations, civil society partners and other urban actors to enable capacity building for urban transformations. Each project addresses specific topics and issues as well as communities: from age-friendly cities, to the role of libraries and schools, artificial intelligence and augmented reality in transformation processes, societal polarisation and inequalities, strengthening resilience through inclusive processes and much more.
The AGORA Dialogue will build upon these projects and facilitate a dialogue between these project and interested urban actors and change makers from research and innovation, local public administration, urban doers communities, SMEs, businesses, civil society associations and others to exchange on how urban transformative capacities can nurture change towards sustainable and liveable urban futures. EN-UTC project partners are especially encouraged to join the AGORA Dialogue to exchange on how their projects will support urban change.
The AGORA Thematic Dialogue aims at grasping the complexity of approaches to drive urban transitions. Concretely, the workshop aims at:

connecting EN-UTC funded projects with the AGORA community, JPI Urban Europe’s community of urban change makers;
Identifying factors for delivering transformative change;
Exchange on how individual projects can shape societal discourses and collective urban futures.

Positive Energy Districts Workshop
2022-04-19 10:00 - 23:30 UTC | Digital
Following the success of the urban stakeholder workshop in Rome last year, we are delighted to announce the 2nd Urban Stakeholder event ‘Positive Energy Districts Workshop’ (back-to-back with the 4th Action Management Committee Meeting) to be held in Amsterdam on 23-24 June. The event themed ‘Experiences and Guidance for Design and Implementation’ aims to provide a unique opportunity for policymakers, practitioners and researchers to exchange experiences, share ideas and develop new insights in PED development.
What? During the webinar, speakers representing municipalities, businesses, and civil society organisations working on PED pilots in Amsterdam will share their challenges and success stories. The participants will be invited to share ideas for overcoming the PED challenges and to offer suggestions for shaping the programme of the PED Workshop in June. The agenda of the webinar will be shared closer to the time.
When? 19 April 2022 10:00 – 11:30 CET
Who? Cities/municipalities, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers interested in PEDs
How? Please click here to register for the preparatory webinar and to express your interest in attending the PED Workshop in Amsterdam by 8 April 2022.
Anyone intends to attend the PED Workshop is encouraged to take part in the webinar as it aims to set the stage for the Workshop. For those who are not able to join the webinar, but intend to attend the PED Workshop in Amsterdam, please indicate your interest via the same registration link. The information will help us to better organise the events.
Please note that the availability of the PED Workshop in Amsterdam is subject to venue capacity. Furthermore, financial support will be available to selected Action members for attending the event in-person. More details will be circulated in due course
The Workshop will be hosted by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and jointly organised by the COST Action Positive Energy Districts European Network (PED-EU-NET), urban research organisation Platform31, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. It is funded by the COST and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands.

Information webinar: Innovations for Managing Sustainable Urban Accessibility (ENUAC)
2022-04-27 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
JPI Urban Europe invites you to an information webinar on April 27th 2021 at 13.00 CEST.
The information webinar is an oppurtunity to ask questions about the new call to the call secretariat and to learn more about the call, the application process and the coming years.

Register for the information webinar here!

Innovation action is part of ERA-NET Cofund Urban Accessibility and Connectivity (ENUAC). This is the third additional call in the series.

ICLEI World Congress – Malmö, Sweden
2022-05-11 - 2022-05-13
The ICLEI World Congress 2021 – 2022 is now a year-long experience, hosted by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the City of Malmö, Sweden
ICLEI’s triennial gathering offers multiple opportunities to connect throughout 2021 – 2022.

On 13-15 April 2021, we connected online for the Virtual Launch of the ICLEI World Congress 2021 – 2022. An all digital experience kicked off the event including high-level discussions on how local and regional governments can continue to advance on sustainable development together with ICLEI.
Throughout the rest of 2021, we continue exploring critical topics in sustainable urban development in a virtual event series, The Road to Malmö, building our momentum to 2022.
We will then gather in person in Malmö, Sweden, for The Malmö Summit, on 11-13 May 2022 to exchange with and inspire one another on the best practices in local sustainable development, and learn firsthand from the City of Malmö’s wealth of sustainability initiatives.

ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
More information and tickets: worldcongress.iclei.org

Africities 9th Summit 2022 in Kisumu, Kenya
2022-05-17 - 2022-05-22
The Pan-African Organisation of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) is organising the 9th edition of the Africities Summit (Africities 9) from 17th to 21st May 2022, in Kisumu, Kenya.
The theme of the 9th Africities Summit is: “The Role of Intermediary Cities of Africa in the Implementation of Agenda 2030 of the United Nations and the African Union Agenda 2063”.
These two Agendas call for the urgent need to develop resilient and sustainable urbanization in Africa, cognizant of the fact that by 2050 the bulk of African population will be living in cities, and that the majority of city dwellers will settle in intermediary cities. The improvement of the living conditions of the African people and the economic and social structural transformation of the African continent is therefore closely linked to the way the realization of these agendas will be addressed in African intermediary cities, which are for sure the places where Africa will be inventing her own approach and trajectory to sustainable human development based on her realities but also taking stock of the knowledge and experiences accrued across the world. As much as possible, the development models to be implemented in Africa should be more energy efficient, low carbon, more inclusive, and more resilient.
Do join us in Kisumu on 17 to 21 May 2022 at the Africities Summit, to be part of this endeavor in a place where Africa will be defining her new development trajectory based on African intermediary cities.

Visit the UCLG Africa website : www.uclga.org

The SUGI/FWE-Nexus-Legacy: Assessing opportunities for longer-term collaboration between JPI Urban Europe and the Belmont Forum
2022-05-24 | Zoom
In SUGI/FWE-Nexus, the Belmont Forum, JPI Urban Europe and the European Commission have partnered to bring together the fragmented research and expertise across the globe by implementing a joint call for proposals, among other activities. With SUGI/FEW-Nexus coming to an end, this workshop aims at highlighting the lessons learned and looking forward by identifying potentials for future collaboration between JPI Urban Europe and the Belmont Forum. As such, the workshops will contribute Driving Urban Transitions internationalisation ambitions.
Against this backdrop, JPI Urban Europe and the Belmont Forum are organising two workshops in the scope of SUGI/FWE-Nexus to build upon existing experiences gathered during the last years of working together and to assess opportunities for a longer-term collaboration, identify mutual fields of interests and elaborate concrete measures such as joint calls, synthesis of knowledge, joint workshops and events, efforts to connect and widen stakeholder communities, etc.
The workshop will focus on reflecting on the experiences of SUGI/FWE-Nexus and assessing opportunities for joint activities and common (thematic) interests for the next 5-7 years. With JPI Urban Europe launching its upcoming programme called Driving Urban Transitions in 2022 and the Belmont Forum planning upcoming calls in a wider urban scope, there are opportunities for future collaboration over the next 5-7 years which will be explored in the workshop.
When: Tuesday 24 May, 12 pm – 3 pm UTC

Click here to add the workshop to your calendar.

By invitation only. Please register:

AGORA Thematic Dialogue: "Making use of the 15-minute city – levers, impact criteria and indicators for a sustainable and inclusive urban mobility system"
2022-05-31 13:00 - 18:30 UTC | Helsingborg, Sweden
THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED.

Click here for the PDF invitation
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 but also in context of the climate crisis, concepts that focus on the hyperlocal level – promoting mixed-use, lively neighbourhoods with short distances to services and opportunities – gained more traction for cities globally. One of these concepts is the 15-minute city that has reached wide attention and has been taken up and interpreted in many different cities and contexts.
Working intensively with the 15-minute city in the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership, we want to invite you to a AGORA Dialogue – organised back to back with the Urban Futures Conference in Helsingborg/Sweden – to discuss, reflect and co-create with us:

What are the greatest challenges and biggest levers for a more sustainable and inclusive mobility system in our cities?
Which are the essential criteria to define and qualify impacts for 15-minute city approaches?
Which indicators help us to describe qualities and quantify changes in the urban mobility system?

When? – Tuesday, 31st May 2022, 1 pm – 6:30 pm (+ optional get-together)
Who? – Representatives from city administrations as well as participants of the Urban Futures Conference (in their role as civil society stakeholder, researchers, small-medium sized businesses including consultancies and mobility service providers, public utilities)
How? – Face-to-face meeting in Helsingborg with approx. 40 people, on the day before the start of the Urban Futures Conference
THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED.

UF22 - Urban Future 2022 Helsingborg, Sweden
2022-06-01 - 2022-06-03 | H22 City Expo, Helsingborg, Sweden
Europe’s biggest conference on sustainable cities is coming to Helsingborg and H22 City Expo in the summer of 2022
Urban Future attracts thousands of City Changers to its conferences across Europe to discuss how the world’s cities can be made more sustainable. Now it’s decided that Urban Future is coming to Sweden – for the first time ever. The place will be Helsingborg and the international H22 City Expo, on 1-3 June 2022.
Helsingborg – a mid-sized city in Sweden – is one of the most innovative and fast transforming cities we know.
A radical reorganization of their internal structure has enabled them to now race towards innovation and sustainability at full speed. The municipality has completely changed its mindset and way of collaborating with citizens, businesses, academia, and other stakeholders in order to really make change happen.
Join this event and connect with other urban change-makers from different parts of the world who share similar issues.
Event for: an urban planner, an architect, an employee of a municipality, a mayor, a city councilor, a city rebel, a communication expert, a civil engineer, a university graduate, a cycling lover, an urbanism scientist, a mobility expert.

