Learning Kit · URBACT SUMMER UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM 2016 5 URBACT Summer University: How does it...

- Learning Kit -

Table of Content

The URBACT Summer University: How does it work? ��5

Programme ��7

City Case: Avalon with Map of Avalon and datasets ��9

Deputy Mayors Briefs �� 19

Infographic: Co-producing an Integrated Action Plan �� 37

LABs and ULGs outlines ��39

Problem tree and example table/ ULG 1 ��47

Stakeholder ecosystem map /ULG 1 ��49

Results framework - overview & examples /ULG 2 ��53

Results framework – empty table /ULG 2 �� 55

Asset list / ULG 2 ��57

Evidence Experience table /ULG 2 �� 58

OPERA grid (tool plus instructions) / ULG 3��63

Roadmap / ULG 3 ��67

URBACT SUMMER UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM 2016 5

URBACT Summer University: How does it work?

The URBACT Summer University aims at strengthening individual skills to develop participative urban policy

action-planning� Urban practitioners, policy-makers, NGO representatives, civil society and the private sector

come together to experience a combination of training, practical exercises and networking�

The University curriculum offers a range of activities throughout three days that all participants commit to attend:

“TED style” TALKs (plenary sessions)

Urban policy experts will provide short inspiring insights into key urban challenges from a Rotterdam

perspective�

LABs

Participants will be offered thematic training sessions on methods and tools on:

● The identification and involvement of local stakeholders

● The definition of problems and shift from problems to results and actions

● The EU Results Framework

● Gathering evidence and asset mapping

● Integrated action planning

Urbact Local Groups (ULGs) at work

After each URBACT LAB participants will split into smaller groups and work in “virtual LGs” on a city case

study putting into practice the lessons learnt in the LAB� At the end of the process ULGs will have to deliver a

presentation to their peers from other policy LABs�

Preparing an Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for Avalon

The logical sequence of LABs and ULGs of the Summer University will lead participants to building a portfolio

of documents, which are the building blocks of an Integrated Action Plan�

This Integrated Action Plan will be prepared for the city of Avalon, which is introduced in this pack�

WEDNESDAY 24 AUGUST THURSDAY 25 AUGUST FRIDAY 26 AUGUST

08.30 - 09.00

Stock up on an extra portion of energy! (Optional)

08.30 - 09.00

Stock up on an extra portion of energy! (Optional)

08.45 - 09.30

REGISTRATION and WELCOME COFFEE 09.00 - 09.30

MORNING PLENARY - Starting the day together

09.00 - 09.30

INSPIRING TALK - Derk Loorbach

09.30 - 10.30

OPENING PLENARY

09.30 - 11.00

LAB 2DEFINING THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE

9.30 - 10.15

“COUNTRY CORNERS” Networking with national counterparts

10.15 - 10.45

LAB 4 PREPARING OUR “SELLING PITCH” 10.30 - 12.45

LAB 1 DEFINING PROBLEMSAND MAPPING STAKEHOLDERS Policy Lab Groups working in parallel

11.00 - 13.00

ULG AT WORK 2Hands on exercises in small groups to practise tools

and methods from LAB 2

10.45 - 12.30

ULG AT WORK 4Hands on exercises in small groups to

practise tools and methods from LAB 4

12.30 - 13.30

Lunch break12.45 - 14.00

Lunch break 13.00 - 14.00

Lunch break

13.30 - 15.30

LAB 5SHARING ACHIEVEMENTSULGs Sharing their Action Plans across Policy Labs

14.00 - 16.00

ULG AT WORK 1 Hands on exercises in small groups to

practise tools and methods from LAB 1

14.00 - 15.00

LAB 3 PLANNING ACTIONS (Off site)

15.00 - 16.00

ULG AT WORK 3Hands on exercises in small groups to practise tools and

methods from LAB 315.30 - 16.00 COFFEE BREAK

16.00 - 16.30 COFFEE BREAK

16.00 - 17.30

On site visit

16.00 - 17.00

CLOSING PLENARY16.30 - 17.00

INSPIRING TALK - Marieke Hillen (tbc)

17.00

ICE BREAKING COCKTAIL

20.00

THE PARTYFREE EVENINGBike ride around Rotterdam (Optional)

7

Programme

09.00-

08.30-

10.00-

11.00-

12.00-

13.00-

14.00-

15.00-

16.00-

17.00-

18.00-


Avalon: City case study

for the Summer University

A place called AvalonAvalon is a place that everyone knows� Its cultural heritage, including a medieval cathedral, have long made

it a popular visitor destination� The city also has a busy traditional market in the historic centre, and is famous

for its gastronomy�

A combination of factors – quality of life, employment, cultural offer – has driven Avalon’s population growth in recent years. Today, this stands at around 400,000, a figure that is expected to grow by 5% in the coming decade� The city has several well established minority ethnic communities, most of whom are well integrated�

Looking ahead, growth presents a number of challenges for Avalon. Amongst them are worsening traffic congestion, a potential shortage of affordable housing and pressures on sustainable business and job creation.

