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Half-time update

The EUPLETT project started in January 2014, which means that we have now moved into the second half of it. For those of you who need a reminder, EUPLETT is an exchange-project set up to fuel new ideas on urban planning and to create vibrant town centers using the process of citizen dialogue. Five towns from different parts of Europe have come together to work and collaborate on urban planning issues. adidas superstar aliexpress The towns that are represented and participate in the collaboration are Dubrovnik in Croatia, Schouwen-Duiveland in the Netherlands, Køge in Denmark, Ballymena in Northern Ireland and Falkenberg in Sweden. nike air presto nike air max thea The project of EUPLETT is funded with the support of the European Union under the programme ”Europé for Citizens”. adidas stan smith pas cher homme During 2014, we had 3 events within the EUPLETT project where we met and worked together.

  • First we met in Falkenberg in March for a kick-off for the project. The participants got to know each other and got the chance to start discussing urban planning, the Europe 2020 strategy and citizen participation. adidas femme pas cher The programme for the event included lectures, workshops, town walks and presentations.
  • In May we met again in Dubrovnik. A conference was held about democratic processes from EU level to local level. The content of the conference focused on dialogue between town stakeholders as well as strategies for urban planning with examples and speakers from different parts of Croatia. The programme for the event also included lectures and workshop including a town walk about the future of the historic centre.
  • The last event of 2014 took place in Schouwen-Duiveland in late September and early October. The event included a one-day conference with invited guests on the theme of keeping towns vibrant. Other themes that were discussed during the event were public participation in urban planning and place branding. The partner participants got the chance to walk and bicycle around two of the municipality towns.

The events have gathered people with many different backgrounds, experiences and knowledge who all have an urban development interest in common. nike huarache Participants from the five partner towns have been architects, recreational managers, traffic consultants, EU coordinators, democracy developers, business owners, social housing experts and university researchers (among many other professions). nike flyknit In total, 250 people participated in the 3 events. chaussures nike air max More than half of these were citizens, politicians and other stakeholders who took part in the event activities. The mix of people and views on town development has created a dynamic environment and resulted in many interesting discussions throughout the 3 meetings.   Events and plans for 2015 3 events are planned for in 2015:

  • Køge, 17-20 of March . The programme for the event is already finished. There will be a one day conference called Absolutely Urban. Partners will also visit KØS (Museum of art in public spaces) and discuss culture in public spaces.
  • Ballymena, 2-5 of June – the programme for the Ballymena event is not yet ready, but public realm planning and strategies will be discussed.
  • Falkenberg, 16-19 of November. This will be the final event and combine an opportunity for partners to wrap up and finish the project with an opportunity for the public in Falkenberg and surrounding areas to discuss and learn more about town planning.

Between events a youth activity will also be carried out locally by all partners and will be presented at the final event in Falkenberg in November. The aim with the activity is to involve young people and encourage young ideas on town development and spatial planning. In each partner town a group of young people will work with finding one place/area they like and one place/area the dislike and explain why. In more general terms, we expect 2015 to give us the opportunity to:

  • Find 3 new project ideas for partners to work with after the EUPLETT project has finished.
  • Work together to deepen the knowledge and understanding of a sustainable town planning.
  • Finish an e-book including recommendations and collected experiences about town development and how to create a vibrant town centre.

From a Falkenberg perspective, expectations are that 2015 will give us even more inspiration and opportunities to discuss, share, learn and reflect on the work we and our partners do. Hopes are also that we can find shared interests in other fields and establish new future partnerships and collaborations. Regarding public participation, we will hopefully continue to discuss and share experiences between partners in order to find new and improved ways to involve our citizens in our urban planning projects.