Registration Deadline: 28th September 2018
Come to Brussels from 8 to 11 October to change your perspective and get inspired! Over 170 working sessions, networking events and project visits will be organised in Brussels as part the 16th European Week of Regions and Cities. Under the headline ‘For a strong EU Cohesion Policy beyond 2020’, the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission’s Directorate-General of Regional and Urban Policy join forces with 13 other Directorates-General and 3 Executive Agencies of the European Commission, around 140 regions and cities grouped into 22 regional partnerships, and a number of other stakeholders, to offer an exciting and innovative programme for the European Week of Regions and Cities 2018.
#EURegionsWeek 2018 RSA UNIVERSITY SESSIONS
How to sign up? The University sessions are free to attend but as places are limited, we recommend signing up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. To register for the RSA sessions, please select the filters ” ORGANISER – Regional Studies Association” and click on filter button. Then click on the session title, read the description and If you are interested click on “Add session” button. To sign up for these and other #EURegionsWeek 2018 sessions, please go to https://europa.eu/regions-and-cities/programme/sessions_en
Revitalising Regional Economies through Smart Specialisation and Industry 4.0
October 9, 2018; 09:30 – 13:00; Code: 9WS29
This session explores how regions can take advantage of the EU`s smart specialisation programme, the opportunities of digitalisation and the new manufacturing model, Industry 4.0. Expert speakers will consider how policy can be harnessed to enable regions to attract new businesses, (re)-build local capacity, and mobilise local resources to become more innovative. The session will especially explore how lagging regions can exploit new market interfaces through adopting new technologies in services and manufacturing. Registered participants will be able to engage in a Q&A and reflect on the results of a pre-administered survey. The session will use the EWRC Conference app live.
Global linkages and territorial imbalances in Europe and beyond
October 9, 2018; 14:30 – 16:00; Code: 9WS96
In the context of economic growth, convergence implies that poorer cities and regions become increasingly similar in living standards with the richer cities and regions, owing to the tendency of the former to grow faster than the latter. During this session, you will firstly learn about the long-term trends in regional convergence in Europe and across its major global compares. Consequently, the session will explain the reasons why different levels of prosperity may persist in the long run, and how regions and cities can catch-up through improving their global connectivity and leveraging international flows of capital, skills and knowledge.
Circular & Smart Cities-Innovating Sustainability and Resource Efficiency in European Cities and Regions
October 10, 2018; 14:30 -16:00; Code: 10WS113URB
Better life with less resource consumption? Sustainable cities without ‘big (smart) brother watching you’? Circular metropolis in face of globalisation? – Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lisbon and Milan are showcases of circular & smart cities or regions. How do the concepts fit together and contribute to sustainable transformation of cities and regions? Where are synergies and how can cities exploit them? How can partnerships look like encouraging citizen participation and Business-to-Business-to-Consumer (B2B2C) models? – The workshop addresses local and regional stakeholders engaged in sustainability innovations with regard to smart city (ICT, 5G) and circular economy, e.g. in mobility, energy, waste or land use.
European Year of Cultural Heritage: cultural heritage and the built environment
October 11, 2018; 09:30 – 13:00; Code: 11WS111
2018 is the European Cultural Heritage Year under the theme of „Sharing Heritage”. Key actors in this context are cities and towns which provide important assets to the built environment. Successful transformations and adaptive reuse of urban built environment are vital in the context of developing more innovative urban ecosystems. This session will offer best practice examples of successful transformations of existing structures and adaptive reuse of building stock which can help cities in capacity building. The second part of the session will have an interactive panel discussion providing ample opportunities for comments, questions and feedback.
In addition, the RSA is also involved in the following session:
Migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and regional economic development
October 10, 2018; 09:30 – 13:00; Code: 10WS149
Europe is currently experiencing its worst global refugee crisis in recent history. The numbers of forcefully displaced populations have significantly increased with particular areas being mostly and disproportionally affected. This session considers ways in which European cities and regions can successfully address the challenge of hosting and integrating asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants, highlighting both the humanitarian imperatives as well as relevant socio-economic issues.