However, on the whole in 2016 Avalon is an attractive place to work, live and play�

The city fabric

The centre of Avalon hosts several heritage buildings of great architectural interest� The city authority owns

around half of these, which are large, listed, degraded and empty. They provide an ongoing financial challenge to be maintained and re-used�

Although two main streets are pedestrianized in the old centre, the rest is open to traffic, and congestion is a serious and worsening problem� A peripheral ring road on the edge of the city also struggles with congestion

levels and air quality is a source of growing concern�

The city authority has taken some steps to address these issues� It piloted the closure to motorised vehicles

of a busy river bridge and several central streets over a six-month period� However, under pressure from local

businesses and taxi-firms it was forced to abandon plans to make these changes permanent. The construction of park-and-ride facilities at the four corners of the city has had limited success, partly due to the unreliable

bus service exacerbated by the narrow and congested central streets�

The city has growing number of cyclists, including a number of businesses, which are using an innovative local

bike freight firm for deliveries.

Density is 8688/km², and Avalon is well connected by road to a network of surrounding villages and agricultural

land� It also has a high-speed train link to the regional capital 90 minutes away�

The city recognises the need to encourage better energy efficiency, and increase the uptake of clean energy. Recently, Avalon has established a reputation as a pioneer in this sector� However, national energy policy

hinders local initiatives to decentralise supply and divest from fossil fuels�

Avalon’s Economy and labour market

After the public sector (hospitals, universities, schools and local government), tourism and hospitality is now

the city’s largest industry sector employing almost 50,000 people, albeit in seasonal jobs. The retail sector, also a major employer, has struggled since the turn of the decade through a combination of the growth of online shopping and out-of-town retail parks. Other sectors linked to the city’s high-profile university include


food technology, pharmaceuticals and the computer gaming industry� Two of the largest single employers

are agri-businesses, one of which has an international confectionery R&D arm on its premises and close links

with the university�

The university, located on a campus on the edge of the city, opened a suite of incubator units in 2013 to

support its burgeoning computer gaming and app industry� Despite its growing success in this sector, the city

struggles to retain the best and brightest coming from its university� As an institution, it has a reputation for

focussing too narrowly on its own research agenda�

Local Employment Profile

Like many cities, Avalon has become an increasingly hourglass economy through the loss of mid-skill level

jobs. In particular, there has been a dramatic reduction in skilled-manual jobs. The city’s employment rate is healthy, at 65%, but an increasing proportion of jobs pay the minimum wage and are part-time. The higher managerial sector has grown in the past decade, as has the proportion of self-employed, although this is not

translating into an increase in start-ups or sustainable businesses� Many small business owners in the service

sector (caterers, hairdressers, gardeners) struggle to earn a decent income�

In the spring of 2016, the city’s unemployment rate was 12%. However, for those under 25 it was twice this level� An ageing workforce means there is less turnover, leading to fewer opportunities for labour market

entrants� Across the city, young people of colour are statistically more likely to be unemployed� However, they

also account for double the overall rates of business start-ups in Avalon� Promoting entrepreneurship and

start-ups are seen as crucial to increasing employment�

As in other cities, local employers routinely criticise schools for not equipping young people with the skills for

today’s labour market. A 2015 Chamber of Commerce survey revealed that only 41% of sampled employers thought school leavers were well prepared for the world of work�

Housing

Housing is increasingly a problem in Avalon. Affordable housing for families is at a premium. Single occupancy by older people is common, particularly in the housing settlements built quickly after the second world war

to meet the shortages� Most elderly residents have lived there since their construction� Despite the lack of

elevators and poor local services they are reluctant to move as they enjoy the green space and strong sense of community� There is a lack of alternative provision for them to move to� At the city level, a recent social

services survey revealed that ‘loneliness’ and ‘fear of crime’ were the two largest concerns amongst the over 65s�

The undersupply of housing has been made worse by low levels of social housing development due to public

sector budget cuts and investor uncertainty� On the edge of the ring road south of the city, the refurbishment

of a peripheral housing estate is planned, but currently on hold. Made up of five medium-rise blocks, the estate is poorly linked to the city centre and has the highest levels of local deprivation� Residents complain

of fuel poverty, anti-social behaviour and growing levels of crime. Better-off people move out, poorer people move in�

Refugee reception

The city has welcomed over 500 refugees from war zones in the past 18 months� It has quickly set up a

coordination unit to house the refugees, and is now developing a plan to support longer-term needs, and

seeking the resources to do this� The citizens of Avalon have been active in providing local support to the

newcomers�


City Governance

After years of control shared between two ruling main parties, the city council had no ruling majority in the 2015 local elections� The biggest shift was in the number of independent councillors elected as well as the

Greens and the newly established Citizens party� The Mayor is now an independent with little previous political

experience�

This limited experience is also reflected within the local civil service. Since 2010 it has undergone a significant reduction in staff numbers, particularly amongst more experienced employees, equating to an estimated cut of 20% in employee numbers.

