NewsOctober2020

CEMR and its partners are pleased to announce the launch of the Green City Accord, a new European initiative to encourage cities to become healthier, cleaner and more environmentally friendly. Individual cities will volunteer to commit to achieving environmental improvements in five areas: air quality, water, waste, noise pollution and biodiversity.

“More than 70% of the European Union’s population lives in cities”, said Audrey Linkenheld, Deputy Mayor of Lille and Vice President of the Lille Metropolitan Area. “Therefore, addressing environmental challenges that pose risks to the health and wellbeing of our citizens starts at the local level. Cities must be the areas in which solutions really take off.”

The new initiative was presented during an online session of the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC), the great annual event showcasing local governments and their achievements.

https://www.ccre.org/en/actualites/view/4089

Registrations for POLIS 2020 Annual Conference go live

We are pleased to announce that you are now able to register to attend the POLIS Annual Conference.

The 4-day event, held from 30 November to 3 December 2020, provides an opportunity for cities and regions to showcase their transport achievements to large audience of mobility experts, practitioners, and decision makers.

Due to the disruption caused by COVID-19, this year’s conference will be held online; however, the sessions and panels remain as inspiring, interactive, and thought-provoking as ever. At a time when our cities are experiencing unprecedented mobility challenges, the conference will explore the obstacles and opportunities ahead.

https://www.polisnetwork.eu/news/registrations-for-polis-2020-annual-conference-go-live/

Participate in the Global Observance of World Cities Day

Urban October has been a fantastic success with over 550 events registered on our Urban October webpage. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this fantastic record and do keep them coming.

World Cities Day on Saturday 31 October marks the end of Urban October. The Global Observance hosted virtually by Nakuru, Kenya, provides a unique opportunity for all partner organizations to join in as attendees from across the globe.

Register now to be part of the Global Observance opening ceremony and Roundtables here. You will be sent the WEBEX links within 24 hours after submission. Registration closes at 18:00 East Africa time (EAT) on 29 October 2020.

During the morning of 31 October, you are invited to join the virtual audience for the high-level opening ceremony including speeches by the UN-Habitat Executive Director, the President of the Republic of Kenya, , Ministers, the UN Secretary-General (video) and other high level dignitaries, and witness the launch of the UN-Habitat 2020 World Cities Report – see the draft programme attached.

In the afternoon, starting from 12:45 pm (EAT) you are invited to participate in the virtual Roundtables directly and can post questions for influential global speakers to answer.

https://urbanoctober.unhabitat.org/

International New Town Day 2020

Last Friday, 16 October, it was the yearly International New Town Day. This year we co-hosted the online symposium Taking Back Housing! together with the Independent School for the City. Speakers from various countries talked about the challenges of alternative housing projects such as housing cooperatives. For New Towns this is an especially relevant theme given the need to diversify the housing stock in most of these cities. The cooperation with residents asks for a very different role of the local government which is not always easy for New Towns which have top down-planning in their DNA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV0oQ8wmMQU&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=independentSchool

IT Trans - going ahead

The dynamics of all circumstances surrounding COVID-19 still pose significant challenges for us all and imply a large number of questions and uncertainties. All members of the project team of IT-TRANS do everything possible to create a successful, efficient, pleasant and, above all, safe trade fair experience.
In close cooperation with the relevant public authorities, we have developed a solid protection and security concept.
https://www.it-trans.org/en/

Mobilising Mobility Webinar: MaaS - CIVITAS delivers

The concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) claims to offer a personal mobility package based on lifestyle needs and delivered through a single interface and subscription.
In this webinar, the CIVITAS SATELLITE initiative brings you examples of CIVITAS cities that have seen an opportunity on this trend and have worked on its implementation within their projects. ECCENTRIC partners have developed the MaaS readiness indicators to ensure that all possible aspects of the current situation are taken into consideration before the local environment is ready for MaaS.
https://www.eltis.org/participate/events/mobilising-mobility-webinar-maas-civitas-delivers

Age-friendly Cities 2021

AFC2021 designed to introduce Best Practices and served as a mechanism to create a deep understanding of what is involved in the creation of cohesive and sustainable age-friendly cities and provided the foundation to the creation of a global network.
http://agefriendlycities.com/

