NEWSBULLETIN URBACT JANUARY 2013

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A stimulating Annual Conference looks forward to URBACT III

http://urbact.eu/en/news-and-events/view-one/news/?entryId=5218

"Play your part, share your experience, make sure your voice is heard", advised Johannes Hahn,
European Commissioner for Regional Policy, opening the URBACT Annual Conference "Cities of
Tomorrow: Action Today". The message was not lost on the 417 urban practitioners, policy makers
and elected officials from across the European Union who had gathered in Copenhagen last
December for two days of intense exchange of ideas and expert testimony on solutions to the
challenges faced by EU cities. Here are the highlights.

A proof of success of the all-important 2012 URBACT Annual Conference in December was the
appearance of Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, as one of its headline
speakers. He gave outright encouragement to the URBACT programme, present and future, during
the current negotiations over Europe's future funding period:  "I urge you to follow the process over
the coming months closely and actively," he told delegates in the opening plenary session.

Plan for the world's first CO2-neutral capital

And what better city to host the event than Copenhagen? Its Lord Mayor, Frank Jensen, told
delegates that the city had just adopted a plan to become the world's first CO2-neutral capital by
2025 "because we believe that sustainability and sustainable urban development is critical if we are
to create jobs and economic growth, as well as quality of life for our citizens".

Snow was on the ground and the temperature was down to -7C but that did not stop delegates from
following a treasure hunt around the city sights, then later traveling to dinner across the redeveloped
port on an ice-breaker vessel.

Confidence in URBACT's role

The conference came at a critical juncture in European development. Against a backdrop of

challenging economic times, negotiations are continuing on the European Commission Cohesion
Policy budget for 2014-20 and there is much debate within Europe about the importance of urban
projects for Regional Development Funds.

At the political panel discussing European Union (EU) responses to urban challenges, Claes Nilas,
Permanent Secretary of State and Deputy Minister at the Danish Ministry of Housing, Urban and
Rural Affairs, and chair of the URBACT Monitoring Committee, said he had confidence in URBACT
alone to fulfill this role. That confidence was reiterated by Michael Ralph, advisor to the European
Commission's Director-General for Regional and Urban Policy, who stressed the importance to the
EU of the next chapter: URBACT III.

Lessons from the wider world

Jan Olbrycht, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and President of the Urban Intergroup,
caused controversy by pointing out that the EU is made up of member states, not cities. But he said
that the EU appreciated the importance of cities. The draft legislation on European Regional and
Development Fund (ERDF) requires only 5% of funding to be earmarked for urban projects. But such
a low figure should not be a cause for dismay: that 5% was a minimum, he said, and countries could
decide to spend 100% of their funding on urban schemes if they wished to.

In another plenary session, Europe was learning lessons from the wider world in the panel debate
"European Cities in an Urban World". Where once Europe had exported its know-how on cities, now
it had much to learn from rapid urbanisation in Asia and citizen involvement in urban development in
New York or Rio de Janeiro.

Buzz and feedback from the URBACT Café

So much for the bigger picture, but what about the local grassroots level? Perhaps the biggest buzz
came from the popular URBACT Café, where delegates could make their voices heard by exchanging
their own experiences and ideas around tables designated for each nationality. The lively discussions
produced valuable feedback for the next stage of the URBACT strategy.

After the projects and Local Action Plans, there was a general demand for greater professional and
practical support from URBACT, notably for it to provide advice on how to access European funding
streams to implement those plans, and to supply training for city staff and elected representatives.

Participants were eager to receive advice on many aspects of governance, from dealing with
austerity and migration to Public Private Partnerships. They also praised the Summer University and
will no doubt be looking forward to the next one, in Vilnius, this year.

Six workshops in coloured hats

The lessons learned from URBACT projects were the subject of six separate workshops: How can
cities create more jobs; How can cities foster active inclusion through social innovation; How can
cities fight against the socio-spatiale divide; How can cities manage demographic change; How can
cities improve buildings' energy efficiency; How can cities develop low-carbon environments through
better mobility and accessibility. It was another chance for delegates to participate in the debates.
The workshop leaders wore eye-catching hats, a different colour for each subject, to present their
themes, and delegates were urged to make their choice – and then follow the appropriate hats to
join the group!

In these workshops, drawing on URBACT results and other studies, experts and academics identified
the keys to the challenges facing cities. But when they reported back to the plenary session, the
coloured hats were all mixed up on the platform. It was a graphic way of highlighting the message
that there can no longer be a "silo mentality" to city policy-making and problem-solving: all the
subjects benefit each other.

Thought-provoking messages

As MEP Jan Olbrycht stressed in the opening session, cities need to consider the three pillars of
sustainable development – smart, green and sustainable growth – as overlapping ideas that must be
dealt with holistically.
It was one of the many thought-provoking messages that delegates took away with them at the close
of a rewarding conference experience.

To find out more, all post-event materials including workshop presentations and reports are
available on the URBACT Annual Conference website.