The City Authority is co-ordinating efforts to provide basic services, although there are growing concerns about the sustainability of this, when the Council budget has been cut by 22% since 2012. This reduction stems from a tapering central government grant combined with reduced business rate income�

Influenced by these budget reductions, the city authority is adopting new perspectives on its role. A number of citizen working groups have been established and there is a public consultation on ways to generate and

harvest community ideas. Within the new administration, there is a growing confidence in mobilising citizens as well as an awareness of the need for new approaches to finance.

Glossary of governance & finances in Avalon:

The city’s competences are in the following main fields:

● Education: kindergartens, primary and secondary schools (although there is a national curriculum)�

Higher education is a State matter�

● Urban planning & public participation�

● Health care & elderly care (except the academic hospital); co-funded by State and insurance�

● A variety of social policies (the city has relative freedom and gets an annual lump sum from the State)�

● Labour market policies: the city is responsible for (re)integration of unemployed people into the labour

market. It gets more state funding if more people find a job or start a company.

● Sports and leisure: the city owns most amenities, and rents them to sports clubs�

● Environment: the city must apply national legislation and commit to standards, but has freedom to

pursue specific policies and/or give subsidies.

● Finance: About 25% of the city’s income comes from local tax; the rest from national funds, and some European funding. The city collects property tax (10%) and tourist taxes (1€ per night).

● Housing: 30% of the housing stock is public housing, owned and maintained by the city.

City departments

The city has the following key municipal departments:

● Economic development

● Education and lifelong learning

● Citizen services

● Tourism, culture, sports & leisure

● Planning, environment, traffic/transportation

● Mayor’s office

● Family, health & social affairs

0

10.000

20.000

30.000

40.000

50.000

60.000

70.000

80.000

90.000

100.000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Proportion of low income household


Avalon: Vacant buildings (M2)

Proportion of low income households (%)

Avalon

National

Vacant buildings

2005 75�000

2006 68000

2007 69000

2008 72000

2009 75000

2010 79000

2011 83000

2012 83000

2013 85000

2014 85000

2015 87000

Avalon National

2005 12 11

2006 12 10

2007 13 11

2008 15 12

2009 16 13

2010 16 13

2011 15 14

2012 14 14

2013 16 12

2014 17 13

2015 16 14

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

0-16 17-30 30-50 50-65 65+

Avalon population by age

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1995 2005 2015


1995 2005 2015

0-16 15 15 20

17-30 20 20 15

30-50 25 20 20

50-65 25 25 20

65+ 15 20 25

1995 2005 2015

Born in Avalon 90 85 78

Born outside Avalon 10 15 22

Avalon: population by age

Avalon: population by birthplace (%)

Born outside Avalon

Born in Avalon

1995

2005

2015

0

5

10

15

20

25

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Ax

is T

itle

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015


Businesses

2005 50

2006 55

2007 60

2008 90

2009 110

2010 120

2011 140

2012 145

2013 133

2014 141

2015 143

Avalon National

2005 7 7

2006 8 7

2007 12 10

2008 14 11

2009 16 13

2010 20 15

2011 18 16

2012 20 18

2013 18 18

2014 18 16

2015 19 17

Avalon: Number of new registered sole traders

Avalon: Retail unit vacancy rates (%)

Avalon

National

3400

3500

3600

3700

3800

3900

4000

4100

4200

4300

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Consumption (kWh)

0

50

100

150

200

250

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Avalon

National


Avalon: Household energy consumption (kWh)

Avalon: Average household water consumption (cubic metres)

Avalon National

2005 150 150

2006 153 153

2007 155 155

2008 158 155

2009 160 158

2010 165 160

2011 164 160

2012 165 161

2013 187 163

2014 192 165

2015 200 165

Avalon National

2005 3850 3700

2006 3900 3800

2007 3900 3850

2008 4001 3900

2009 4020 3900

2010 4031 3900

2011 4148 3950

2012 4150 4000

2013 4170 4005

2014 4190 4007

2015 4200 4007

Avalon

National

Agriculture, forestry and fishery

Manufacturing

Energy and water

Construction

Wholesale and retail trade and

communications

Financial intermediation, business

activities

Education, research and development

Health and social work

Personal services and cultural

activities

Public administration

Unknown

1%

5%

4%

9%

21%

5%

10%

11%

12%

22%


INDUSTRY Avalon (share in %)

