In need for inspiration and insights in what happens in our European cities on the ground? Then you are in for a treat. The Transnational Meetings of the sub>urban network not only focusses on studying a specific challenge in the fringe areas of our cities, but also tackles the question how you can make a change as an urban planner. Our recap of the TM is not just another report, but a peek through the door of what really is important: the energy and atmosphere of the people at the meeting, the discussions during the walks, the exploration of the sites and talking with the citizens. Let us know what you think of this newest edition of the Book of Ideas. Enjoy reading!.

This issue is set in Casoria – a municipality of Naples – and talks about how Urban Planners can transform private space in the fringe area.  What can you expect? 

• New insights and interviews on transforming private space.
• How Casoria experiments with the topic on the ground.
• Inspirational methodologies to engage with stakeholders: stop talking - start acting.
• A handy toolkit that you can use as well as an urban planner.

Let us know what you think of this Book of Ideas, by mail: sub_urban@stad.antwerpen.be or on twitter: @sururbanfringe

urbact.eu/sub.urban

Click here to read the Book of Ideas

Building a suitable environment to address urban challenges

The Barcelona Metropolitan Area, in cooperation with Badia del Vallès Council, launched the Local Support Group (LSG) a few weeks ago to co-produce the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) under the Sub>Urban, reinventing the fringe URBACT network. Building a suitable environment to discuss complex urban ideas with professionals from completely different backgrounds and with different skills is already a challenging task. Including the real experts about the city, that's to say, people who live in it, makes the experience far more rich and interesting, but also more complex. Neighbours cannot be seen apart from the problems and limitations they meet on a daily basis. Big concepts, great ideas and nice designs do not mean much to them if they don't meet real results. Besides, Badia neighbours are usually quite critical towards administration practices. So we really do have a big challenge ahead but also a great chance to create a very solid process that will include complementary approaches: technical and not technical. Moreover, we will have to work hard together for more than a year co-writing an IAP, co-managing the communication and co-planning the pilot actions and the open events.

Read more here.

Antwerp interviews Brno in our 'The Curious neighbour' section

Brno‘s allotment gardens have a long tradition in the city, with the first one dating back to before the WWII. The majority of the gardens were founded in the 60s and 70s, which is also the case  for our pilot area. This brought the city of Antwerp to ask the city of Brno how they will deal with the allotment gardens by developing the pilot area?

A change over time

Some parts of the gardening areas have a) spontaneously been turned into housing areas during the last decade, without proper technical infrastructure to support this, however, b) gotten a change of purpose, from production of vegetables and fruits into recreation, and 3) been neglected, deteriorating and even being occupied by homeless people. Ownership of the allotment gardens includes both individual private owners of small gardening plots as well as larger enclosed gardening areas rented by the city districts to the gardening associations.

Opening up the fringe

Brno‘s department of urban planning has ordered an urban study to investigate which areas would be suitable for other purposes and which of them should be kept long term as a part of the city greenery.The study envisions the allotment gardens in the pilot area as city greenery. We would however like to negotiate opening up enclosed areas and taking away barriers, both physically as mentally, to pedestrians in the area.

Challenges

Gardeners who have to cease activities because of the development, could be offered an alternative garden to rent in a different part of the city. However, since there is no “central register” in Brno for the gardens, the city currently cannot guarantee that there actually are  alternative plots available for rent. Nor do we know if it would be acceptable for the gardeners (especially for elderly people who usually have a strong attachment to their plot or do not want to commute across the city).
Since the gardeners are aware of the real value of the land in that area, some individual owners prefere to turn their gardens into family housing and are applying for a building permit or selling the land for the price of a building site, even though development is not yet possible. Usually they get sold very quickly.