EU Regions Week: Engaging communities for urban regeneration

Published on 05.09.2023

Written by Reili Lehis, FinEst Centre for Smart Cities

The European Week of Regions and Cities, an event dedicated to cohesion policy, will happen again soon and this time a fully onsite event will be held in Brussels on October 9-12. We encourage you to join us and learn more about urban regeneration and social innovation.

The annual event is taking place already 21st time and it brings together a diverse community of speakers and participants, all driven by a shared goal: addressing common challenges and fostering collaboration between regions and cities across Europe.

Date: October 10, 2023
Time: 16:30-17:30 CET
Location: Room 211-212, SQUARE Brussels Meeting Centre

As part of many intriguing discussions and events, we will organize a workshop on October 10th for everyone interested in how local communities and neighborhoods can engage citizens in sustainable urban transitions through social innovation and affordable housing.

Organized in collaboration with other EU projects ARV, syn.ikia, oPEN Lab, this workshop is set to ignite conversations and inspire change.

Practical examples and projects in focus

Get ready to be inspired by innovative and practical pilot projects where citizens took the lead in driving urban regeneration, transition and social innovation.

The projects were carefully selected to represent various EU regions’ conditions and contexts, united by their ambitious goals in environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Explore social housing neighborhoods and city-level initiatives that are making a difference.

Get to know the workshop facilitators

Take a look at the experienced facilitators who will lead the workshop and share the best know-how and practical takeaways with participants.

Julien Dijol, Policy Director of Housing Europe. Moderator.

Niki Gaitani, Project Coordinator of syn.ikia and Vice-Coordinator of the ARV project, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Maarten De Groote, Project Coordinator of oPEN Lab, VITO

Külle Tärnov, FinEst Centre for Smart Cities (TalTech), Head of Innovation

Sladjana Lazarevic, ARV Project and Innovation Manager, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Workshop coordinator.

EU Week of Regions and Cities. Workshop on urban regeneration and social innovation

Niki Gaitani, Associate Professor at the Deptment of Architecture & Technology at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) will share insights on processes and practices to support the planning, design & implementation of sustainable, energy-positive neighborhoods.

oPENLab project coordinator Maarten De Groote is activity leader at @VITObelgium @EnergyVille

with 20 years of working experience in energy transition in the built environment.

Maarten will elaborate on how citizen engagement has been approached and trust granted by the residents of the oPEN Lab neighbourhoods in Genk (BE), Pamplona (ES) and Tartu (EE).

Külle Tärnov is Head of Innovation at FinEst Centre for Smart Cities. Külle is leading the centre’s extensive piloting programme to develop novel smart city solutions in collaboration with cities, academia and entrepreneurs. With six successful smart city solutions developed and piloted within three years, FinEst Centre is now seeking cities with similar needs. The 3rd round of Smart City Challenge is open.

Külle will present two different examples of involving local communities for urban planning: to understand well-being of citizens and to improve urban greenery.

Sladjana Lazarevic, PhD in Architecture and Urbanism, with her research and innovation management skills and knowledge of sustainable architecture centered around the concept of circularity and adaptability in climate-responsive integrated design and urban planning, is contributing to the implementation of two large-scale demonstration projects, both coordinated by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme: ARV – Climate Positive Circular Communities and syn.ikia – SustainablePlusEnergy Neighbourhoods.

At the workshop, Sladjana will share her expertise and takeaways from both of the projects.

The workshop will be an effective platform for discussion and knowledge exchange. Engage with fellow participants, share insights, and be part of the solution.

Mark your calendars for October 10th and register here!

More info: Home | European Week of Regions and Cities (europa.eu)