Agriculture, forestry and fishery 1

Manufacturing 5

Energy and water 4

Construction 9

Wholesale and retail trade and communications 21

Financial intermediation, business activities 5

Education, research and development 10

Health and social work 11

Personal services and cultural activities 12

Public administration 22

Unknown

100

Avalon: Business structure

AVALON: Business structure by number of employees

Unemployment rate (%) for 18-24 years Avalon and the whole country 2004 to 2015

Avalon Country

2005 12,5 8,3

2006 13,6 8,8

2007 12,7 7,8

2008 9,4 5,3

2009 9,1 5,3

2010 15,7 10

2011 18,5 10

2012 18,9 12,3

2013 19,4 13,8

2014 22,8 14,8

2015 23,9 15

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Avalon

Country



Deputy-Mayor’s briefing note: Community Cohesion

The city of Avalon is a multi-cultural city with many diverse communities. Different groups, civil society and NGOs are represented in the Community Cohesion Committee, that was established five years ago and plays a proactive role in developing relationships between the city administration, the community and the voluntary

sector� The City administration delivers social and cultural services with diverse communities in mind according

to six ‘protected characteristics’ (age; faith, religion and belief; disability; gender; race; sexual orientation) but, in practice, budget constraints have limited this commitment on the ground� �

Challenges

The city is confronted with some key challenges:

● Between 2010 and 2016, Avalon’s black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) population grew by 60% to nearly 6.9% of the total population. This is still below the national figure (9.1%) but 13% of the school-age population now belongs to a minority ethnic group, compared to under 2% of over-65s. A new movement (“We want Avalon back”) is generating controversial ideas about the fact that those from different backgrounds have seem to have better access to services and treatment�

● In Avalon 39.1% of households include a person with a long-term limiting illness (national average: 33.6%) and 27.3% someone with a disability (national average: 15%). Around a quarter of Avalon’s residents live in a neighbourhood that is among the 10% most deprived in the country (2015 Index of Multiple Deprivation). The fact that many new in-migrants to the city first come to settle in poorer areas, due to available housing, may contribute to pressure on services and community tensions�

● The Avalon Municipality approved “Everyone’s Tomorrow - the Strategy for Older People and an Ageing Population” and “The Avalon Plan for Children & Young People”, investing some additional funds� Even

after this decision, many associations complain that the city should do a better job in delivering concrete responses to link lonely older people and young generations at risk� Ageing and generational gaps are

increasing and the NEET (Not in Employment, nor in Education or Training) rate for young people has

risen above the national average�

● There are a number of current major planning and regeneration projects in Avalon, such as the City Centre Action Plan, the Old Cathedral Great Park and the Riverside Regeneration scheme� A poll undertaken by

DATAMIND for the Commission for Integration and Cohesion shows that matters related to community

cohesion figure very highly in the minds of citizens, when it refers to urban renewal. The poll found that tolerance and politeness towards others; respect for different faiths and ethnic groups; justice and fair play; and equality of opportunity were amongst the values mentioned most often as being important�

At the same time, significant numbers of people said ‘patriotism’ and everyone being able to speak Avalonese were also important aspects of life in Avalon, while the most important issues facing the city

were crime and race/asylum, mentioned by 55% and 35% of respondents respectively.

● Local community groups and projects have taken the lead in bringing new and established communities together. The Images for Change project asked local people to think about what was good about their area, as well as their fears and concerns, by taking photos of local issues� It provided an opportunity to

raise awareness and encourage acceptance of diversity� It also led to a celebration event involving over

1,000 people and 28 different community groups.


● 85% of the 428 asylum seekers housed by the local authority are in the district called “5 carrots”, an estate poorly linked to the city centre with the highest levels of local deprivation� The Municipality

arranged a hosting settlement for refugees in two empty buildings in the area but this increased the

negative stigmatisation of the neighbourhood and provoked complaints from the residents� Riots and

disturbances in the area are reported almost daily in the newspapers� In three focus groups looking at

the experiences of Muslims in Avalon (run by independent researchers commissioned by Avalon City

Council), 97% of participants reported experiencing some form of direct Islamophobia or anti-Muslim sentiment�

● Some of the changes in Avalon, such as an increase in ethnic diversity and immigration to the city,

may be more visible and therefore receive more public attention as potential challenges to community

cohesion� There is, however, the need to improve the data to understand the scale and nature of

population change and movement. Community cohesion is not just about “race” and faith, and, in the context of rapid change, census data alone is not sufficient.

