UIA Knowledge Lab

Improving social housing in Zugló: Not just the hardware, also the software!

The mentoring programme for social housing tenants E-Co-Housing is about refurbishing an old building into an environmental-friendly, smart and inn...

Not a worm this time: a virus and the wood sector

How can a global sanitary crisis affect a single construction project in Budapest? A taste of the housing crisis in 2021 in Budapest: “The renta...

Cities engaging in the right to housing

Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) and URBACT are joining forces to push the right to housing...

E-Co-Housing Journal 1: More than a house

UIA Expert Annette Kuhk “elaborates on the ambitions of the E-Co-Housing project, with a zoom-in on the specific location (Gizella út), the programme ...

Journal 3: Home Silk Road - 1 Year On

Home Silk Road's implementation officially ended in October 2002. However, the project did not suddenly stop. Ending the temporary occupation has been...

The End of the Home Silk Road

At the end of October 2O22, the Home Silk Road project officially came to an end. Six months later, this article looks back at the project’s achieveme...

Meet CCO Villeurbanne: A Laboratory for Cultural and Social Innovation

An interview with Harout Mekhsian, Director, CCO Villeurbanne. ...

Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy in the Home Silk Road Project

An interview with Mathieu Fortin, Social and Solidarity Economy & Entrepreneurship Officer at the City of Villeurbanne. ...

Zoom in 3: The Situation of Homeless Families in the Home Silk Road project

This Zoom-In digs into the inclusion dimension of the Home Silk Road by exploring the current situation of the homeless families who are being accommo...

Temporary Urban Planning to Address Homelessness Gains Ground in Villeurbanne, Grand Lyon

This article shows how the Home Silk Road project is part of a bigger strategy to use temporary urban planning and architecture to provide solutions t...

Cooking up an Inclusive City!

Article on the opening of BaklAAVA restaurant/caterers on the Home Silk Road site...

Innovating in the time of COVID19

A look back at the impact of COVID19 on Home Silk Road ...

Point de CHU…T: Rap, Slam & the City for All!

Point de CHU...T is a rap and slam project developed at the initiative of young people living in emergency shelter on the site of the Home Silk Road U...

Home Silk Road Journal 2: Get an update about Lyon's project

This journal describes implementation challenges in the second phase of the Home Silk Road project. This project is testing an innovative housing solu...

Home Silk Road and Housing First in the Metropole of Lyon

This Zoom-In takes a close look at how the Home Silk Road UIA Project fits into the broader Housing First strategy of the Metropole of Lyon. Housing F...

Journal 1: Putting vulnerable people at the heart of the city

UIA Expert Ruth Owen presents Lyon’s initial challenges, the most relevant of which is “the participative approach for co-implementation. Using cultu...

BRICK-BEACH: a missed opportunity ? Zoom-in 3

The BRICK-BEACH project is in a delicate situation due to problems related to the delay in obtaining the pertinent administrative authorizations and t...

Zoom-in video on BRICK-BEACH project

Construction and demolition waste is always seen as one of the main barriers for implementing a circular economy. Instead, in Velez-Malaga they saw it...

BRICK-BEACH: A new impetus for the project, but will be it enough?

In this 5th Journal, Miguel Lucena will guide you through the most relevant news of the last 6 months for BRICK-BEACH project. With the approval of th...

BRICK-BEACH journal - facing Covid 19 and other challenges

In this fourth Journal of BRICK-BEACH project, UIA Expert Miguel Lucena reports on the advancement of the project till March 2020. With the project at...

A circular economy project for the citizens, with the citizens: BRICK-BEACH engagement process - ZOOM IN 2

The first Zoom-in published in January 2019, was intended to give an overview of the BRICK-BEACH project and collect the opinion of the partners invol...

BRICK-BEACH Journal 3: overcoming some of the challenges related to its infrastructural activities

In the third Journal of BRICK-BEACH, UIA Expert Miguel Lucena shows how the project is currently overcoming some of the challenges related to its infr...

