Conclusion of 2024
Vibrant Cities as theme of the year
During the past year, Vibrant Cities – how to develop attractive and sustainable urban environments? has been on the agenda for the network. Throughout the spring, several morning meetings – focusing on how to create attractive urban environments in the city center, neighborhood areas and on a regional level – lead up to discussion on how smaller and larger cities can be developed in symbiosis, during the lab in Lund and Genarp in September.
The conclusion is divided into three parts witch you can reach through the links below. There you’ll gain insights from the past year, featuring perspectives from the NCN secretariat, Gehl, Lund Municipality, and Nordregio on the following topics:
Part 2: The Lab in Lund and Genarp
Part 3: New Nordic Urban Development – start-up in 2024 and plans for 2025
Summarizing conclusions from the NCN-year:
- The Importance of Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: During the lab in Lund discussions emphasized how collaboration and structured partnerships around projects have been crucial for the positive changes in the cities, rather than the physical projects themselves. To find solutions for the complex burning challenges we are facing today we need to invent new collaborations across municipalities, across private and public sectors, across departments and with the citizens of our cities.
- (Future) Themes for Urban Development: Climate and community are high on the agenda for all member cities. How do we adapt our cities to the challenges posed by a new and more extreme climate? And how may the planning process and design of the physical environment contribute to inclusive, caring, and vibrant local communities that also encourage reducing emissions? Several new agendas are expected to impact future urban development, including health and well-being, urban mobility, reduced need for space, slower city growth, cohesion across the municipality, and the relationship between housing supply and workforce needs. During the NCN year these themes were highlighted as central to future development.
- Long-term Commitment: The lab emphasized that urban och rural development is not a project but a long-term, ongoing effort. It requires continuous exchanges between the municipality, residents and other stakeholders. This approach ensures that the development meets the needs of the community over time.