Catalogue Cities-to-Cities #5 – URBACT good practices for sustainable urban development
Catalogue Cities-to-Cities #5 brings together Slovenian and international URBACT good practices that offer proven and inspiring solutions for sustainable urban development.
The Mesta >> mestom (Cities-to-Cities) catalogues were created to bring together good solutions to different urban challenges that can be adapted and implemented in Slovenian local communities. The first one (2017) was based on a set of good practices that have been recognised by the URBACT programme, and we have also included three Slovenian practices. For the second edition (2019), we have effortlessly collected fifteen Slovenina good practices that, in the opinion of IPoP colleagues, deserved more attention and, consequently, transfer to other Slovenian local environments. The third edition (2021) was produced exclusively by selecting the practices submitted by Slovenian municipalities and public companies throughan open call. Now we are please to present the fifth edition of the Mesta >> mestom catalogue, featuring 18 inspiring examples of sustainable urban development selected from the latest URBACT Good Practices published in autumn 2024. These are initiatives from European cities offer solutions that demonstrate effectiveness, an integrated and inclusive approach, transferability, and strong relevance to current urban challenges.
This year’s catalogue highlights all five Slovenian practices that have been recognised as URBACT Good Practices:
- innovative management of the urban forest and temporary use spaces in Celje,
- the Sončna šola energy community in Hrastnik,
- the Igraj se z mano inclusive festival in Ljubljana, and
- the transformation of disused wastewater basins into a biodiversity area in Ormož.
These examples show that Slovenian cities are developing innovative, collaborative and sustainable solutions that can inspire peers across Europe.
In addition to the Slovenian selection, the catalogue includes a curated set of international practices. These were chosen by experts from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia, and IPoP – Institute for Spatial Policies, within the project Support for Implementing Urban and Spatial Policy and the URBACT III programme.
The catalogue is available in Slovenian with short English summaries. Full English descriptions of the URBACT Good Practices are available at https://urbact.eu/good-practices
The selection was guided by several criteria:
- relevance for the Slovenian context, especially where comparable solutions are not yet common;
- similarity in city size to Slovenian municipalities;
- diversity of thematic fields, ranging from mobility, urban regeneration, greening and climate resilience to local economy, community participation and social inclusion;
- geographic and cultural diversity that offers insight into different European urban contexts.
The collection before you is not only a catalogue of successful projects, but also an invitation to learning, collaboration and knowledge transfer. We hope the practices presented will inspire ideas you can adapt and apply in your own community. Let this catalogue encourage further exploration of new approaches and support the joint creation of inclusive, resilient and forward-looking cities.
