In April 2026, a new call will be launched under the URBACT IV programme, with possilbe involvment of fortress-related topics and members of FORTE CULTURA and EFFORTS Europe. Some of the well-know fortifications or fortified cities are located in municipalities that already have well-established experience with this programme.
Einzelheiten
- Expected opening: April – June 2026
- Focus: Integrated urban development planning, participatory regeneration, and good-practice exchange among cities.
- Relevance: Ideal for fortress cities developing urban transformation strategies, community revitalisation projects, or sustainable tourism plans.
- Co-funding: ERDF covers up to: 65 % for more developed regions, 70 % for transition regions, and 80 % for less developed ones. State co-financing is available = municipal coverage about 10 – 20 %.
- Project budget: usually €400,000 – €900,000
- Smaller projects: around €400,000, often covering studies, planning, workshops, and knowledge exchange.
- Larger projects: €700,000–€900,000, including public space regeneration, pilot implementations, and multiple city partners.
- An Action Planning Network is the right fit for your city if you want to:
- Get inspired by other cities across Europe
- Develop and implement actions in response to your local challenges
- Strengthen your skills in participatory and integrated policy-making
- Make a difference at local level
- Who?
- Municipalities, regional and national authorities, metropolitan areas, specialised municipal agencies, districts and boroughs – and other levels of governance that are mentioned in the terms of reference for specific URBACT calls – are eligible to apply to take part in URBACT Networks.
- Citizens, civil society, NGOs, academia and private sector who are based in an URBACT beneficiary city can also get involved with an existing Network through the URBACT Local Group. Every beneficiary city has to set up an URBACT Local Group to gather relevant people who have a stake or interest in co-designing integrated local policies. Local stakeholders join these groups as members on a voluntary basis and without financial compensation, nonetheless, they can benefit from transnational visits, trainings and closed capacity-building events.
- Tip: start preparing partnerships between fortress cities across different countries — URBACT requires at least 8 partners from various EU or partner states.
🔗 URBACT – Get Involved
🔗 Source: URBACT.eu – Get involved
Previous experiences
Here are three URBACT Action plannig network projects that include cities close to FORTE CULTURA and EFFORTS Europe networks, which could potentially be used for further project development. From other cities with URBACT experiences we can mention for example: Berlin (DE), Milan (IT), Turin (IT), Warsaw (PL), Brussels (BE), Helsinki (FI), Antwerp (BE), Krakow (PL), Lille (FR), Strasbourg (FR), Kaunas (LT), Maastricht (NL), Liège (BE), Zadar (HR), Hradec Králové (CZ), Arad (RO), Timișoara (RO) and others.
MAPS project: Koblenz (DE)
The project Public space regeneration through reuse of former military heritage (MAPS, under URBACT) aims to strengthen the capacity of European cities to design and implement sustainable, participatory and inclusive urban development policies by transforming abandoned or disused military sites into vibrant public spaces and urban commons. Led by the City of Piacenza (Italy), the project focused on mapping and analysing former military assets, engaging local stakeholders and communities, revitalising urban spaces with social, cultural or recreational functions, and enhancing institutional skills to promote social cohesion, sustainable urban development and heritage‑aware planning. With a total budget of approximately €744,101.06, financed by the ERDF and co‑financing sources, the project ran from September 2015 to May 2018.
- Lead Partner:
- Piacenza Municipality (Italy)
- Project Partners:
- Varaždin (Croatia)
- Cartagena (Spain)
- Espinho (Portugal)
- Koblenz (Germany)
- Longford (Ireland)
- Serres (Greece)
- Szombathely (Hungary)
- Telsiai (Lithuania)
Re-Gen project: Verona (IT), Daugavpils (LV), Pula (HR)
The project Public space regeneration through integrated urban sports hubs for the participation of young citizens (Re-Gen, No. 20269) aims to strengthen the capacity of European cities to design and implement sustainable, participatory and low-carbon urban development policies by transforming abandoned or unused public spaces into inclusive urban sports hubs. Led by the Verona Municipality (Italy), the project focuses on mapping and analysing targeted urban areas, engaging young people aged 10–18, revitalising public spaces through sport-based activities, and enhancing institutional skills to promote social inclusion, gender equality and green transition principles. With a total budget of €847,130.50—financed by the ERDF (80%), state co-financing (10%) and local government contributions (10%)—the project runs from June 2023 to December 2025.
- Lead Partner:
- Verona Municipality (Italy)
- Project Partners:
- Lezha Municipality (Albania)
- Business Innovation Center of Albacete (Spain)
- Daugavpils State City Local Government (Latvia)
- Municipality of Vila do Conde (Portugal)
- Kapodistriaki Development S.A. (Greece)
- Municipality of Pula (Croatia)
- Dobrich Municipality (Bulgaria)
- Municipality of Milan (Italy)
Residents of the Future: Šibenik (HR), Alba Iulia (RO)
Die Residents of the Future – Finding Solutions to Influence Urban Shrinkage project involves Šibenik (Croatia), Alba Iulia (Romania), and other European cities, aiming to tackle population decline in medium-sized and smaller cities. The project focuses on developing Integrated Action Plans (IAPs) to retain existing residents, attract new ones, and support returning talents, combining cultural heritage, smart city elements, public participation, and green transformation. It is part of the first Call for Action Planning Networks under URBACT IV (and the call was open from JAN to MAR 2023). Through this collaboration, Šibenik and Alba Iulia work on strategies to enhance living conditions, increase urban attractiveness, and strengthen community engagement while sharing good practices across European cities.
- Lead Partner:
- Šibenik (Croatia)
- Project Partners:
- Alba Iulia (Romania)
- Iisalmi (Finland)
- Mangualde (Portugal)
- Mantova (Italy)
- Plasencia (Spain)
- Saint-Quentin (France)
- Saldus (Latvia)
- Trebinje (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
See all the other projects HIER.
Map of cities ever involved HIER.
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