2021 Smart City Summit & Expo

As artificial intelligence technology develops, the applications begin to play a key role in government delivery of citizen services. Smart cities are entering to a new phase of Smart City 2.0 by integrating AI as well as IoT technologies into services. SCSE is Asia-Pacific’s most comprehensive Smart City event, and the most prestigious IoT solution fair in Taiwan. The event takes place from March 23-26 in Taipei.
https://en.smartcity.org.tw/index.php/en-us/

Accelerating urban innovation in the age of COVID19

Today, as a result of a global pandemic, we are seeing urban innovation, scheduled to deploy over many years, get deployed in weeks. Innovation has rocketed to the top of the city priority list. The benefits of today's accelerated innovation will have positive consequences that far outlive this current pandemic.
Join Dr. Jonathan Reichental, author of Smart Cities for Dummies, and John Paul Farmer, Chief Technology Officer at the City of New York, as they discuss the intersection of urban innovation and resilience, as well as practical solutions that cities can begin taking to prepare for future shocks.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/accelerating-urban-innovation-in-the-age-of-covid-tickets-122164979743

Smart Districts - fasttracking innovation webinar

As part of Public Sector Innovation Week 2020, Smart Dublin invites you to join our one-hour webinar ‘Smart Districts: Fast-tracking Innovation’. Thursday October 22nd, 11.00-12.00. Learn about the Smart Dublin ‘District Approach’ and how technology projects are helping to solve local challenges across the Dublin region.
https://smartdublin.ie/register-now-smart-districts-fast-tracking-innovation-webinar/

Team up for climate action!

In 2019, 31 local authorities in eight European countries took part in an energy-saving competition – in order to motivate building users to save energy at work or school, and to support implementation of Energy Management Systems.
Join us for the results
https://compete4secap.eu/euconference/

MaaS4EU Final conference

The MaaS4EU project partners are pleased to announce that the project final conference will take place virtually on 29 October 2020.
MaaS4EU is a three-year research and development project funded by the Horizon2020 Research and Innovation programme. The project brings together 17 partners from several sectors and backgrounds to provide viable evidence and solutions about the MaaS concept.
http://www.maas4eu.eu/category/news-events/

Sharing Cities’ Smart City Solutions Webinar: E-mobility

Eurocities are hosting a webinar series dedicated to presenting the smart cities measures that have been implemented in lighthouse cities of Lisbon, London and Milan as part of the Sharing Cities project.
http://wsdomino.eurocities.eu/eurocities/calendar/events_list/Sharing-Cities-Smart-City-Solutions-Webinar-Series-E-mobility-WSPO-BRXRVP

Webinar: How Europe is Moving MaaS – and Vice Versa

Europe is considered by many to be the birthplace of MaaS and this concept matures, MaaS in turn continues to push the region away from traditional single-car ownership and towards a multimodal model of mobility. It is through this symbiotic relationship that a "European Vision" of MaaS has emerged.
https://www.bigmarker.com/urban-mobility-company/How-Europe-is-Moving-MaaS-and-Vice-Versa

InnoTrans2020 new dates

InnoTrans2020 originally planned from 22 to 25 September 2020 has been rescheduled to 27-30 April 2021 due to the travel restrictions in place to contain the spread of Covid1-19.
https://www.innotrans.com/

WRLDCTY Virtual Festival - online event

WRLDCTY is the planet’s first and largest virtual event dedicated to cities, their citizens, culture and experiences. From October 22 – 24, you will have access to thought-provoking and inspiring presentations, conversations and experiences broadcast from the world’s best cities around the clock. Miss a session? Don’t worry. You’ll have the ability to replay sessions and experiences on-demand, both during and for up to a year after the festival.
https://www.wrldcty.com/

URBANXFEST Digital Conference 2020

UrbanXFest Digital Conference 2020 is a flagship initiative of the UrbanXHub vision for the future of city living. This conference will highlight ideas, concepts and solutions for enhancing and humanising everybody’s urban experience. There will also be discussions on how cities can change for the better after the Covid-19 global pandemic.
https://www.urbanxhub.com/urbanxfest/

1st Smart City Expo Tokyo

Reed Exhibitions Japan, Ltd. will newly launch Smart City Expo TOKYO, gathering all kinds of products/services related to Smart City & Compact City development at Makuhari Messe, Japan (Feb. 24 -26, 2021). Concurrently held with 4th Local Value Creation Expo, 1st Local Government IT Expo TOKYO, and 1st Local Government Expo TOKYO, Smart City Expo TOKYO will surely be the best gateway to enter Japanese market.
https://www.sousei-expo.jp/en-gb.html

