1. Project Conceptual Group Meetings
Presenter: Paulina Schiappacasse
Jianming Cai

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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

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