ESPON UK Network Bulletin 4/2011

Network News

ESPON partner finding

There are only three weeks left in which to submit proposals in the current ESPON Call, which closes on 21 March 2011. Forty-six new institutions have joined the ESPON Partner Café, taking the total of potential project partners to 330, and the LinkedIn group now has 187 members. Our Partner Finding pages have information on around fifty potential partners from various countries including France, Belgium, Poland, Romania, the Republic of Ireland and the UK.

ESPON UK network workshop presentations

The 'ESPON 2013 research and UK development strategies' workshop was held on 14 February and was well attended by researchers, policy-makers and practitioners. All of the speakers presentations are now available on the workshop webpage.

ESPON Financial Managers Seminar

The next ESPON Financial Managers Seminar will be held from 31 March-1 April 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. Any Financial Managers and First Level Controllers involved in ESPON projects are encouraged to attend, as the seminar will provide the opportunity to pose questions directly to the ESPON Coordination Unit on any aspect of the ESPON 2013 Programme. The deadline for registration is 18 March 2011. Please contact Istvan Horvath for more details.

DEMIFER final report published

The ESPON Applied Research project on Demographic and Migratory Flows Affecting European Regions and Cities (DEMIFER) has produced its final report. The projects objectives were to assess the effects of demographic trends and migration flows on European regions and cities and examine the implications for economic and social cohesion, taking the potential effects of climate change into account. The final report and case studies (including West Yorkshire and London) are now available. 

Cliff Hagues new World View blog

Cliff Hague, ESPON UK Contact Point Team Leader, has started a new blog called 'World View' in which he casts an experienced eye over whats happening in planning, regeneration and local economic development throughout the world. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Making the invisible visible a presentation by David Evers

David Evers (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Dutch ESPON Contact Point) gave a talk on 3 March 2011 at Liverpool University which focused on how territorial impact assessment (TIA) has been applied in the Netherlands to cohesion policy. His presentation can be viewed online.

Updating the evidence base on English cities

A new publication produced for the Department of Communities and Local Government provides an update to the 2006 State of the English Cities report. 'Updating the evidence base on English cities' considers new developments in the most critical urban issues, updates key indicators relating to city performance, and identifies gaps in the evidence base to support future policy making. 

Other publications

Civil society and cross-border cooperation

The Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT) has recently published a new issue in its Thematic Guides series focused on the involvement of civil society in cross-border cooperation. 'Civil society and cross-border cooperation' outlines a number of European initiatives including the URBACT Expertising Governance for Transfrontier Conurbations (EGTC) project which concluded that the involvement of civil society was one of the conditions for the success of a cross-border territory project.

URBACT Tribune 2010

The URBACT Tribune 2010 is now available which focuses on the question: Can European cities grow smarter, sustainable and inclusive? It includes an article by Gill Scott, Lead Expert of the Women, Enterprise and Employment in Local Development (WEED) project, on how cities can develop a more sustainable, inclusive and innovative way of thinking and living. Read it here.

Delivering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

The latest edition of the European Commissions Panorama magazine on regional policy is now available. This issue includes information and examples on how regional policy is supporting the Europe 2020 strategy for growth and jobs.

Other events

Got a question for Commissioner Hahn?

On 21 March 2011 from 3-4pm (CET) Commissioner Johannes Hahn will be taking part in a live web chat about the future of EU cohesion policy. If you have any questions or comments about the way EU cohesion policy should be managed in the future, or what the priorities should be, create a profile on the RegioNetwork 2020 website and log-in on 21 March at 3pm (CET).

Breaking patterns changing cities

The 43rd Annual SCUPAD Congress takes place from 5-8 May 2011 in Salzburg, Austria. The SCUPAD (Salzburg Congress on Urban Planning and Development) Congress will consider social, economic and environmental phenomena that break spatial patterns and change cities. More information and registration details.

European Regional Science Association (ERSA) Congress

This years ERSA Congress is being held in Barcelona from 30 August-3 September 2011 on the topic of New Challenges for European Regions and Urban Areas in a Globalised World. For further details, visit the event website.

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