Project Conceptual Group Meetings Presenter: Paulina Schiappacasse Jianming Cai

Transition towards urban sustainability through socially integrative cities in the EU and in China Urban realities Social integration Urban sustainability

Socially integrative city Definition Socially mixed, cohesive, liveable and vibrant communities Compactness, functional mix, intra-urban connectivity play an important role Environmental quality, quality of public spaces, quality of life contribute to the well-being of the population Sense of community, sense of place, preservation of cultural heritage shape the city’s in- and outward bound image Investments into neighbourhood improvement, service delivery, infrastructure and quality of housing are important supportive measures Empowerment and participation of the population as well as social capital are indispensable

Socially integrative city 12 Characteristics: Urban planning and participatory design Reducing urban sprawl and promoting well-balanced land conversion from “rural” to “urban” and appropriate access to urban land Involving the different stakeholders in collaborative and participative planning and design processes on the different politico-administrative levels Urban environment Improving the environment and living conditions in urban areas for all Upgrading the physical environment in distressed areas Promoting efficient and affordable urban transport Assuring equal access to municipal services for all residents Local economy and markets Strengthening the local economy and labour market Strengthening (technical and social) innovation in cities and neighbourhoods opening up new possibilities for local population

Socially integrative city 12 Characteristics: Social development and social capital Fostering proactive education and training policies for children and young people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods Preserving cultural heritage and fostering the identity of neighbourhoods and their inhabitants Fostering social capital and engagement of local stakeholders Institutional development and urban finance Supporting adequate institutional and urban financial mechanisms

Transition Definition: Transition towards urban sustainability means: “a systemic change of how urban affairs are handled in an urban-rural system by the respective stakeholders on the different politico-administrative levels”; it includes a changed / new understanding of the needs of priorities of future urban development within the society in an urban-rural context We talk about a systemic change; this includes different 5 levels: China: national, provincial, city, district, neighbourhood Europe: EU, member state, “region”, city, neighbourhood The level of autonomy of cities in Europe and China plays an important role regarding whether individual cities can bring about change We have to differentiate where the initiative towards transition comes from: “From below” in Europe: civil society initiatives “From above” in China: central government supported by cities

Transition Trends / crises Regime of practices New regime of practices e.g. urban planning and development e.g. more sustainability and social integration in urban planning and development Transition arena and experiments Niches Stakeholders Innovation Transformative capacity e.g. Wolfram (2016): governance, leadership, empower-ment, awareness, foresight, experimentation, innovation embedding, social learning, etc.

Transformative capacity Transition towards urban sustainability through socially integrative cities in the EU and in China Transition Urban realities Social integration Urban sustainability Transformative capacity Urban economy Urban environment

Transformative capacity 10 Components of transformative capacity (Wolfram 2015) : Agency components Inclusive and multi-form urban governance Transformative leadership Empowered communities of practice Capacity development processes System awareness Sustainability foresight Disruptive communities of practice experiments Innovation embedding Learning and reflexivity Learning and reflexivity in terms of translation, monitor and revision Relational dimensions Working across human agency levels Working across tiers and scales

Project overview Concept and work packages Presenter: Paulina Schiappacasse Jianming Cai