Urban Voices Podcast

In this episode of the UIA - Just Urban Transitions - Making the Transitions Affordable for all, we explore the challenges that some cities face in delivering green transitions that is accessible by all social groups. We also hear from cities of Barcelona, Prato and Getafe about their innovative solutions in making the green transitions affordable to all. The expert, Marcelline Bonneau, also gives her insights and provides a roadmap to a greener and a more socially just EU for all.

Curing the Limbo, an initiative by the Athens Municipality, connects the issues of integration, housing, exchange economy and active citizenship in a complex programme that helps refugees get involved in neighbourhood initiatives, learn new skills and access the labour market and permanent housing.

In this third and last episode of the Curing the Limbo podcast series, UIA expert Levente Polyák explores the housing component of Curing the Limbo, in order to understand the mechanisms that allowed the use of hundreds of vacant apartments as refugee housing in Athens.

In this episode, assembling interviews and discussions made between 2018 and 2022,  Levente revisits the housing pilot's elements and results with the programme's housing experts and various officers of the housing facilitation unit, while also meeting beneficiaries and property owners to discuss their needs and role in the process. The last minutes of the episode aim at assessing the legacy and impact of Curing the Limbo's housing component, in light of emerging housing priorities and policies.

By collecting testimonies during different visits and from a variety of people involved in the programme, Levente offers a highly personal account of the challenges and opportunities refugees encounter in their endeavour to find a new home in Athens.

Curing the Limbo Zoom-in #3 was produced by Levente Polyák (Eutropian, Cooperative City) in May 2023

In this first episode developed for the project “CAMINA”, Ileana Toscano, UIA expert, introduces the Novel Collective Narrative of Almería’s Cultural Landscape developed by CAMINA as the milestone foundation of the whole project. For this podcast, Ileana interviews Pablo Macías Bou, expert in innovation and urban design, founder and CEO of Khora Urban thinkers, partner of CAMINA. Ileana and Pablo walk through the Innovative Collaborative Narrative presenting the relevant activities developed by the project.

CAMINA is a holistic initiative aimed at reconnecting the city of Almeria, in Andalusia, Spain, with three neighbourhoods, that represent the splendour past of the ancient city and that nowadays have lost the central position in the city life. CAMINA is fostering a new approach to promote Cultural Participation and Inclusion in Almeria by focusing on three neighbourhoods: Almedina, La Chanca-Pescaderia and the Centre. The project’s innovation results from the rediscovering of the culture and the cultural heritage of Almeria, as a tool to positively impact the social integration of the people living in the fringes.

The project acronym “CAMINA” means “WALK!”, which is the paradigm of the project innovation. CAMINA is willing to promote the connection between the three neighbourhoods and Almeria citizens through cultural urban walks. By walking through cultural heritage sites, “cultural nodes” and cultural events taking place in public spaces CAMINA encourages the citizens of Almeria to be part of their cultural heritage and the ancient neighbourhoods.

“The art of walking” allowed to write the Novel collaborative Narrative of Almeria, created by local testimonials and experts to bridge the diverse and multicultural communities living in the city.

Find more about CAMINA – Community Awakening for Multicultural Integrative Narrative of Almería implemented by the Municipality of Almeria, Spain.

This series of 3 episodes drop on the recent report published on the UIA website and the 10 case studies that explore the jobs and skills of our green future. This first session focuses on skilling and reskilling for a green economy.

Listen to the experience of 2 pioneers cities in this field narrated by Anamaria Vrabie from the City of Cluj Napoca (Cluj Furture of Work) and Andrea Patrucco from the City of Milan (Open Agri). This discussion is moderated by Eddy Adams, UIA expert.

Find more about this work here: Skills for a green future | UIA - Urban Innovative Actions (uia-initiative.eu)

This podcast is part of a wider discussion led by the UIA Initiative on the implementation of Just Transitions at urban level. Have a look at the results and explore UIA projects promising practices for the green and fair urban futures: Just Urban Transitions | UIA - Urban Innovative Actions (uia-initiative.eu).

This series of 3 episodes drop on the recent report published on the UIA website and the 10 case studies that explore the jobs and skills of our green future. This first session focuses on supporting new green sectors.

Listen to the experience of 2 pioneers cities in this field narrated by Carles Ferrero, Director of Innovation from the City of Viladecans (Vilawatt project) and by Eeva Pihlajaniemi and Terhi Jantunen from the City of Lappeenranta (Urban Infra Revolution). This discussion is moderated by Eddy Adams and Pr. Costas Cartalis, UIA experts.