BRICK-BEACH UIA Expert Journal – tackling illegal dumps and recycling waste to recover its lost beach

UIA Expert, Miguel Lucena, gives a first look on how the project is being implemented ...

BRICK-BEACH Journal#2

This second Journal of BRICK-BEACH reports on the advancement of the project till March 2019 and focuses on the activities realised in different areas...

Journal 4 Earth Cycle

Industry is back to the city: Earth Cycle could be a model for urban sustainability! - Zoom in 2

“The workshop noises have disappeared, overalls too, replaced by white collars and screens and click workers”. Pierre Veltz, French territorial econo...

Journal 3 Earth Cycle

In this third journal, we will present a questioning about the replication and upscaling of the Earth Cycle model in the Parisian Region by placing it...

Earth Cycle Zoom-In 1: An urban developer for a circular economy based on ‘Georesource’

One of the key players of the project Earth Cycle is the urban developer as he is an end user and promotor of new technologies. ...

Earth Cycle Journal 2: New challenges and new perspectives

UIA Expert Youssef Diab presents “the major recent evolution of the project, regarding the new implementation site and the business model (partnership...

Earth Cycle Journal 1: Building blocks to re-localise economy

Policy context, objectives, current questions and future perspective of Sevran’s project....

US4F Journal 5: Successful and active urban community gardens

UIA Expert Daniela Patti reports on the period between February and November 2020 during which “all sorts of contests were carried out for the product...

US4F Journal 4: How cities should organise their food production and distribution systems

UIA Expert Daniela Patti explores Maribor’s experience with “what has happened to the urban gardens, mainly focusing on the possibilities of the futur...

US4F Zoom-in 2: How to setup a short food chain distribution platform?

UIA Expert Daniela Patti provides details how Maribor “wants to improve the local food distribution chain through the development of an online platfor...

US4F Journal 3: Community gardens are open!

UIA Expert Daniela Patti reports that “Urban Soil 4 Food has entered the operational phase! Just like the preparation of the soil for the planting, ju...

UrbanSoil4Food Zoom-in 1: Soil for our future!

UIA Expert Daniela Patti “explores the importance of soil and how the project is creating new one through urban organic and construction waste (excava...

Urban Soil 4 Food Journal 1: Read about the project’s initial progress

Get to know what Maribor is doing in the first UIA Expert journal!...

URBAN SOIL 4 FOOD Journal 2: The new urban gardens are blooming

Maribor is ready to open up for the next stage of the project! ...

Journal n 06: Urban Infra Revolution: The Urban Infra Revolution project implementation

The article summarizes the project implementation and comments the most important problems that occurred during the project. Despite the difficulties,...

The Urban Infra Revolution project Journal 5: get an update about Lappeenranta's project

The fifth edition of the Journal describes and analyses the progress of the Urban Infra Revolution (UIR) project in the last six months, from March 20...

Virtual and Augmented Reality as Innovative Tools for Supporting Project Implementation - ZOOM-IN 3

3D modelling makes it easier for citizens to understand and comment on planned developments in the Urban Infra Revolution project. The use of modern A...

Get an update about the Urban Infra Revolution project - Journal 4

In this fourth edition of the Journal, UIA Expert Kinga Korniejenko describes and analyses the progress of the Urban infra revolution project from Oct...

Do we need innovations? 3D printing technology for construction materials - ZOOM IN 2

The second zoom-in of Urban Infra Revolution, UIA Expert Kinga Korniejenko focus on exploring the technology of 3D printing geopolymer composites and ...

UrbanInfraRevolution: technical solutions and challenges in the last 6 months

The third Journal of Urban Infra Revolutions describes and analyses the progress of the project in the last six months, from March 2019 to end of Sept...

Mechanical activation of geopolymers at Lappeenranta-Lahti University

The development of a new kind of circulative geopolymer composite material based on side streams of local industries is strongly promoted by the Urban...

