A call for Good Practice

In early December URBACT launched a call for Good Practices, inviting Europe’s cities to put forward their most effective examples. The call remains open until 31st March. (...)

What do we mean by Good Practice?

URBACT’s focus is on sustainable integrated urban development. Working in line with the EU 2020 goals, the programme is closely aligned to the EU’s eleven Cohesion Policy Thematic Objectives. It also closely corresponds to the priorities established by the Urban Agenda for the EU.

This means that we in turn prioritise those environmental, economic and social challenges that cities face. Correspondingly, we anticipate that these will be reflected in the Good Practices that emerge from this call. We are looking for successful examples addressing the issues commonly faced by cities throughout Europe – and increasingly beyond. 

What does this actually mean? We anticipate that the eventual line-up of good practices will offer variety – not only in their thematic coverage but also in their scope. For instance, some may offer a systemic city-wide approach to a particular challenge. An example of this from the pilot projects came from Södertälje in Sweden, which has developed an integrated approach to local food production and consumption.  We may also see specific ‘project’ approaches, such as the distinctive model developed by Bremen to reutilize empty public buildings. In both cases, although the city authority performed a key enabling role, other stakeholders – including NGOs – had vital parts to play. 

In assessing the submissions, there are four key criteria that URBACT will use to select those with greatest potential. Our four key questions relate to:

• Relevance: Does the practice address an issue widely faced by Europe’s cities?


• Fit with URBACT principles: Does it reflect the sustainable and integrated approach?


• Evidence: What difference has it made?


• Transferability: What is the transfer potential? (...)