Stakeholder groups

● Local Council / Mayor’s Office

● The Avalon Community Cohesion Committee

● The group “We want Avalon back”

● Schools and University of Avalon

● Regional authorities (e�g� Managing Authorities of the ERDF and ESF Operational Programmes)

Call for actionThe city council calls for a strategy with a local action plan to confront the above mentioned

challenges� The local action plan should provide answers and actions on the following key

questions:

Ô How can Avalon strike the balance between fast-track and long-term inclusion, considering

budget and staff constraints? How can we support all communities to develop their contribution to the city, recognise the contribution of others, and build strong and positive

relationships with each other?

Ô How can Avalon build on its heritage, cultural and economic strengths and the sense of

identity and civic pride of all citizens? How can we develop the council and their partners’ role in communicating positive messages, both proactive and reactive, on community

cohesion-related issues? How can we communicate the truth and combat misinformation,

misconceptions and myths spread about “other” people?

Ô To what extent is Community Cohesion about more than just “race” or culture? How can younger and older people understand one another’s needs and concerns better? This emerged as a significant issue during consultation on an early draft of the Community Cohesion strategy. How can matters of ‘class’ such as tackling tensions between neighbouring areas of relative wealth and poverty be linked to the element of our definition of community cohesion which talks about the responsibility that institutions have to make

sure that allocation of resources is fair, and seen to be fair, to all communities? How can we

make sure that services and facilities are inclusive for people with disabilities?


● Agencies against Racist Crime & Harassment

● Voluntary and Community Sector

● Media and Social Media

● Municipal Commission for Integration and Cohesion

Data fields

● Avalon’s demographic trends

● The youth unemployment rate in Avalon

Quotations

“There is a growing gap in our City. Education and housing policy can do part of the job. But we have seriously to

think about how to address poverty and segregation. Conflicts in the suburbs cannot occupy newspapers weekly” – The Mayor

“The qualification rate in this new wave of refugees coming from Syria is extremely high and above average. Let’s start thinking that they are not a problem. They are leaving their homes and their countries and we have the duty to help and to create a sound scheme for a full temporary citizenship” – Prof� White, Rector of Avalon University

“We have gender inequalities and too many episodes of violence against women deriving from these new in-migrants. We need a solution. We are ready to take the floor” – Marguerite Plins, leader of the movement

“We want Avalon back”

“I love historical Avalon, but prices there are crazy and services for the elderly are not easily accessible. Young people cannot afford to buy or rent houses here and so, when shops stop feeding tourist shopping fever, you feel like a ghost in the Canterbury Tales. It’s a pity. It seems this administration is not able to consider aged people as a potential asset”. - Tomi, 76 years old


Deputy-Mayor’s briefing note: Economic Development

Background

The city of Avalon faces the challenge of finding new ways to grow the economy, in a sustainable way. Many businesses are in trouble: they have problems catching up with rapid changes in technology� There are a lot of

new and ambitious entrepreneurs as well, and a growing informal sector� Many of the new company founders

are not only interested in profits, but also want to contribute to their city.

Challenges

The city is confronted with some key challenges:

● Many retailers are in trouble, and experience declining sales and margins� They face heavy competition

from on-line shops and large outlet stores at the edge of town. Vacancy rates in Avalon’s main shopping streets are on the rise, undermining their attractiveness and liveability� Retailers have asked the city to

lower the parking fees in order to turn the tide, but the responsible vice major from the green party does not see this as a good solution� Retailers are poorly organised, there are shopping street associations

but their main activity is to collect money in November for Christmas lights�

● Over the years, a substantial informal economy has developed in Avalon: taxi services (without official permits), people offering “home cooked” catering services, informal kindergardens, home-based hairdressers, clothing repair shops and so on. These sectors employ many people, and offer value for money for their (often poor) clients, but no taxes are paid and they tend not to comply with rules and

regulations regarding health and safety, labour conditions etc� Regular companies complain that this is

unfair competition� The local government is looking for ways to somehow legalise this informal sector

without killing its entrepreneurial spirit�

● Many of the refugees that recently arrived in Avalon are entrepreneurs� But strict national rules and

regulations make it very difficult for them to start a new venture in the city and make a living. Officially, you need to have a formal status to start a company� This causes frustration� The local authorities are in

search of a solution�

● The city has a fast growing number of entrepreneurs and independent workers, especially in the home

furniture sector but also in other industries and services. There is a lack of affordable, flexible and attractive space for these firms, so many have to work from home. Also, individually they are too small to invest in facilities such as good 3D printers, rapid prototyping equipment etc. And typically, they don’t invest in training, don’t save for a pension, and most of the companies stay very small.