Urban Living Labs: Collectively shaping urban futures with experimental approaches
2022-06-07 15:00 - 16:30 (Europe/Vienna) | Zoom
Join the session
Click here for the French translation.
Cliquez ici pour la traduction française.
This is the first of two events on urban living labs of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU. Please click here for more information and registration for the the training session “Let’s co-create! But how to start?“
Over the last ten years, co-creative experimental methods have become widely spread to address urban challenges in Europe. These endeavors reflect the need for open, collaborative approaches taking into account the full complexity of urban dynamics for sustainable transitions. The presenters and panelists of this will discuss the potentials and limitations of experimental methods for urban transformation. It will highlight why we need to do things and experiment more to collectively shape our urban future(s).
Experimental approaches and methods, such as urban living labs, usually involve high levels of co-creation among involved stakeholders bringing together public administration, researchers, civil society (organizations) and other urban actors to work together on a variety of urban issues including urban governance, water management, e-participation, mobility management, taking into account all the inhabitants and improving their relationship when necessary, stakeholder involvement, etc.
Co-creative and experimental approaches have been proven to be suitable to address concrete urban challenges as they allow the combination of experiences, perspectives and knowledge. By combining and jointly developing approaches and addressing urban challenges, more robust ideas and results are developed which take into account urban complexities and urban dilemmas[1] which are key to sustainable urban development.
In other words, the co-production of knowledge and approaches in experimental projects is all about collectively shaping urban futures including models of governance and societal development. Experimental approaches can play an essential role in developing new, but also translating already existing, approaches and good practices into different urban contexts.
This session will discuss the potentials and limitations of experimental methods in urban development for change to sustainable and livable urban futures. It will shed light on the how urban living labs can support the capacity building of municipal and urban public administration and other stakeholders involved to plan for change and learn from successes and failures. Among others, the following questions will be addressed by the presenters and in the panel discussion:

How can experimenting then become the “new normal” to address urban challenges?
What capacities are required for innovative leadership? And what are the risks involved?
How can experimental methods / urban living labs support the localization of European global sustainability strategies such as the New Green Deal, the Leipzig Charta and UN’s Agenda 2030?

Join the session
[1] “Urban dilemma: at least two competing goals and stakeholder interests which potentially fail to achieve their aims as implementing one strategy hampers or prevents the achievement of another.” JPI Urban Europe (2019:14) SRIA 2.0.

Urban Living Labs: Let’s co-create! But how to start?
2022-06-08 09:30 - 12:00 (Europe/Vienna) | Zoom
THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED. If you have any questions please contact Johannes Riegler.

Click here for the French translation.
Cliquez ici pour la traduction française.
This is the one two events on urban living labs of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU. Please click here for more information and registration for the the webinar “Urban Living Labs: Collectively shaping urban transformation with experimental approaches” on 8th June 2022.
A training workshop on planning and maintaining experimental approaches for urban transitions
There is a lot of fuzz around experimental methods such as urban living labs since recently as contributing to urban transitions implies per definition to so things differently. However, talking about experimental approaches seems to be much easier than planning and implementing them in existing (governance) structures, let alone, making experimenting part of full urban development processes. This training sessions allows participants to playfully lay out the cornerstones for experimental approaches and to discuss all the relevant questions such as:
Where to start? how to plan? … and what are the right methods / tools to tackle a specific urban challenge or implement global/national/regional sustainability strategies? Who should be involved? What if we fail? etc.
By using (parts) of the URB@EXP Urban Lab Kit, participants will decide on a concrete urban challenge which they want to address. The Urban Lab Kit guides the participants to ask all relevant questions which are essential for planning, starting, conducting an experimental project / urban lab as well as how to boost its impact. Thus, the training session will allow participants to plan the main elements of their “experimental project in a day”, build capacities to work with experimental projects and allow them to discuss what benefits experimenting would have in their concrete urban context.

THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED. If you have any questions please contact Johannes Riegler.

