URBACT

🎬 That's a wrap! The URBACT call for Action Networks is now closed.

The cameras stop rolling, but the action is just beginning!

A record-breaking 630+ cities have come together to seek URBACT’s support for local action! 🎉

Thank you to every city for your enthusiasm, ambition and commitment to creating better urban futures.

👀 Discover the first results and key figures in our infographic: https://urbact.eu/news/call-action-networks-first-updates

Join the URBACT Accelerator for Ukraine & Moldova!

We’re calling all:
🇺🇦🇲🇩 Cities and eligible local authorities from Ukraine and Moldova
🇪🇺 Experienced EU cities willing to apply as Mentor Cities

👀 Wondering how your city can get involved?

Prepare your application by 16 July 2026: https://urbact.eu/news/join-urbact-accelerator-ukraine-and-moldova-bespoke-learning-programme-cities



European Committee of the Regions, Europe in my region, URBACT UKRAINE, Urbact în Moldova, Асоціація міст України, Congresul Autorităților Locale din Moldova

🏙️ What makes a place feel like nowhere else?

Discover 5 URBACT Good Practices showing how cities and towns across Europe are using placemaking to turn ordinary spaces into places people use, remember and care about.

📍 Milan 🇮🇹: The Piazze Aperte programme uses tactical urbanism to test public spaces before making changes permanent, turning road junctions and parking areas into places for people through paint, planters, benches and simple street furniture.

📍 Cork 🇮🇪: PlaysMaking uses play as a way to open up public space, from Play Streets and pop-up events to Community Play Leaders and library-based play equipment, helping children, families and local groups take part in shaping the city.

📍 Celje 🇸🇮: The Temporary Use of Spaces practice transformed an empty municipal unit in the old town into GT8, a venue for culture, workshops, debates and local initiatives that brought new life to a previously vacant ground-floor space.

📍 Tavernes de la Valldigna 🇪🇸: The Path of the Senses makes a landscape of springs, forest paths, farmland, marshes and dunes more accessible through adapted trails, braille signage, relief panels and audio guides in three languages.

📍 Vila Boa do Bispo 🇵🇹: The Smart Village Strategy connects local resources such as the river, forest, schools, youth groups and environmental projects, making sustainability visible through practical action rooted in village life.

These examples show that placemaking can take many forms, from playful streets and temporary venues to accessible landscapes and village-wide strategies. What connects them is a simple idea: places become stronger when people can use them, shape them and care about them.

Want to explore these approaches in more detail?

Full article: https://urbact.eu/whats-new/article/reimagining-spaces-placemaking-lessons-urbact-cities



Comune di Milano, Cork City Council, Mestna občina Celje, Ajuntament de Tavernes de la Valldigna, Freguesia de Vila Boa do Bispo

Twelve European cities, different housing realities, but shared challenges!

From Barcelona to Brussels, twelve EU municipalities will come together at the URBACT and European Urban Initiative EU City Lab on Housing to exchange experiences, challenges and practical solutions.

🇪🇺 European Commission:

Matthew Baldwin, Head of the European Commission's Housing Task Force

Marc Chovino, Head of Unit F3, Directorate-General for Competition (DG COMP)

📍 Barcelona (ES):

Mar Jiménez, Commissioner for European Affairs, Barcelona City Council

📍 Egaleo (EL):

Stefania Gyftopoulou, Project Manager, EUI Rock the Block

📍 Fuenlabrada (ES)

📍 Garges-lès-Gonesse (FR):

Salomé Habib, Director of Housing, Planning and Development, City of Garges-lès-Gonesse

📍 Tallinn (EE):

Kadri Auväärt, Project Coordinator, EUI SOFTacademy

📍 Amsterdam (NL):

Samya Hamimid, Legal Advisor, City of Amsterdam

📍 Brussels (BE):

Louis de Grady, Territorial Policy Analyst, perspective.brussels

Geert De Pauw, Project Manager, Community Led Trust Bruxelles

📍 Thessaloniki (EL):

Dimitra Siatitsa, Postdoctoral Researcher, National Technical University of Athens

📍 Paris (FR):

Sophie Lecoq, Director-General, Foncière de la Ville de Paris

📍 Józsefváros, 8th district of Budapest (HU):

Anna Kerékgyártó, Head of Department for Housing Policy and Asset Management, Budapest Capital District VIII, Józsefváros Municipality

📍 Getafe (ES):

Fernando González Ferreira, Architect, EMSV Getafe

📍 Vienna (AU):

Michaela Kauer, Director of the Brussels Office of the City of Vienna

The discussions will be guided by the moderators, Orna Rosenfeld and Levente Polyak, helping connect local experiences to the wider European dialogue on housing.

Find out more & register now: https://urbact.eu/events/eu-city-lab-housing

Are you an aspiring journalist interested in European affairs?

Applications are now open for the 10th edition of , the European Commission's programme for aspiring journalists.

Selected participants will have the opportunity to discover EU institutions from the inside, receive training from media professionals, and report on EU regional policy during a study visit to Brussels.

🗓️ Find out more & apply by 7 July 2026: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/communication/partnership-with-media/youth4regions_en

EU REGIO Interreg

📣 Calling cities from Ukraine and Moldova!

A new programme is launched just for you!

What’s on offer:
🌍 Mentoring and cooperation with EU cities
🧭 Study visits and exchanges with peers across Europe on urban resilience, revitalisation and more
💶 Tailored support and funding to design and test urban actions (up to EUR 40 000 for 10 selected cities)

Curious to learn more? 📅 Join the info session on 24 June!

🔗 Apply by 16 July 2026: https://urbact.eu/news/join-urbact-accelerator-ukraine-and-moldova-bespoke-learning-programme-cities



European Committee of the Regions, Europe in my region, URBACT UKRAINE, Urbact în Moldova, Асоціація міст України, Congresul Autorităților Locale din Moldova

Registrations are now open for the Macro-regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days 2026!

Taking place on 8–9 July in Brussels 🇧🇪, the event will bring together the eight EU Macro-regional and Sea Basin Strategies to:

🧭 Reflect on the new Commission’s priorities and what they mean for the Strategies

🇪🇺 Discuss how the Strategies can contribute to post-2027 Cohesion Policy and EU delivery frameworks

🤝 Strengthen exchange, coordination and cooperation among the eight Strategies and key stakeholders

🚀 Build on the 2025 outcomes, especially on governance, visibility, embedding and joint action

Register by 24 June: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/whats-new/conferences/EU-strategies-days-2026_en

Calling all citizens and civil society representatives who want to help make EU rules simpler and more effective!

The European Commission wants to hear from you. 💬

Its Call for Evidence on the Citizens Omnibus Initiative invites contributions on how to reduce administrative burdens and make EU legislation more citizen-centred.

📝 Share your views by 19 June 2026!

📅 On 16 June, the technical dialogue on district transformation will also contribute to this process in Rome, gathering perspectives on the better use of existing buildings and inclusive, affordable, resilient and sustainable housing investments.

Find out more: https://urbact.eu/whats-new/call-contributions-citizens-omnibus

🏘️ How can cities turn housing ambition into action?

Ahead of the next EU City Lab on Housing, we explore why Brussels is exactly the kind of place to discuss affordable housing delivery.

With 19 municipalities, layered responsibilities and very different neighbourhood realities, the Brussels-Capital Region brings many of Europe’s housing challenges into one compact urban setting.

Read the article to learn what city practitioners can expect from the EU City Lab on Housing, taking place in Brussels on 15–16 October 2026.

Find out more here: https://urbact.eu/whats-new/articles/bruxelles-eu-city-lab-housing