The URBACT Programme currently supports 25 networks of 181 cities in all 27 EU Member States as well as Norway and Switzerland, working together to learn how to deal with some of the major economic, social and environmental challenges facing European citizens today. The economic crisis has dramatically altered the context in which they are operating.

URBACT is organising a multifaceted response to the crisis organising exchange and dissemination events, and producing papers, in order to foster debate and keep the pulse of what is happening in cities in the context of the crisis:

To date, two Open Events have been held-one in Lyon on disadvantaged neighbourhoods and their contribution to recovery from the crisis, and one in Brussels on migration and challenges for integration in relation to the crisis. An article has been produced by URBACT Thematic Pole Manager, Paul Soto, as an output of the Lyon Open Event, on the contribution of cities and deprived neighbourhoods in recovering from the crisis. Launching a study project involving all URBACT cities, to gather and make available cities' innovative and varied responses to the crisis, and encompassing two key dimensions—a survey of cities' innovative policy responses, and a 'recession watch' webspace:

The survey is currently in development, and will be distributed to Lead Partners and Lead Experts who will coordinate input from their project partners and Local Support Groups. The survey will endeavour to gather a picture of the concrete impacts of the crisis on URBACT projects, and on the cities or specific departments related to the projects' thematic focus particularly looking at longer term recovery strategies and innovative policy responses which would be useful to other cities.

This page will serve as a 'recession watch' webspace to bring to light what cities are already doing (gathered by the survey), and to regroup existing studies, publications and other resources on responses to the crisis, to make them more easily available to urban practitioners. URBACT cities' responses to the crisis will also be a priority theme at the URBACT Annual Conference in Stockholm in November 2009. The crisis is also an overarching theme in the current Call for proposals. All project proposals must refer to either the economic crisis or climate change, as well as one of 16 priority topics defined for this Call.

15/07/2009

15/07/2009

research

Urban Policy

Economy knowledge & employment