SRI2022 - Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress
2022-06-20 - 2022-06-24
The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress is a series of gatherings that unite global research leaders, experts, industries and innovators to inspire action and promote a sustainability transformation.
The Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress 2022 (SRI2022) will take place from June 20-24, 2022, in Pretoria, South Africa and online. Hosted by the Future Africa Institute at the University of Pretoria, SRI2022 will build on the success of the first SRI Congress which took place in June this year and featured 700 speakers and 2,000 participants from 100 countries. A joint initiative of Future Earth and the Belmont Forum, SRI is an emerging global platform of advocacy for sustainability scholarship and innovation, trans-disciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration, and knowledge to action.
South Africa will offer an inspiring environment for this second edition of the SRI Congress. A leader on the African continent and around the globe for sustainability science and innovation as well as participatory approaches to action research, it also provides a gateway to the wider African continent.
An important objective of SRI2022 is to amplify the voice of sustainability science and innovation in the Global South, specifically for the African continent through raising awareness and propelling discussions about sustainable priorities for Africa. Africa has much to offer to the global discussion on sustainability, and SRI2022, together with its host Future Africa, will provide a critical platform in collaboration with local, African and international partners.
SRI2022 will continue the momentum from SRI2021. The transdisciplinary nature of the event and its diverse agenda was praised by participants in a post-event survey, with 62% of respondents saying that SRI2021 broadened cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral connections and awareness with the sustainability community, and 94% saying they would attend SRI2022.
The call for session proposals closes on February 5, 2022, at 23:59 SAST (UTC +2).This is your opportunity to shape the program of SRI2022, which will consist of over 100 online and hybrid international sessions and events, highlighting the latest research and innovation in the field of sustainability. This call for session proposals is open to anyone working in sustainability science and practice, which includes the research sector, government, business, philanthropy, art and civil society.
Proposals should be submitted on one of the four Congress themes:

Nexus issues
Different ways of knowing
New horizons
African science and innovation (Cross-cutting theme)

Proposals can be submitted in English, French, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish. SRI2022 accepts proposals for both online and hybrid sessions and offers flexibility with changing hybrid sessions to online sessions if needed. Explore the Congress themes, session types, submission guidelines and selection criteria on the website.

Workshop “Just Energy Transitions in Africa”
2022-06-23 14:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Helsinki) | Zoom
This event is from 2:00pm to 5:00pm CAT/CEST.
Click here for the PDF invitation
An online workshop for experts working on/with issues on energy transitions, positive energy districts and renewable energy in Africa
Africa and Europe share the challenge of systemic transformation towards a sustainable, fossil-free future. However, pre-conditions on the two continents – as well as between different regions of the continents – differ greatly. A just energy transition needs to explore regional particularities in terms of natural, technological, social, economic or cultural resources and develop solutions building on these.
Europe has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2040 and puts a strong focus on urban areas with initiatives like theMission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities or the New European Bauhaus. With good reason: Urban areas are pivotal spaces for change toward achieving climate mitigation targets, decarbonisation and energy transitions. They consume more than two-thirds of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions – moreover, cities, as hubs of communication, commerce and culture also provide key resources for materialising sustainable solution pathways. However, systemic change can only happen when considering the symbiotic connection between urban and rural areas, a future energy system will build on an efficient exchange between cities and regions.
Africa accounts for only 3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The lack of access to an affordable energy supply is a key threat to a just energy transition. Half of Africa’s total population, i.e. 548 million people were without access to electricity in 2018 (The Renewable Energy Transition in Africa: Powering Access, Resilience and Prosperity, IRENA, 2021).
This workshop brings together experts and urban actors across Africa to discuss and exchange on how (urban) energy transitions in Africa can contribute to just, livable and sustainable futures. Additionally, the pathways how to arrive at the envisioned futures will be discussed.
What you can expect from the workshop

Exchange with peers and experts on energy challenges and transforming urban energy systems in African cities, including in-depth exploration of positive energy districts.
Co-creation: engage in interactive exercises to jointly reflect on the roles of diverse urban actors in energy transitions.
Collaborating: on a collaborative publication at the end of the workshop series.
Networking: You are welcome to connect to the AGORA community, the network of urban actors maintained by JPI Urban Europe.

Aim of Workshop

Identify the most pressing issues, challenges and dilemmas for energy transitions in African cities overall. Find access points to jointly address those issues, challenges and dilemmas in cooperation schemes.
Exchange on opportunities for international stakeholders to continue the dialogue and engagement.

About the Organisers
JPI Urban Europe is the knowledge hub for urban transitions, an intergovernmental and strategic partnership of countries addressing the challenge of sustainable urban development through coordinated research and innovation. Currently, Driving Urban Transitions (DUT), a partnership programme between Member States and the European Commission for the years 2022-2028 is in its final stage of development. As sustainable urbanization is a global issue, with global policy references, international cooperation plays an important role in DUT.
START was founded in 1992 to strengthen capacities for global environmental change science in Africa and Asia that addresses critical sustainability challenges. The programs and partnerships provide opportunities for training, research, education and networking that strengthen scientific skills and inspire leadership. START is a core international partner of the United States Global Change Research Program and works closely with universities and research institutes in Africa and Asia, as well as with multilateral agencies, governments and non-governmental organizations.
ICLEI Africa connects leaders, accelerates action and provides a gateway to solutions through capacity building, projects on the ground and policy influence. ICLEI is an international non-governmental organization that promotes sustainable development. ICLEI provides technical consulting to local governments to meet sustainability objectives.
