16 cities come together in Romania for Peer Review #4
We excitedly accepted our hosts’ proposal to use the administrative buildings pertaining to the Petrila colliery as the unusual but highly relevant setting for our event. This venue will surely encourage all participants to the peer review to dig deep (pun intended) into the unique context and challenges faced by our host, the Jiu Valley functional urban area. And it will certainly create unforgettable memories!
9 cities under review were selected earlier this year to benefit from a Peer Review. The three cities under review to have their Sustainable Urban Development strategy reviewed during our Peer Review #4 are: Jiu Valley (functional urban area, Romania), Ústí nad Labem (Czechia), Prievidza (Slovakia). As always, the review will be led by peer reviewers, i.e., urban practitioners from across Europe, who will share expertise and help our cities under review improve their strategies and learn from their best practices.
Our team of experts will facilitate learning and sharing and will make sure that both cities under review and peer reviewers have a rich and interesting exchange throughout the plenary sessions, break-out room workshops focusing on specific challenges, as well as the engaging site visits.
Some of the challenges that the three cities will work on are:
- Achieve an active participation of citizens, build trust and implement participatory processes;
- Use innovative funding approaches, also by involving private investors;
- Build a strategic vision at multi-level scale (FUA, metropolitan cooperation);
- Set realistic and achievable indicators;
- Implement a project selection process that prioritises integration.
If you too are working on Sustainable Urban Development strategies, a new call for Peer Reviews to be held in 2025 will open this autumn. We are looking both for cities that wish to put forward and design or improve their strategies, as well as urban practitioners willing to share their knowledge and expertise. Check here the details of the activity and stay tuned for more details by subscribing to our newsletter.