Find more about this work here: Skills for a green future | UIA - Urban Innovative Actions (uia-initiative.eu)

This podcast is part of a wider discussion led by the UIA Initiative on the implementation of Just Transitions at urban level. Have a look at the results and explore UIA projects promising practices for the green and fair urban futures: Just Urban Transitions | UIA - Urban Innovative Actions (uia-initiative.eu).

This series of 3 episodes drop on the recent report published on the UIA website and the 10 case studies that explore the jobs and skills of our green future. This first session focuses on skills forecasting for a climate neutral economy. 

Listen to the experience of 2 pioneers cities in this field narrated by Joe Crawler, Skills Intelligence Lead for Greater Manchester Combined Authority (IGNITION project) and Andries van Vugt, from Organiq, partner of the Passport4Work Project, Eindhoven. This discussion is moderated by Eddy Adams and Ronald Lievens, UIA experts. 

Find more about this work here: Skills for a green future | UIA - Urban Innovative Actions (uia-initiative.eu)

This podcast is part of a wider discussion led by the UIA Initiative on the implementation of Just Transitions at urban level. Have a look at the results and explore UIA projects promising practices for the green and fair urban futures: Just Urban Transitions | UIA - Urban Innovative Actions (uia-initiative.eu).

In this first Zoom-in for the UIA project CUP4Creativity, Levente Polyak visits a pop-up event in the future Adaptér, to learn about the art & tech center under construction in the heart of Újbuda, Budapest's 11th district. 

CUP4Creativity builds on the district’s current dynamic as a new cultural centre, by generating new connections between cultural producers, artists, creatives, technology initiatives, businesses and residents. One of the key objectives of CUP4Creativity is the establishment of a new cultural institution, Adaptér (a wordplay connecting “adaptation” and “space”) to bring together art and technology in a user-friendly manner. This new institution will act as an entrance point to the local cultural and technology ecosystems, positioned as a hub in a broader network of spaces, a kind of a “decentralised FabLab” at the neighbourhood scale.

For this first episode of the CUP4Creativity podcast, UIA expert Levente Polyák visits the future Adaptér and met some of the project’s protagonists to explore the perspectives of this new culture and technology venue, the ways it will connect with existing initiatives and spaces and the activities leading to the renovation and opening of the new institution. In the podcast, Barbara Szij (VALYO) tells about the role of temporary events leading up to the opening of Adaptér (3'30"), Bálint Köves (KÉK) explains the cultural and economic context in which the venue is situated (8'45"), while Andrea Kovács (Let it Be! art agency) reveals plans for the cultural programming of Adaptér (12'25").

Find more about the innovative project implemented by the city of Budapest Újbuda, CUP 4 CREATIVITY - Cultural Urban Platform to nurture creativity and fight digital loneliness

What are the needs and demands for upscaling of CoGhent project? What will be the « upscaling readiness » at the end of project and the conditions of transfer of its outcome to other cities?

Talking to Pieter-Jan Pauwels and Olivier D’Huynslager the 2 « fathers » of the CoGhent project this 30 min. podcast discusses how they see the project they imagine and created in the face of this UIA Up-scaling key-challenge!

Find more about the innovative project implemented by the city of Ghent, CoGhent - Collections of Ghent.

In this first Zoom-in for the UIA project DARE, Levente Polyak explores the digital platform conceived to support the transformation of Ravenna's Darsena area. DARE is a non-conventional urban regeneration project that instead of focusing uniquely on the physical environment, invests in the skills of its inhabitants and the digital knowledge infrastructure of the area.

In the course of the project’s three years, the Ravenna Municipality is cooperating with the Darsena’s residents, businesses, initiatives and institutions to create an inclusive, accessible digital framework for the area. This framework will help the Darsena's population, users and visitors to better understand their area, develop new skills, improve their quality of life and become protagonists of their neighbourhood. DARE’s digital platform is conceived as a database to combine data coming from various sources, ranging from sensors and statistical data to historical data, visual materials and even stories, to support this process. 

For this first episode of the DARE podcast, UIA expert Levente Polyák visited the Darsena and met some of the project’s protagonists to explore how knowledge about the Darsena is collected and distributed through the platform Darsena Ravenna Approdo Comune (darsenaravenna.it). Read the full article of Levente Polyak, UIA expert.

Find more about the innovative project implemented by the city of Ravenna, DARE - Digital Environment for collaborative Alliances to Regenerate urban Ecosystems in middle-sized cities

The second Zoom In of Cluj Future of Work is on CREIC, the Regional Center of Excellence for Creative Industries that is hosing the Labs of Cluj Future of Work and is the place where potential entrepreneurs, creative and experts testing of new solutions contributing to rethink the role of cultural and creative industries for the future of Cluj Napoca.

Find more about the innovative project implemented by the city of Cluj-Napoca - Cluj Future of Work.