Urban Infra Revolution UIA Expert Journal – reducing emissions in urban construction development

UIA Expert, Kinga Korniejenko, gives a first look on how the project is being implemented....

Durability of the materials used and other technological challenges faced by Urban Infra Revolution

In the second edition of the Urban infra revolution Journal, UIA Expert Kinga Korniejenko provides an overview of the development of the project by fo...

Do we need innovations? Zoom-in on geopolymers composites

Making the construction sector circular is one of the main challenge for the implementation of a full circular economy. The Urban Infra Revolutions pr...

Super Circular Estate Project, Journal no. 5, Municipality of Kerkrade

Super Circular Estate (SCE) Project illustrated potential of reactivation of resources within existing built environments and helped us understand bet...

Kerkrade Zoom-in 3: The monitoring process and its results

UIA Expert Elma Durmisevic interviews Michiel Ritzen from ZUYD University on the monitoring process of the Super Circular Estate project and its resul...

SCE Journal 4: State of the art construction of three circular houses

UIA Expert Elma Durmisevic explains how the “three new houses have been constructed by reusing more than 90% of materials from the existing building a...

Super Circular Estate Journal 3: Kerkrade’s challenges

UIA Expert Elma Durmisevic tells us how “the SCE consortium is already finalising the construction phase of the three new houses made of reused materi...

Super Circular Estate Zoom-in 2: How BRX could support reuse of building materials

One of the lessons learned from Kerkrade’s project “regarding future buildings, is that reuse potential of building products need to be embodied into ...

Super Circular Estate Journal 1: Get to know the project’s first steps

The UIA Expert unveils Kerkrade’s initial achievements in the first journal....

Super Circular Estate Zoom-in 1: Circular versus conventional building process

UIA Expert Elma Durmisevic zooms into the differences between circular and conventional building process through interviews with the key members of th...

Super Circular Estate Journal 2: Next steps

Take a look at the latest developments around Kerkrade’s project. ...

Last UIA Antwerp Circular South Journal: Circularity as a new framework for cities

This last journal of the UIA Antwerp Circular South project accounts for the evolution of the project after UIA funding was stopped. It details the di...

Making the most of solar energy in the new residential area of Antwerp Circular South (3rd Zoom-In)

This Zoom-In presents the different features of the solar energy system in Antwerp Circular South as well as the challenges it has faced due to the cu...

Antwerp Circular South Journal 5: Last Mile and Wrapping Up

“The Antwerp Circular South project is entering its final stage in strange times. As the rest of society, it has been affected by the current Covid-19...

Antwerp Circular South Journal 4: Well into the project, but far enough?

UIA Expert Marcelline Bonneau reveals that “some specific aspects are becoming more prominent now: showing the added value to both residents and owner...

Antwerp Circular South Zoom-In 2: “What if you could see how much energy you consume at home and that you could change it?”

UIA Expert Marcelline Bonneau reveals how “the Circular South Project started with their “nudging experiments” to test innovative ways of supporting c...

Antwerp Circular South Journal 3: Half-Way Through State Of The Art

In her latest Journal, UIA Expert Marcelline Bonneau reports that “almost everything is ready, and the experimentation can start. It is finally becomi...

Antwerp Circular South UIA Expert Journal – changing consumption behaviours for a more circular economy

UIA Expert, Marcelline Bonneau, gives a first look on how the project is being implemented ...

Antwerp Circular South Journal 2: Moving towards direct implementation

Antwerp Circular South has begun unfolding. ...

The difficult transition for consumers towards more sustainable practices

Read the opinion of Marcelline Bonneau, UIA expert for the Antwerp Circular South project, on supporting sustainable consumption practices....

Antwerp Circular South Zoom-In: CIRCUIT in the focus

UIA Expert Marcelline Bonneau presents the first steps of CIRCUIT – the Circular South Community Centre. As she explains, “the Antwerp Circular South ...