● Many entrepreneurs in Avalon complain that the city should do a better job in delivering public services and improving the quality of life� They united in a group called “We are social entrepreneurs: we can do

it better”� They developed many concrete ideas, including a plan for community-based urban farming,

a surveillance system for improving security in a problem neighbourhood, a new concept to link lonely

elderly people to primary schools, and a business plan to collect used coffee pads and turn them into sculptures. They ask the city to provide funding to let them do these (and other) jobs as “social entrepreneurs”� But this idea is highly controversial�


●

●

●

Stakeholder groups


● Municipal departments responsible for economic development, housing and transport, urban planning

and development, social affairs, economic development

● The group “We are social entrepreneurs: we can do it better”

● Owners of (vacant) real estate in retail streets

● Shopping street associations

● Owners of offices

● NGOs supporting refugees


● University

● Local business associations for taxis, hotels/catering, etc�

● Banks and other potential funders

Data fields

● Vacancy rates (in retail streets, offices), 2009-2015

● Number of one-man companies &independent workers, 2009-2015

Quotations

“Back in Syria, I owned a supermarket. I loved it, it was my life, I earned a good income. Now I sit here and can do nothing. It depresses me” - Refugee from Syria, 25 years old

“I make chairs for children, and sell them on my own webshop. I have my workplace here at home. I would love to have a shared workplace with other makers, and a shop, but it just does not exist here, or it’s just too expensive” - Furniture maker, 48 years old

Call for actionThe city council calls to prepare a strategy with a local action plan to confront the above-

mentioned challenges to sustain and improve entrepreneurship in the city, to create jobs, to sustain the tax base, but also to reach social and environmental challenges�

The local action plan should provide answers and actions on following key questions:

Ô How can retailers in shopping streets be supported to improve their businesses and make

the street lively and viable again?

Ô How can the growing groups of independent workers/small entrepreneurs be facilitated

to increase their impact?

Ô What can be done to formalise the informal economy effectively?

Ô How can we capitalise on the good ideas, energy and business approach of social

entrepreneurs?


“Its not fair. We have to comply to a zillion rules, and they (illegal caterers) just do as they want and don’t pay tax on top of it” - Owner of catering company, 55 years old

“City council votes against proposal for lowering parking fees in city centre. Green party leader says “this is not a

solution” - The Moon

“Our city government fails. They always do too little, and too late. Why don’t they use us more to solve the problems of this city? We can do it better and cheaper” - Interview with leader of the group “We are social entrepreneurs:

we can do it better”, 28 years old


Deputy-Mayor’s briefing note:People and skills as drivers of economic growth and resilience

Background

Historically Avalon was home to a number of large manufacturing companies, which accounted for the

majority of city jobs. Over the past 50 years, the situation has changed radically and now the public sector is the major employer (health and education in particular). With a shrinking public purse, this is not sustainable. Tourism and Hospitality is also an important sector but currently offers mostly low skilled and seasonal jobs. Whilst the city is home to a large university and the number of people seeking work is on the rise, employers

increasingly complain about a lack of skilled workers�

Challenges

We are faced with numerous challenges if we are going to be able to generate employment and opportunity

for our growing population� We mainly fear that our young people will start to move away and never come

back. We need a strong economy with a workforce which is fit for purpose for the 21st century and recognises that ‘jobs’ can now take many forms. Many of the decisions, policies and practices affecting our economy are not in our control and we are not sure of what we can do at city level to make a real difference. In a nutshell, we don’t fully understand what our future economy will look like or how to prepare for it. Some of the key challenges are:

● There is a growing gap between the type and level of skills available in our workforce and those required

by employers. This is affecting our ability to attract investment, grow local businesses and thereby generate jobs. Employers also report that our school leavers are not work-ready.

● Whilst our unemployment rate is close to the regional average, we have a problem with youth

unemployment and the number of people leaving school with low or no qualifications is worrying and on the rise� Young people of colour are also far more likely to be unemployed� We need to consider

how to equip young people with the skills they will need to make a living and contribute to our city’s economic fabric�

● Despite the fact that self-employment numbers are growing, this is not translating into sustainable

businesses� This is linked to the economic development challenges around collaborative

entrepreneurship - and is particularly important because many of the refugees that recently arrived in

Avalon are entrepreneurs but strict national rules and regulations make it very difficult for them to start a company and make a living� We need a solution�

● There is a lack of understanding of the real economic potential of some of the city’s emerging employment sectors e�g� gaming, pharmaceuticals and food technology� Consequently, there is also a

lack of knowledge of how to support them to contribute to the city’s economic growth. We also think there is a need to revisit our town centre retail offer, which is threatened by competition from online shopping and out of town shopping centres� We believe that a new approach to the high street could

also create new employment opportunities�

● We have a very traditional approach to governance and administration in our city council and have

been criticised for operating in organisational and policy silos. We need to think differently about how we do business, particularly when it comes to the jobs, skills, the economy and labour market issues.


