{"id":28828,"date":"2021-01-12T17:13:54","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T17:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogsnew.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=28828"},"modified":"2021-01-12T17:13:54","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T17:13:54","slug":"urbact-on-small-cities-surviving-covid-19-without-frequent-sharing-we-would-have-felt-more-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=28828","title":{"rendered":"URBACT on small cities surviving Covid-19: \u2018Without frequent sharing we would have felt more alone\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Cities have been using agility, creativity and community spirit to respond to the challenges of Covid-19, and URBACT shares stories from some of their network of smaller municipalities, where helping residents and businesses through the crisis goes hand-in-hand with sustainable integrated urban development.<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2026 Stakeholder engagement, cross-sectoral cooperation, integrated planning\u2026<\/p>\n

…Learning from other cities\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

URBACT writes:<\/p>\n

With most of Europe\u2019s urban population living in communities of under 100,000 inhabitants, these towns and cities are strongly represented in URBACT networks, some working alongside major metropolises. \u201cIf we want small cities to be resilient, they\u2019re going to have to develop confidence and capacity \u2013 and that\u2019s where URBACT comes in,\u201d says Wessel Badenhorst, Lead Expert for the\u00a0URBACT iPlace network<\/a>. And what a year to put that resilience to the test.<\/p>\n

Covid-19 challenges for small cities<\/h3>\n

Although small cities generally record lower infection rates than their bigger neighbours, the pandemic has exacerbated the economic challenges they were already facing. The burdens of empty town centres, lack of economic mobility,\u00a0and\u00a0isolated, ageing populations have\u00a0worsened, while trading conditions for\u00a0small and medium enterprises\u00a0have also been hit by\u00a0public health measures.\u00a0Smaller cities whose economies rely\u00a0predominantly on one activity\u00a0such as\u00a0tourism, hospitality, transport or logistics are particularly vulnerable.<\/p>\n

To find out how smaller URBACT cities have been surviving Covid-19, we contacted council staff, elected representatives, local group leaders and urban experts in eight EU countries. We discovered significant variations in the impacts of the pandemic \u2013 and city reactions \u2013 not just due to infection rates, public health measures or budgets, but to a multitude of\u00a0factors, from economic diversity and main industry to\u00a0local politics, demographics and\u00a0geographical location. Levels of digitalisation and integration of local services also affect how each city copes with the crisis.<\/p>\n

Despite these differences, four key URBACT principles shine through cities\u2019 Coronavirus responses.<\/p>\n

1. Stakeholder and community engagement<\/h3>\n

Positive relations with citizens and stakeholders have been helping smaller municipalities coordinate responses \u2013 a factor strengthened by\u00a0URBACT Local Groups<\/a>\u00a0(ULG). \u201cOn one side smaller cities have fewer resources to face this situation. But on the other side, since the community is not as big, it\u2019s easier to get in touch with the stakeholders,\u201d said Daniel Castej\u00f3n Llorach, from\u00a0Igualada<\/a>\u00a0(ES), whose pandemic experiences we share\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Community actions have grown in 2020, boosting the \u201cfeeling of belonging to our town,\u201d says Alicia Valle, City Council Manager,\u00a0Viladecans<\/a>\u00a0(ES), a change she hopes will last. \u201cCitizens\u2019 solidarity was awakened and we showed the capacity to help and find solidarity with others in situations where we really needed each other.\u201d Initiatives include volunteers supporting older residents, businesses donating equipment, and employment schemes for disinfecting playgrounds. In\u00a0Fund\u00e3o<\/a>\u00a0(PT), for example, the Professional School joined the Centre for Migration and 30 volunteers to produce masks using donated material.<\/p>\n

Smaller councils say good relations with local businesses help provide information, connections and communications support. In the coastal university town of\u00a0Halmstad<\/a>\u00a0(SE), Chief of Staff Anna Wallefors says this has supported \u201cvery agile\u201d smaller manufacturers shifting to products such as PPE, hand gel \u2013 even Covid-themed t-shirts. Despite this, she says \u201cwe\u2019ve been hit hard \u2013 it impacts everyone\u201d; unemployment rose from 4-5% to 8-10%. In industrial\u00a0Gabrovo<\/a>\u00a0(BG), where a strong manufacturing base means the economy is not slowing, the city tracked the health of 55 local companies in an online survey, anticipating future employment.<\/p>\n

