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European Track of WUF11

European Track of WUF11 is a series of events during the 11th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF11) consisting of 2 main building blocks:

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Transforming European Cities: for a Better Europe, for a Better World – 4 thematic blocks of 16 sessions dedicated to the European dimension of sustainable urbanization and a just transformation of cities in the context of global challenges, organized by the Mistry of Funds and Regional Policy and the Institute of Urban and Regional Development.

Each session is hosted by a by a prominent European organization or institution.

Building block of the European Commission – the series of 14 events organised or co-organised by the European Commission aims to highlight the EU approach towards integrated sustainable urban development through various dimensions, showcasing key priorities for supporting cities and urban development actors in taking forwards the green, digital and just transition in urban areas, while using common sustainability principles and requirements for integrated development.

Transforming European Cities: for a Better Europe, for a Better World

The main theme of the 11th session of the World Urban Forum in Katowice focuses on cities transformation, taking into consideration providing better future to current and coming generations.

The influence of the cities is not limited to the citizens only but also plays an important role for the whole countries, regions… and the world. Cities, although often perceived as a threat, a place which accumulates a lot of negative phenomena, can simultaneously allow for more productivity and efficiency, as well as decreasing the negative effect of humans on the environment thanks to spatial concentration and used resources optimization.

Framework Program

Whether cities will be in fact a good place to live in, whether they will serve their environment and become a solution and not a problem in the era of global environmental challenges and climate crisis, depends mainly on the way of their future development and particular solutions implemented in order to ensure more sustainable urbanization.

The future of the continent, and indirectly also of the world, highly depends on the success of the transformation of European cities. What to do, what to improve in order to make European cities in fact an example to follow and a pioneer of changes? How should urban policy look like on various levels of its development and implementation, starting from European, through national and local as well as public and private sector engagement?
These are some of the questions we want to face during the special series of events organized by the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy as well as the Institute of Urban and Regional Development within the WUF11 in Katowice.

In order to bring the discussion to the most concrete dimension, 4 main topics have been selected:

  1. Green city
  2. Equitable and inclusive
  3. Sustainable urban mobility
  4. Affordable housing

They will be discussed in details during 4 thematic blocks of sessions from a many different angles and perspectives.

Building block of the European Commission

As part of a dedicated building block of the European Track, the series of 14 events organised or co-organised by the European Commission aims to highlight the EU approach towards integrated sustainable urban development through various dimensions.

Sessions organised by the European Commission and its partners will complement other European track sessions and thematic areas by showcasing key priorities for supporting cities and urban development actors in taking forwards the green, digital and just transition in urban areas, while using common sustainability principles and requirements for integrated development.

Program of Events

Among events organised by the European Commission and its partners, there will be sessions focusing on:

  • key principles such as:
    • citizens’ engagement - Involvement of local governments of the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and young people active at the local level for the climate transition
       
  • strategic areas such as:
    • economic, social and territorial Cohesion  -  Sustainable urban development support in the EU – frameworks, practices and tools
    • climate neutrality & Innovation –
      • Climate Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030
      • Collaborative Governance & Innovation Ecosystems: Best Practices from the 100 Intelligent Cities Challenge Network
      • Global Covenant of Mayors - understanding how to plan for energy access, develop synergies and financing climate action.
    • digital transition - The Living-in.EU experience: Interoperability as a key enabler of the local digital transformation
       
  • tools and methods such as:
    • How do European cities tackle inclusiveness strategies in Voluntary Local Reviews?
    • Launch of the second edition of the European Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews 
    • Envisaging Urban Futures with JRC Open Data and Tools
    • International urban and regional cooperation to rethink sustainable urban and innovative models for a greener and better future.
    • Just, Productive, Creative and Climate-Neutral cities: R&I approaches towards sustainable urban transformation
    • Novel data for a better urban future – ensuring data continuity with the Global Human Settlement Layer
    • Nature-based solutions for sustainable urban development
       
  • external partnerships such as :
    • How the EU support partner countries in their implementation of the new urban agenda
    • Strengthening access to finance for cities/urban investments through the EU guarantee scheme – European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD+)

The series of events organised by the European Commission within the European Track emphasizes key building blocks of the EU approach to support sustainable urban development, articulating both different thematic and strategic areas as well as practices, tools, and methodologies to support cities and urban actors in their transformation for a more sustainable urban future, within the EU and beyond.

Context

The European Union, represented by the European Commission, as well as EU Member States, has been very actively engaged in supporting sustainable urban development as well as the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA). A strong framework is in place at EU level with ambitious goals to activate transitions on the ground and reach the objective set by the European Green Deal to make Europe a climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal is an integral part of this Commission’s strategy to implement the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals, and constitutes an approach for sustainable growth and development.

The EU supports structural and transformative transitions that are managed in a socially fair and just way, in order to leave no one and no place behind, by setting up sustainable development policies (sectorial and territorial), investments and financial assistance, capacity and knowledge building support as well as urban proofing instruments. Cities have an essential role to play in this process, to innovate, to invest, to mobilise, together with other levels of governance, in order to make urbanisation sustainable and ensure territorial cohesion.

The New Leipzig Charter, adopted by EU Member States, also provides a key policy framework t for sustainable urban development in Europe and in every Member State. The Charter highlights that just, green and productive cities need to establish integrated and sustainable urban development strategies and ensure their implementation for the city as a whole, from its functional areas to its neighbourhoods. The document is strongly aligned with the EU Cohesion Policy and its framework for sustainable urban development, while recognising the need for multi-level participatory governance. The values and principles highlighted in this document are already guiding the action of the EU through numerous initiatives and policies.

This series of events and its red thread emphasizes key building blocks of the EU approach to support sustainable urban development, articulating both different thematic and strategic areas as well as practices, tools, and methodologies to support cities and urban actors in their transformation for a more sustainable urban future, within the EU and beyond. They will collectively be highlighting the European dimension of this World Urban Forum and showcase how the NUA delivery can be accelerated.

European Track Events