Read more:

 Post-event Materials - URBACT Annual Conference website

 Annual Conference Output - European Cities in an Urban World - URBACT website
 Annual Conference Output - EU responses to urban challenges - URBACT website
 Annual Conference Output - Report on the URBACT Café - URBACT website

Working with Roma people: what can Bruce Springsteen

teach us?
http://www.blog.urbact.eu/2013/01/working-with-roma-people-what-can-bruce-springsteen-teach-
us/#more-1711

By Béla Kézy, Nagykálló

photo by Chris Boland www.distantcloud.co.uk

On July 12 – just two weeks after the Roma-Net thematic workshop in Torrent – I travelled to
Vienna to watch a concert. A live performance of a 64 year old man, who created magic for
nearly four hours in front of 50.000 people! Although this wasn’t the first time I had seen
Bruce Springsteen live, this concert made the biggest impact on me. No small feat from an
artist who’s been standing in the limelight for more than 40 years! Now, you may rightly say,
this is nice and all, but what has it got to do with Roma integration? Bruce Springsteen
worked his magic with a community of 50.000 people that night. So I think ‘The Boss’ might
have a couple of things to say to those working with Roma communities:

Rule No. 1: Love what you do!

It was obvious that Springsteen and every single member of his band enjoy what they do!
Though playing for more than 3 hours non-stop is exhausting and requires serious
concentration, the audience never felt this for a moment: the band played fantastic music that
created a joyous atmosphere.
Working with Roma communities is a difficult task, with many challenges day in and day out.
The only way to do it really well is if you love what you do. Without this passion, it is not
possible to work with the necessary dedication, especially when things feel really hard and
almost insurmountable!

Rule No. 2: Believe in what you do!

There is no doubt – Springsteen fanatically believes that he has a mission in this world: he has
used his music to improve the life of as many people as possible – to motivate, inspire, give
joy and faith! And he does exactly that, everyday, from concert to concert, record to record!
Working with Roma communities also requires a strong faith and belief in what you are trying
to achieve, no question about it! But when we can make a positive impact on the life of so
many people, every small success is absolutely worth it.

Rule No. 3: Make a real impact with the community you are working with by being with
them as much as possible!

In Vienna, a “catwalk” was attached to the front of the main stage, allowing Springsteen to
walk into the audience. And he did exactly that quite often: he sang most of the songs there,
while the enthusiastic fans could see him up close, shake hands with him, and participate in
his music. With every move he made he sent a clear message: “I am just like you, what’s
more, I am one of you!”
Sometimes, those working with Roma people find that under the pressure of daily tasks,
administration, project work and deadlines they have less and less time for actually being with
the communities they are working with. This doesn’t work. If you want to make a real impact,
you should spend as much time as possible talking and walking with the Roma community!

Rule No. 4: People trust you – trust them in return!

The “Boss” trusts his fans and believes that they will do the right thing in the end. And they
do! At one point during the concert, a couple of overly enthusiastic guys sprang on stage;
instead of calling for the security men, Springsteen greeted them with a smile, shook hands
and let them walk around the stage. After a couple of seconds they left the stage without any
force necessary.
This is an excellent analogy for how we should all work with Roma people. It is impossible to
work with Roma communities without trusting them. But as the example demonstrates: the
more open and trusting you are with people, the more they will trust you and demonstrating
this through each other actions really works.
Rule No. 5: Listen to the people!

A concert is not a request program – the songs played are carefully selected. Fans of the Boss
know that if they want a request they have to write the title of the song on a large piece of
cardboard and get to the front section of the arena so that The Boss can collect it (together
with many others) and hopefully play it! He can’t do every request, but he always does a few.
If you are really serious about helping Roma communities, being with them is only a good
start – you also have to really listen to them! You have to understand them and their culture as
well as their needs. You also have to find creative ways – even if it is difficult – to exchange
honest discussion about their thoughts, ideas, fears and wishes; and to be honest about what
you can and cannot do for them and with them. (In Torrent, we saw how the Local Support
Group have used some of the planning processes learned through Roma-Net to be really
innovative about the ways they help Roma people to openly share their ideas!)

Rule No. 6: Serve your community, but once in a while, make some dreams come true!

At one point at the concert in Vienna, Springsteen lifted a young girl from the audience on the
stage and danced with her. Then he called up a boy, gave him the microphone and he sang
two lines in front of 50.000 people! It was obvious form the looks on their faces that a dream
had come true for them both at that moment! The Boss knows well, that he has to serve all of
his audience – but from time-to-time he can also make some dreams come true without
hurting the interests of the entire community. And he does it, because he knows: moments like
these are really motivating for every member of the community!
Working with the Roma community is a similar experience: we have to be aware of the needs
of the whole community but in making some critical changes to the way we work with our
Roma communities through meeting their needs and being culturally sensitive we can actually
change not only the lives of Roma people but that of the wider community too. The more we
make those changes and see positive results; the more the wider community will want to
engage with Roma people and help them to make further changes too.

Bruce Springsteen (and the E-Street Band) made magic in Vienna – as he no doubt did at
every venue of the tour. We might say that It’s easy for him as the concerts are only visited by
people who are already his fans. But Springsteen came from a difficult working class
background and had a million reasons not to make it to where he is today. Only through
passion, determination, commitment and dedication; as well as the ability to tell compelling
stories from the heart about his background through his songwriting; he has gradually won the
trust of millions. He motivates, inspires and consoles his “community” with faith, enthusiasm
and with energy that belies his age. In fact, just like those of us committed to helping the
cause of Roma in cities across the EU; “The Boss” knows that helping people, working with
and for a community is a rewarding and beautiful service and something to be proud to be
involved in for us all.

Roma Net is holding its final conference on Jan 15 – 17 in Budapest and Nagykallo.