Examples of sustainable community responses also include\u00a0creative outdoor events<\/a>\u00a0and active travel in\u00a0Mantua<\/a>\u00a0(IT). Meanwhile, a host of city-run websites linking consumers and producers look set to continue promoting local business while reducing carbon footprints.\u00a0Medina del Campo<\/a>\u2019s (ES) eCommerce site \u2018Medina Shopping<\/a>\u2019 has boomed during the pandemic.\u00a0Viana do Castelo<\/a>\u2019s (PT) centralised platform \u2018Viana Market<\/a>\u2019 features over 100 retailers, one of many Covid-19 initiatives developed with the agricultural cooperative, local business and digital economy groups.<\/p>\n

UBRACT provides a structure and methodology for such stakeholder involvement. For example, in\u00a0Viladecans<\/a>, after initial lockdowns in the spring of 2020 the\u00a0URBACT Local Group<\/a>\u00a0met online to plan a response to new education needs. As a result, ULG members \u2013 from schools, families, companies, universities and the city\u2019s Educational Innovation Network \u2013 started to define an initiative to provide ICT training and support to teachers and families. Viladecans has inspired other cities in the\u00a0URBACT OnBoard network<\/a>\u00a0to explore similar participative approaches. Schools in Halmstad now involve parents, businesses, sports clubs, something the city\u2019s OnBoard coordinator Jonas \u00c5berg says \u201cnormally wouldn\u2019t happen at all\u201d.<\/p>\n

2. Cooperation across sectors and levels of government<\/h3>\n

The sort of close links that URBACT encourages between sectors and municipal departments, and with other bodies at local, regional and national levels, are vital to small city resilience. Anna Wallefors says strong cooperation is central to Halmstad\u2019s response, with neighbouring municipalities, the healthcare system, and many local bodies. With just six municipalities in the region, and 10 000 municipal staff, \u201cit\u2019s easier to work together\u201d.<\/p>\n

The regional hospital city of Viladecans relies on \u201cgood coordination with the sanitary facilities responsible for managing the pandemic,\u201d says Alicia Valle. The council coordinated a transversal work group including a Viladecans City Council steering group and representatives from the hospital and five geriatric centres. \u201cThe evolution of the pandemic was monitored and solutions were sought in addition to sharing protocols and what messages should be spread among citizens.\u201d A similar joint working group for school safety includes people from primary health care centres, the council\u2019s Education department and school educational teams.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in the agricultural\u00a0Jelgava Local Municipality<\/a>\u00a0(LV), Deputy Head of Development Anita \u0160kut?ne says: \u201cWe use a cross-sectoral approach in our everyday life in the municipality as it proves that you can achieve the result easier and faster when many interested parties or stakeholders come together and look for solutions.\u201d This has underpinned their response to the pandemic, with actions ranging from increased social support, food-package deliveries, and re-employment of cultural workers, to renovating public buildings and spaces while access is restricted.<\/p>\n

3. Learning from other cities \u2013 URBACT transnational exchanges<\/h3>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s\u00a0one place where small European cities feel comfortable and where they can learn from each other \u2013 and that\u2019s URBACT,\u201d says\u00a0URBACT Lead Expert Mireia Sanabria.\u00a0\u201cThere are very few other programmes where they can be on a par with bigger cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most cities in URBACT networks have been able to stay connected during the pandemic, moving their meetings online.\u00a0Spanning six countries, the URBACT\u00a0Card4All network\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0smart city project promoting digital \u2018citizen cards\u2019, is particularly timely. Caterina Fresu, Municipality of Sassari (Sardinia, IT) says her city\u2019s online services are improving as a result: \u201cThrough the URBACT programme we had the opportunity to confront our colleagues in partner cities almost every week, sharing problems and solutions and finding common ground. Without this frequent sharing we would certainly have felt more alone in facing an unknown and unpredictable challenge.\u201d Jurmala (LV), for example, shared how their municipality\u2019s citizen card enabled a valuable analysis of public transport use during Covid-19. \u201cAlthough still in an initial study phase, thanks to Card4all, during the lockdown important steps have been made in activating digital services for citizens in Sassari,\u201d concludes Catarina Fresu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most powerful thing is for people to stay together and overcome challenges together,\u201d says Gabrovo municipality\u2019s Desislava Koleva. With iPlace city partners, Gabrovo explored how to support vitality and re-open economies post-Covid. In\u00a0Amarante<\/a>\u00a0(PT), iPlace project manager and InvestAmarante director Tiago Ferreira says: \u201cThose discussions enriched all the participants. We felt lucky to have this opportunity to share ideas and access a network of support.\u201d Amarante\u2019s small size was \u201ca big advantage\u201d in terms of health. Tourists came back \u201cvery fast\u201d in the summer and economic clusters such as metalwork, woodwork and construction remained open.<\/p>\n