Reducing the burden of pollution-related diseases in cities

SPIRE Journal 3: Overcoming the challenges

Following the triple bottom line (TBL), the SPIRE project initially tackles the challenges urban ecosystems suffer at the nexus of the economy-society...

SPIRE Start-Ups Mentoring Programme: building a culture of innovation

How do culture and creativity influence innovation in our cities? What is the role of technical and economic knowledge? Building a culture of innovati...

Transforming Geospatial Information (GIS) into urban knowledge in Baia Mare

Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) are infrastructures to capture, store, manage, analyse, chart, and visualize information, data, and indicators of...

SPIRE Journal 2: The project moves forward

This is the second journal of the Smart Post-Industrial Regenerative Ecosystem (SPIRE) project since its creation on 1st September 2019. The impact of...

What do E-WALLETS have to do with environmental protection?

If we consider money as a social technology, we could agree that it should never be "neutral". Now as the world is immersed in this global pandemic an...

Baia Mare community in action

The ecological transformation and recovery of five contaminated areas in Baia Mare, along with the significant environmental behavioural shift from ci...

Resilient cities after COVID-19: the need for green infrastructure

The impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the severe climate trends has shown how visionary the SPIRE project is, reclaiming and enhancing Baia ...

Re-naturing cities through phytoremediation: How Nature Based Solutions can make a difference.

One of the essentials of the SPIRE project that appealed all the parties involved from the beginning, as well as the newcomers, is “the magical” abili...

SPIRE Journal 1: get to know the latest project achievements

This is the first journal of the Smart Post-Industrial Regenerative Ecosystem (SPIRE) since its start on 01/09/2019. SPIRE, led by the Municipality of...

Creating new social and economic value: Restoring the urban ecosystem

This article is the first to review Baia Mare and the SPIRE project (Smart Post-Industrial Regenerative Ecosystem), financed under the 4th call of the...

Urban soil decontamination for citizens’ health

Pollution is one of the most significant environmental challenges worldwide; according to the European Environmental Agency, the management of pollute...

CartujaQanat - Journal 3: A 10°C reduction with ZeroNet energy consumption in open spaces is possible. Sevilla made it.

The Sevilla CartujaQanat program is by design, an ambitious and particularly relevant program for regions facing extreme heat phenomena and for urban ...

Co-management and activation of large urban spaces in the era of climate transformation

This zoom-in article focuses on the New Governance and Social Innovation component of the project Cartuja-Qanat in Sevilla, which aims to propose an i...

CartujaQanat – Recovering the Street Life in a Climate Changing World Journal 2: How is Sevilla moving the needle in the fight to urban climate transformation

Sevilla in Spain, will be the battleground of Europe for extreme urban heat. A pilot space containing an amphitheatre, an underground gallery and open...

The Urban Commons in the era of public health emergencies: How Sevilla and the UIA community is problem-solving for safeguarding public space and public life in the face of increased risk

While images of empty cities made the world-tour and provoked understandable owe, empty and limited public space is in fact an imminent if not ever-pr...

More than sewage and water pipes. How a water company in Spain becomes a driver of urban transformation

The Metropolitan Water Supply and Sanitation Company of Sevilla (EMASESA) is the coordinating Partner in the Urban Innovative Actions Program ‘Cartuja...

Bringing together the key areas of Climate change, Social Innovation and Public Space revitalisation

In this Journal, UIA Experts Kostantina Karidi explores the achievements of the first year of the Sevilla CartujaQanat project across eight selected g...

Innovation and Circular Economy – Bold Approaches from UIA

Circular Economy is at the centre of many UIA projects. At the moment, UIA funds eight projects within the topic of Circular Economy under Call 2. Out...

SPIRE Zoom In: Plantahlon and Phytoremediation in Baia Mare

The Plantathlons activities carried out in baia Mare during spring 2021 created a collaborative ecosystem supporting citizens-led actions and enhancin...