Workshop on the implementation of the urban agenda in Europe, organised by CSI, Eurocities, UNICA and Aurora | Amsterdam, 18-19 Nov 2024

Registration is now closed

We are happy to announce that UNICA has partnered with three other organizations committed to promoting societal development by addressing urban challenges – the City Science Initiative Network, Eurocities, and the Aurora Alliance – to organize the workshop “Methodologies for addressing urban challenges in Europe. How academia and cities can jointly create practical impact in cities?”.

The event will take place on 18-19 November 2024, at the Auditorium City Hall in Amsterdam.

Schedule

DAY 1 – 18 November:

• 12.00 – 13:00: Registration and welcome sandwich lunch
• 13:00 – 17:30: Programme
• 18.30 – 21.00: Thinking dinner

DAY 2 – 19 NOVEMBER

• 09:00 – 12.30: Programme and closing
• 12.30 – 13.30 Lunch

Concept note

The collaboration between academic institutions and cities holds tremendous untapped potential when it comes to addressing urban challenges. Universities often possess the expertise, research capabilities, and innovative thinking necessary to tackle complex issues like housing, sustainability, and public health. Cities, on the other hand, offer real-world laboratories where these academic insights can be tested and applied.

However, despite this clear potential synergy, there remain significant blind spots in this collaboration. In many cases, partnerships between academia and urban policymakers are either underdeveloped or underutilized, leaving valuable knowledge and resources on the table. These blind spots can stem from differing priorities, communication gaps, or even institutional barriers that prevent meaningful engagement.

This workshop aims to explore the underlying reasons behind these blind spots and investigate how we can better align the goals of academic institutions with the practical needs of cities. By identifying these obstacles and fostering stronger partnerships, we can unlock the full joint potential of universities and cites to address pressing urban challenges.

To address this, the workshop brings together different networks of universities and cities to explore where these blind spots lie and how these networks can collaborate more effectively. Establishing connections among these networks and formulating an initial agenda for collaboration by identifying key themes and methodologies that can guide future joint efforts, will be one of the key components of the workshop.

Target groups: Representatives of UNICA member universities responsible for the university’s third mission (service to society, civic engagement, outreach) and/or the implementation of institutional sustainability strategy; university staff working on the development of urban policies; academics and experts in urban studies.