Urban Doers Community
The Urban Doers Community is an initiative of the DUT Partnership that supports urban initiatives by connecting them to research and innovation, mobilising local knowledge(s) and experiences across Europe to inspire and translate the locally tested activities to other contexts.
Group picture of the first 20 initiatives of the Urban Doers Community. Photo by: Mario Palumbo
The first edition of the Urban Doers Community was launched in 2023. With over 190 submissions from 24 countries, this pilot call demonstrated a significant interest from urban niche innovators eager to engage with European research and innovation programming. During the course of a year, 20 selected initiatives came together to exchange experiences, build networks, and amplify their impact.
» Read more about the initiatives
Who is an urban doer?
Urban doers are typically urban niche innovators, be it urban community associations, NGOs, micro enterprises, neighbourhood initiatives, social entrepreneurs, activist groups, civil society organisations, designers and other actors from the cultural and creative sectors with a high ambition to drive change in cities. Often characterised by a high do-it-yourself ethos and strong community basis, these initiatives engage in the implementation of small-scale, experimental approaches that address specific urban challenges within a confined, everyday-life context.
12 policy recommendations: for cities, national institutions and the EU
The Urban Doers Community has co-developed 12 policy recommendations with insights into how localised, community-driven approaches can and support European ambitions for sustainable, inclusive urban transitions. These policy recommendations provide actionable steps to drive sustainability-oriented transformations in cities, addressing the expected short and long term impacts and the key stakeholders needed to implement the proposed actions.
» Policy Paper: Bridging urban niche innovation and European ambitions |
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How do local initiatives support citizens and municipalities to drive change in cities?
Associations, grassroots organisations and small business initiatives can act faster and in more boundary-pushing ways, compared to the slow bureaucratic pace of change in public administration. This is why DUT believes that urban doers can support city policymakers driving effective transformation in cities. In the video below, four of the initiatives share examples of how they are improving the circularity of materials, empowering communities, influencing urban mobility plans and establishing alternative ways of producing and consuming energy.
Video: Urban doers initiatives shared experiences from driving change in cities at an event in Lisbon.
Urban Lunch Talk: Urban Doers – Local Initiatives Driving Cities Transformation
In this Urban Lunch Talk, two of the urban doers’ initiatives engage in a discussion with representatives from NetZeroCities and the European Commission on how the transformative potential of local initiatives can be leveraged.
Contact point:
If you have questions , please contact the Urban Doers Community contact point:
Lisa Hudson-Bushard
Lisa.Hudson-Bushart[@]dutpartnership.eu