Can we, for example, engage citizens more in the provision of public services, thereby creating new

employment opportunities?

● Whilst many young people are leaving Avalon for bigger cities elsewhere in the EU, we also have

increasing numbers of migrants coming to the city� We need to be smarter in understanding and

retaining our local and incoming talent and putting it to best use in our society and economy�

Stakeholders:

● Municipality (Economic Development, Skill, training, lifelong learning and Education)

● University

● Education and training providers

● (National) Employment service

● Employers

● Business support providers

● Federation of Small Businesses

● Chamber of commerce

● Financial organisations

● Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship organisations

● Co-working spaces, incubators, accelerators

Data fields:

● (Youth) unemployment rate (city compared to national over 10 years)

● Business breakdown by sector and/or by size

Call for actionI am urging the URBACT Local Group to produce a summary Integrated Action Plan that can

help the city to grow its economy and develop a strategy for jobs and growth in the future. I strongly believe that our people and their skills are the key to our future� I need you to prepare

an Integrated Action Plan that reflects this and deals with the following key questions:

Ô What does a future ‘job’ look like in Avalon and how can we grow these jobs?

Ô How can we equip all our citizens to create or secure and retain ‘jobs’?

Ô How can we better understand the future skills needs and the economic potential of

different emerging sectors?

Ô How can we best harness this potential to grow a strong and resilient economy?

The ULG also needs to consider what practical steps we can take to better integrate economic

development and education, employment / labour market policies and practice and to

improve governance, collaborative leadership and connections� These challenging times

call for innovative approaches and solutions� We want you to come up with an ambitious and

achievable plan of action�


Quotations / headlines

● “Avalon people not making the grade”, employers report:

‘We can teach a lot of the technical skills in-house. What we need are people who can communicate, work in the team and turn up on time», (SME owner).

● Skills shortages stifle Avalon economy:

‘I keep reading about all these unemployed people and refugees arriving in Avalon. But when we advertise a job all we see is young people lacking skills, motivation and drive. How can we tap into this skilled talent?’ (Business

owner).

● Talented new arrivals failing to thrive in Avalon:

‘I have recently arrived in Avalon from Syria where I ran my own company. I thought that it would be easy to do the same here so that I can care for my family, but the level of bureacracy is crazy. I’m forced to earn a living by doing odd jobs, which is mad when I think about what I used to do’ (Newly arrived migrant).

● On the brink: Deputy Mayor calls to shake up in city thinking:

‘We need a radical shake-up in the way the municipality does business. The administration needs to move away from our traditional policy silos and develop innovative approaches to the city’s many challenges. This means reaching out and working for the community, with the community. You never know, we may even create some interesting services and employment opportunities along the way’ (Deputy Mayor).

● Playing our way to growth – gaming provides greenshoots of recovery:

‘I love using tech but don’t really know how to create it. I’m really keen to see if I can turn what has only been a hobby so far into a job’ (young person).

● The youth of today:

‘Sometimes I wonder what’s the point going to school and college. I see my older sisters working in retail and leisure and simply can’t see an alternative for myself. It feels hopeless sometimes and I genuinely wonder if I’ll have to leave Avalon to break out of this cycle’ (young person).


Deputy-Mayor’s briefing note:Liveable neighbourhoods: rethinking regeneration for more equitable cities

Background

The city of Avalon has been implementing urban renewal plans for more than a decade� Neighbourhoods have

been regenerated with consistent levels of public and private investment. Public spaces are more enjoyable, buildings have been refurbished to respond to standards of CO2 reduction, and public transportation has

been improved, which has had a positive impact on the physical structure of neighbourhoods� However, some

of these neighbourhoods’ inhabitants still face social and economic issues. In some cases, neighbourhood renewal contributed to skyrocketing rents, pushing poor people into more peripheral neighbourhoods� Social

mixing clearly did not work in practice. The financialisation of urban renewal created additional issues, because of bank insolvencies and speculation in the real estate sector� Alongside urban renewal, Avalon people lost

their jobs and homes. Many inhabitants of Avalon experience growing poverty and spatial polarisation. In this context, how can neighbourhood renewal policies in Avalon be more efficient?