Virtual ITS European Congress

November 9 - November 10
In this “post COVID” era, in which everything – including mobility – needs to readjust, ERTICO wants to ensure that debate about mobility of the future continues and that synergies amongst the ITS Community are further strengthened, leading to even greater and smarter mobility solutions. Despite the postponement of some of the largest events in the field, ERTICO has already begun to transform this challenge into an opportunity and is launching a revolutionary tool at the service of the ITS conversation: the Virtual ITS European Congress, to be held on 9-10 November 2020.
https://virtualitscongress.com/

Venice City Solutions 2020 - virtual

26-27 November 2020. Virtual
Venice City Solutions 2030 is a yearly event to advance in the local implementation of the SDGs by identifying and sharing existing tools available to local, regional governments and its partners. Each year, Venice focuses in one specific theme. This time around we are advancing on how Agenda 2030 can be a long-term planning instrument for the city and how the SDGs play a role to assess, analyze and create a future vision for territories. This year's edition will integrate the process of development of the UCLG Local4Action HUBs, a mechanism based on the showcasing of local experiences of implementation of the Global Agendas.
https://www.uclg.org/en/media/events/venice-city-solutions-2020-visualizing-agenda-2030-city

Space for Cities: From innovation to operation

A talk about concrete uses of satellite data and services to support cities' resilience and sustainability
Online workshop, 27 October 2020, 2 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.
Satellites offer reliable and objective information on soil, air, vegetation, and assets, which can be compared over time. This increases the amount and quality of data that city managers need to implement sustainable development strategies.
Despite the many successful examples of use of satellite-based services at the regional and local levels, and despite the programmes implemented at local and European scales to make available funds and to develop services that are increasingly sophisticated, satellite-based services are still considered as “innovation” rather than “practice”.
Eurisy (http://www.eurisy.org/) organises an online workshop to present and discuss solutions to use satellite data and signals, which can make a real difference for public managers willing to increase cities’ sustainability and resilience to climate change and critical events.
https://www.eurisy.org/event-space-for-cities-from-innovation-to-operation_182/about

Global Smart Cities Week

Smart Cities Week explores a new horizon with thousands of fellow smart city policy-makers and practitioners. Sessions are live and on-demand.
http://global.smartcitiesweek.com/

Report of the Tenth Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF10)

The report summarises WUF10’s remarkable achievements in terms of numbers, quality of presentations and debates, gender balance of speakers, an exceptional Urban Expo, the integrated spaces and the opportunities for encounters, exchange and partnerships. It also highlights examples of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable urban development for all, with a strong cultural component.

WUF10 was a call to action, an opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and make commitments we need to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UN-Habitat will continue working with its partners to fulfil the pledges and commitments made in the Abu Dhabi Declared Actions to ensure we leave no one and no place behind.

https://unhabitat.org/report-of-the-tenth-session-of-the-world-urban-forum

Mobilising Mobility Webinar Series: October

Our Mobilising Mobility webinar series continues this October with a fantastic schedule of speakers from across POLIS’s urban mobility projects. The webinars, which began in September, provide a platform for urban transport stakeholders to learn, discuss and share valuable experience and knowledge on how to integrate new transport solutions in local mobility policies, thus moving from European research to actual deployment and concrete implementation on the ground.

https://www.polisnetwork.eu/news/mobilising-mobility-webinar-series-october/

20th ICTC Conference postponed to 2021

The 20th ICTC Conference, originally scheduled for 14-16 Oct 2020 has been postponed due to Covid 19 restrictions nad will release more details in late 2021.
ICTC is pleased to announce and invite you to join us in late 2021 as we celebrate 20 years of the International Cities, Town Centres & Communities (ICTC) Conference. The 20th Anniversary Conference is our chance to reflect on where we have come from and the future direction of our cities, town centres and communities.
http://ictcsociety.org/ictc2020/

The next SITCE will take place in 2022

Stay digitally connected with the SITCE Webinar on 17 November 2020
With restrictions on large-scale events and travel still in place, the organisers LTA and UITP have made the decision to reschedule SITCE 2020 edition for 2022. We have made immediate plans to continue our engagement with the world of urban mobility by bringing you the SITCE Webinar this 2020! Scheduled on 17 November 2020, the SITCE Webinar will bring you two high-level sessions.
http://www.sitce.org/

