URBACT III: Volunteering Cities
URBACT is a European learning and exchange programme launched in 2002 and co-funded by the European Union and the Member States, which promotes sustainable urban development by enabling cities to collaboratively develop solutions to major urban challenges, reaffirming the key role they play in the face of increasingly complex societal changes, and integrating and improving the effectiveness of regional and cohesion policies.
Following URBACT I (2003-2006) and URBACT II (2007-2013), the new edition of the European territorial cooperation programme URBACT III (2014-2020) contributes to the Europe 2020 objectives by providing a mechanism to develop knowledge and skills for all actors involved in the implementation of urban policy. These new skills acquired through participation in the programme will contribute to stronger and more vibrant European cities and help to address emerging urban issues linked to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (the three Europe 2020 priorities).
The URBACT III programme is organised around four main objectives:
- Policy-making capacity: enabling cities to manage sustainable urban policies and practices in a participatory and integrated manner.
- Policy design: to improve the design of sustainable urban policies and practices in cities.
- Policy implementation: implementing integrated sustainable urban strategies and actions in cities.
- Building and sharing knowledge: ensuring that practitioners and decision-makers at all levels have access to shared knowledge on all aspects of sustainable urban development to improve city development policies.
To achieve these objectives, URBACT III aims to develop three types of actions: transnational exchange, capacity building and capitalisation and dissemination.
