October 2024

The DUT City Panel Identifies Priorities in Three Transition Pathways

The City Panel, a forum designed to facilitate exchange and cooperation with cities and their representatives, opened to new participants last week. Together, participants discussed sixteen challenges in breakout groups online, focusing on ‘City-wide Change vs. Local Interventions: Balancing System and Place Based Approaches’.

Insights from the City panel guide DUT’s priorities in funding calls

The cities have are at the core of projects funded by DUT. This is reflected in the fact that to receive funding, DUT projects must have at least one urban authority as a cooperation partner.

In this context, DUT invited municipal public officers to an online City Panel in order to gather their views on the challenges cities face and their needs to address them. The conversation aimed to inform and contribute to developing a new DUT Call, to be launched in 2025.

Vivian Duompa, a Board member of Placemaking Europe, presented at the City Panel a place-based approach to urban transformations, followed by Jordi Peris Blanes, form the University of Valencia, who focused on a system-based approach.

 

“It is important to take a holistic perspective. You can’t develop projects to pedestrianise areas and include green infrastructure without incrementing gentrification processes”

– Jordi Peris Blanes, University of Valencia

 

Main Priorities for the Three Transition Pathways

15-minute City

Participants discussed how planning around mobility questions influences how space is used in cities. When referring to the 15minCity application to medium-sized cities, participants pointed out other areas that can face similar challenges.

For instance, tourism can significantly impact the quality of life and mobility opportunities in contexts, such as islands. An increase in tourism is an example of ‘rapid transformation’, and participants agreed that quick actions to change mobility behaviour together with implementing policies are needed. What these actions and policies may be is yet to be defined. 

Circular Urban Economy

The most discussed topics were ‘adaptive reuse of existing structures’, such as spaces, buildings and even components, as well as ‘maintenance and repair’ of abandoned buildings and green areas. Participants referred to examples such as a centre for collection of building waste in Sweden, and the need for aligning the planning and building warrant system in some cities in the UK.

Another issue with high priority was ‘public procurement for circularity’, and the need to increase knowledge and expertise among those in charge of setting the procurement criteria.

Positive Energy Districts

When considering civil preparedness, the need for an energy system and solutions to be resilient and robust against digital attacks was one of the main challenges discussed in the PED-focused group.

In addition, local community-based solutions were highlighted due to their potential to balance shifts in national politics. Groundwater was also seen as a potential source of local energy generation.

 

» If you are interested in joining the City Panel or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us:  citypanel@dutpartnership.eu.

 

The City Panel visiting a circularity focused centre in Umeå. Photos credit: Nathalie Näslund