Specific Challenge:

The increasing percentage of people living in urban areas and the impact of digital technologies on public services make good governance, inclusive policies, smart planning and social and environmental sustainability ever more important for ensuring the quality of human life. Urban environments and agglomeration effects provide an ecosystem for economic growth and innovation. While the impact of the recent financial crisis on European urban areas is by no means uniform, it has led in many instances to rising socio-economic inequalities that are affecting social cohesion and resilience. The challenge is to identify the main drivers of inequalities in different urban and peri-urban contexts and to identify best practices and initiatives, including digital solutions and alternative participatory growth models, with potential for upscaling that can promote upward social mobility, social inclusion and cohesion, resilience and sustainable development.

Scope : Research and Innovation action (2019)

Proposals should assess the scale, dimensions and drivers of socio-economic inequalities in urban and peri-urban settings across different city typologies, across Europe and across demographic diversities, paying particular attention to gender differences. They should assess the effectiveness at local level of relevant policies, strategies, planning practices and other interventions aimed at promoting social inclusion, cohesion and resilience in urban environments, including new and participatory models of growth that foster sustainable and equitable prosperity. Findings should be communicated also in the form of clearly formulated policy recommendations.

Expected Impact:

By linking research, innovation and policy, the action will support urban strategies, policies and planning practices to promote equitable, inclusive and sustainable growth, including the uptake of new, participatory and alternative growth models. It will contribute to the advancement of the EU Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goal dedicated to making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. It will also inform the continuous development and implementation of Smart Specialisation^[3] as well as the urban dimension of cohesion policy^[4].