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In 2012, Guimarães (Portugal) will be hosting a major gathering of creators and creations: music, cinema, photography, fine arts, architecture, literature, thought, theatre, dance, and street art. In Guimarães, the artistic products imagined and created by its residents will merge with those coming to the city from all over Europe. Over the course of one year, the city will be the promoter of Europe’s cultural diversity, revealing its creations and welcoming those from other countries.

On the 8th and 9th of December 2011 the EUKN annual conference took place in Warsaw in which the following topic was emphasized: “The Urban Dimension of Cohesion Policy: lessons learnt from integrated urban projects”. The conference elaborated on the results of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and looked forward to the new Structural Funds Programming Period. Additionally, the conference reflected upon what we have learnt and what we already know about cohesion policy and what cities should take into account in the future.

From the September onwards the EU funded FP7 project URBAN-NEXUS is underway! URBAN-NEXUS will hold its first Dialogue Café on the topic of “Urban Climate Resilience – Partnership Approaches” on the 29th-30th May 2012 in Glasgow. An accompanying Synthesis Report will help inform the Dialogue Café debates and discussions.

The 6th International Conference on Pedestrian and Evacuation Dynamics (PED) will be held from June 6th to June 8th 2012 at the Institute for Transport Planning and Systems (IVT) of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ). This is a call for both papers and posters presenting research on the topics listed on the homepage or related areas.

Commissioner Hahn received 2 EUROCITIES reports on Monday, 24 October 2012 during a Polish presidency conference in Warsaw. Tomasz Kayser, Deputy Mayor of Poznan, presented ‘Cities cooperating beyond their boundaries’ and Henk Kool, Deputy Mayor of The Hague, presented ‘A practitioner’s view on neighbourhood regeneration’.

The EUROCITIES awards recognise outstanding achievement by EUROCITIES members in the delivery of local activities or practices which improve the quality of life for citizens. From over 50 entries this year too the jury have selected 3 shortlisted entries for the categories - innovation, cooperation and participation.

Sometimes the public expects the government to see the future. Good decisions are to be expected while bad decisions — judged with the benefit of hindsight — are derided. Some help is on the way. IBM is betting that software can give cities a better look into their future.

European cities face many significant challenges, including the current economic crisis, urban sprawl, and the longer-term implications of climate change and resource scarcity. Cities themselves currently account for around 70% of global emissions and are major contributors to the overall ecological footprint. In order for cities to effectively face these challenges, it is essential for all concerned stakeholders to collaborate. The EU funded Framework Programme 7 (FP7) project, URBAN-NEXUS, will, amongst other things, facilitate the process of bringing these stakeholders together, in view of reducing the overall ecological footprint of cities.

The European Green Capital award, created by the European Commission, each year recognises a city which has a consistent record of high environmental standards and continues to strive for further environmental improvement. These cities act as role models for others hoping to achieve similar green credentials. This year the award was given to Hamburg for its ‘Train of Ideas’.

Diversity in Europe was the subject of a debate hosted on 27 May 2011 during the 22nd European Foundation Centre (EFC)’s Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Conference in Cascais, Portugal.

On 19 May the ministers adopted conclusions on "An EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020", inviting the member states to pursue goals in the fields of education, employment, healthcare and housing, so as to close the gaps between marginalised Roma communities and the general population.

The Lee Yuan Kew City Prize is a biennial international award to recognise individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to the creation of vibrant, liveable and sustainable urban communities around the world.

The Europan 11 competition is taking place in conditions marked by a strong commitment amongst European cities to very stringent environmental objectives. This year’s topic is ‘resonance between territories and ways of life’. Europan 11 is a European federation of national organisations, which manages architectural competitions followed by building or study projects, launched simultaneously by several countries on common theme, objectives and rules. The open competitions are anonymous and public calls for ideas on a European scale.

China is booming: literally. The Chinese are planning one new town after another. Urbanisation is seen as the driver of economic development. In Shanghai several dozen of new towns have been planned that will accommodate an average of 800.000 inhabitants by 2020. In these new towns, numerous buildings, roads and services therefore need to be developed. Dutch urban planner Harry den Hartog visits China on a regular basis to study the country’s enthusiasm for construction. His book ‘Shanghai New Towns’ has just been released, in which he investigates the new towns around Shanghai. These new towns are often based on Western models. Could we learn something about what is happening in Shanghai’s new towns in Europe as well?

The success of cities is linked to their efficiency, in reducing transaction costs and providing services. However, in order to maintain this success, cities have reinvented themselves many times through history. Today, Information Technologies are doomed to be the key driver of a new wave of innovation in cities that will lead, one more time, to their reinvention.

For 5 years City Mine(d) has been connecting urban gardeners to cyclists, DIY-ers to urban planners, and kitchen chefs to IT-ers through projects in public space. What these people have in common is the use of their creativity to make daily life in cities more fun and more fair.

The European Commission has just launched an online public consultation to gather views on the next financial instrument for the environment, to succeed LIFE+ in the period 2014-2020. Your opinion is welcome on its objectives, priorities and support modalities. This online consultation is one part of a wider public consultation, whose responses will be taken into account in the European Commission's proposal for a new instrument.

This first Annual Growth Survey marks the start of a new cycle of economic governance in the EU and the first European semester of economic policy coordination. According to the latest forecasts, there are signs of economic recovery albeit still uneven. The rise in unemployment is perceived as a central problem for policy action.

The EcoBucharest 2015 project has been initiated by Space Syntax, a team of experts in urban development and architecture. The team proposes an eco-development 'spine' for the city of Bucharest. This eco-spine should becreated through the innovative rehabilitation of a surface of 1000 hectares along the Dambovita river, including Izvor Park and Lacul Morii. The initiators believe that such a project will strengthen the international competitiveposition of Romania's capital. Especially in times of economic crisis this is deemed to be of great importance for the city.

Project developed under INTERREG IVC programme

Project developed under INTERREG IVC Programme.

The results of the High-Level Conference on "Urban Sustainability and Integrated Urban Regeneration in Europe: Policies, Programs and Best Practices", held in Madrid on 26-27 April, 2010, in the frame of the activities linked to the Spanish EU Presidency are now available.

The “Beautiful Romania” programme is composed of a series of projects consisting of rehabilitation, consolidation, restoration, and urban regeneration. The implementation of these projects will lead to an economic and social growth of specific sectors contributing to a consolidated image of Romania in the EU.