JPI Urban Europe is ready to establish as the research and innovation hub for urban transitions and is working with the European Commission on a longer-term programme called “Driving Urban Transitions to a Sustainable Future”. We know that it takes all types of urban actions for the needed shifts to be realised. That is why we are happy to invite you to join us into this next phase on the journey towards a sustainable future and explore the next steps at the JPI Urban Europe Policy Conference on November 12, 2020, online.

https://www.delegia.com/app/netattm/attendee/page/98516

Security, Democracy & Cities 2021

Efus' next “Security, Democracy & Cities” international conference, which will follow up on the 2017 conference in Barcelona and Catalonia, will be held on 26, 27 and 28 May 2021 in Nice (FR). We encourage you to take part in the webconferences and events we will be organising in the upcoming months, which will serve as a basis for the exchanges to be held during this key event in the life of Efus

https://efusconference2021.eu/

Taking back Housing Symposium

16 OCT 2020 - Online International Symposium with International New Town Institute

During this symposium, speakers from the Netherlands and abroad will talk about the challenges of alternative housing projects, such as housing cooperatives, DIY builders, former squatters and developing architects. These projects radically challenge the conventional planning methods. There are many obstacles to overcome, mostly in the institutional unwillingness or inability to deal with non-professionals or with a not-for-profit approach. Who and what is holding back these projects? What can be done about it? During the symposium Taking Back Housing! we will bring together examples from the Netherlands and abroad to clearly state the problem and to formulate ways forward.

https://www.schoolforthecity.nl/tbh

56th ISOCARP World Planning Congress: online!

November 2020 – February 2021

The 56th ISOCARP World Planning Congress “Post-Oil City: Planning for Urban Green Deals”, originally scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, will now be celebrated fully virtual. Spread over four virtual stages to be organised between November 8, 2020 and February 4, 2021, the ISOCARP 2020 Congress will feature a rich programme of paper and case study presentations, panel discussions, keynote speeches, forums and special sessions, and presentation of ISOCARP Awards winning projects.

https://doha2020.isocarp.org/

Sustainable & Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships – URP2020

Under auspices of the Minister of the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) Anja Karliczek, the conference "Sustainable & Resilient Urban-Rural Partnerships – URP2020" will take place in Leipzig, Germany, 25–27 November 2020.

URP2020 will take place as hybrid conference. Registration is open! Get early bird rate till 30 September 2020.

We are closely following the COVID19 developments, WHO and German official policies and recommendations. URP2020 will take place in a hybrid format, i.e. there will be physical meetings in Leipzig open for digital participation and digital-only-sessions. This means, you will be able to actively participate and contribute to all sessions also remotely.

https://www.urp2020.eu/

Good news and bad news about Freight in the City

The bad news is that this year’s Freight in the City Expo is another casualty of Covid-19. We are disappointed as we had pulled together a great seminar programme and a wide range of exhibitors with innovative products and services. We will be back at Alexandra Palace next year with a new date, so put the 28 September 2021 in your diary.
The good news is that we have some great alternative ways for you to keep in touch with what’s new in the urban distribution market. We are planning a Freight in the City Broadcast Week in February to take our seminar programme online. More details will be announced soon.
https://expo.freightinthecity.com/2020/en/page/home

POLIS conference goes online

Following a record-breaking conference in Brussels and in view of the COVID-19 situation, the 2020 Polis Annual Conference – which was to take place in the Arnhem Nijmegen City Region – will now be held virtually from 30 November to 3 December.
Even though we will not be meeting in Arnhem-Nijmegen, this innovative city-region remains our virtual co-host for the conference!
https://www.polisnetwork.eu/2020-annual-polis-conference/

Smart Cities and Sport - online only

As we believe that sport has an important role to play on many fronts in a post-COVID-19 society, we are happy to confirm that this year’s Summit will take place exclusively online. So, please make sure to mark your calendar on 26-28 October 2020!
https://www.smartcitiesandsport.org/

2020
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September

2019
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2018
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2017
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2016
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2015
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2014
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

2013
January	February	March	April	May	June
July	August	September	October	November	December

Further archived news available on request from: Kate More