URBACT\u2019s transnational exchanges are also boosting resilience in Medina del Campo (ES). \u201cNot only thanks to the experience and knowledge of partner cities \u2013 which is always helpful,\u201d says ULG coordinator Juan Gonz\u00e1lez Pariente, \u201cbut thanks to networks with some of these cities which can help Medina to find new employment niches and resources.\u201d For instance, URBACT\u00a0CityCentreDoctor<\/a>\u00a0network led to synergies between Medina del Campo and Amarante\u2019s wine industry, creating new economic opportunities and lasting support.<\/p>\n

OnBoard partners agree. In Viladecans,\u00a0Sara Cerezo, OnBoard project support, says:\u00a0\u201cSharing experiences with URBACT partner cities has been truly useful and interesting. Each city had a different approach and different actions.\u201d And for Jonas \u00c5berg of Halmstad, \u201cstaying regularly in touch with the URBACT partners, sharing experiences and tips, in online meetings has been really helpful throughout the crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. The power of integrated sustainable planning<\/h3>\n

URBACT improves cities\u2019 capacities to build sustainable\u00a0Integrated Action Plans<\/a>\u00a0(IAPs) \u2013 boosting resilience to face unexpected challenges (see\u00a0Igualada<\/a>, for example). While some smaller cities have accelerated these plans to strengthen their Coronavirus response, others have been less lucky.\u00a0Hoogeveen<\/a>\u00a0(NL) was reviving its town centre with local stakeholders, thanks to an Integrated Action Plan built with the\u00a0URBACT RetaiLink network<\/a>\u00a0(2016-2018). Without the funds \u2013 or political support \u2013 to accelerate the plan during Covid-19, branding and public space improvements were cut, and about 15 central retailers shut: 50 shops now stand empty.<\/p>\n

But there are many positive stories:\u00a0Vic<\/a>\u00a0(ES) accelerated municipal measures to promote health and wellbeing while supporting the local economy. This included the “Vic city 30” programme to calm traffic, set a 30km\/h speed limit and promote sustainable alternatives like walking, cycling and public transport. The city now restricts motorised weekend traffic on main streets. \u201cThis measure responds to the need to be able to guarantee social distance, but also to the desire to move towards a more sustainable and healthy city, which gives priority to active travel,\u201d says Marta Rofin Serra, architect in urban planning for Vic municipality, and\u00a0URBACT Healthy Cities<\/a>\u00a0Project Coordinator. Vic has also extended and improved cycle lanes, and expanded pavements.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Gabrovo \u201cis very optimistic,\u201d says Desislava Koleva. With 29% of residents over 65, one long-term strategy has been to attract younger people to the city \u2013 a trend that has accelerated during the pandemic. \u201cYoung people in Bulgaria, mostly living in Sofia, have been coming back to their native cities. Young families have started to buy houses in the villages surrounding Gabrovo. So we will need to build new infrastructure and attractions.\u201d New to URBACT, Gabrovo is finding the iPlace network a particularly useful source of learning and benchmarking with other cities.<\/p>\n

Future hopes<\/h3>\n

For many smaller cities, though times are tough, Covid-19 has sparked lasting positive change. \u201cThe bad outcomes of the pandemic will force everyone to change the way we work or we worked so far,\u201d says Juan Gonz\u00e1lez Pariente in Medina. Sassari\u2019s council has recognised the importance of digitisation, training, and distance-working technology. Caterina Fresu hopes that \u201cthe emergency may turn into an opportunity to start the transformation of Sassari into a Smart City.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cities have also seen the value of clean air and healthy lifestyles. \u201cIf there\u2019s one good thing that has come out of the Covid crisis, it\u2019s the environmental improvements such as reduced traffic, cleaner air,\u201d says Mantua Deputy Mayor Adriana Nepote. \u201cWe need to be resilient not as individuals but as European citizens. We need to implement the idea of community and being more generous, and then we need to learn \u2013 this could be considered a great opportunity for all of us to implement and develop new ways of living.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, says URBACT Expert\u00a0Mireia Sanabria: \u201cAlthough it\u2019s still too soon to prove just how instrumental URBACT has been, those cities that have been involved in URBACT projects, and have used the methodology and incorporated this way of working, have probably reacted better during the pandemic. If the public administration has these capacitated teams, if it has the flexibility and the technology to react in these situations, it makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

URBACT will continue to support cities of all sizes, working closely with the programme\u2019s\u00a023 Action Planning Networks<\/a>\u00a0over the next two years. Does your city have experiences to share? Let us know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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