Challenges

Currently the city of Avalon is confronted with four main challenges which they have to deal with in their future

urban renewal attempts:

● The housing market has been getting tighter, with rents constantly rising due to upscale renewal without

appropriate measures for supporting and protecting more vulnerable parts of the population� This has

been combined with massive privatisation and a low level of social housing development� There are

concerns around the lack of affordable housing for families, single parents, people with low incomes and working poor; considering that diminished welfare cannot support all these cases�

● Despite the tight housing market, in the city centre there are several heritage buildings of great

architectural interest, which are vacant� The city authority owns some of them, which are mainly listed

larger buildings, often degraded and partly empty. They provide an ongoing financial challenge to be maintained and re-used� Other buildings in the city centre are partly empty or neglected due to unclear

ownership, or when the many owners of a building can not agree on the maintenance / rehabilitation�

● There are some housing settlements of the 50s and 60s in different parts of the city. Their energy efficiency is rather low. Their utility costs are rising due to increasing energy prices, which worries the tenants. The majority of them have been living in these settlements since their construction. They appreciate living there in particular because of the green environment, the comfortable apartments

and their personal relationship with the area� Over the years, the shops, public services, schools have

been reduced, especially due to a shrinking population� Public buildings have been privatised to several

companies. The first inhabitants are now aging, and newcomers (especially young migrant families) are coming to live in those buildings� New schools have been built by the municipality, but there is a high

risk of “ghettoisation”�

● There is one peripheral housing estate by the south ring road of Avalon, called the “5 carrots”, made up

of five medium-rise blocks on the edge of the ring road. This estate is poorly linked to the city centre and has the highest levels of local deprivation� Residents complain of fuel poverty, anti-social behaviour and

growing levels of crime. Better-off people move out, poorer people move in. This neighbourhood has a negative stigma, which prevents investments and people moving there, despite the rather low rents�


Stakeholder groups


● Municipal departments responsible for housing and transport, urban planning and development, social

affairs, economic development, building conservation;

● Citizens (initiatives) of the neighbourhoods to be renewed

● Housing associations / House owners’ association

● Real estate development association

● Cultural institutions

● NGOs dealing with elder people and social affairs


● University

● Experts

Data fields

● Number of low income households and number of social housings

● Number of (semi) empty buildings / m²

Quotations

“I love my neighbourhood! Whenever I go out, I always meet people that I know and with whom I can have a chat. Unfortunately, the small grocery and bakery at the corner is going to close. Peter and Melody always have been so lovely attending me. I fear that in some years I have to move out, too, as carrying my shopping bags up the stairs to the fourth floor is getting harder and harder for me. I hope I do not have to go to a retirement home by then; I won’t know any people there”� (senior of one of the housing settlements of the 50s)

“I would never move to the “5 carrots”. It takes too long to get into the city. And it is not safe, you read it every time in the “The Moon”. I would be afraid to leave my child alone there” (single parent looking for affordable housing).

City centre initiative of residents and creatives had its first meeting to think about how to rescue and use the empty buildings in the city centre (Avalon Tribune).

Call for actionThe local action plan should provide answers and actions on following key questions:

Ô How can the settlements of the 50s/ 60s be renewed? Consider how and whether it is possible

to foster social mix, and how an efficient renewal strategy could be designed.

Ô How to prevent neighbourhood renewal leading to high costs and rents becoming unaffordable for most vulnerable people?

Ô How could the lack of affordable housing in the whole city be tackled, without concentrating social housing in one area and exacerbate segregation?

Ô To what extend can the empty buildings in the city centre be part of the solution for the

pressing social challenges?

Ô Which kind of non-speculative investments would be most appropriate for the above

mentioned urban renewal in Avalon? What would be the role of civic initiatives? Consider

exploring innovative forms of non-speculative financing, and community-based practices.


Deputy-Mayor’s briefing note:Maintaining liveable neighbourhoods

Background

The city of Avalon has been very active in urban renewal for more than a decade� Some neighbourhoods have

been physically and functionally transformed and belong today to the most popular localities� They contribute

to the quality of life in the city� Other neighbourhoods and their public spaces and buildings still have to be

regenerated in a sustainable way to be liveable and enjoyable environments for their inhabitants and users, and to provide space for functions needed in the city�

Challenges

Currently the city of Avalon is confronted with four main challenges, which they have to deal with in their future

urban renewal attempts:

● Due to the population growth in the past decade the housing market has been getting tighter, with rents

constantly rising� This, combined with a low level of social housing development, has led to growing

concern around housing. In particular, there are concerns around the lack of affordable housing for families, single parents and people with low incomes, which cannot afford the higher rents in the regenerated, more popular neighbourhoods. This has led to increasing segregation and gentrification processes in the city - also partly because of the upscale renewal of some neighbourhoods (luxury

modernisation of buildings and high quality renewal of public spaces)�

● Despite the tight housing market, in the city centre there are several heritage buildings of great

architectural interest, which are vacant� The city authority owns some of them, which are mainly listed

larger buildings, often degraded and partly empty. They provide an ongoing financial challenge to be maintained and re-used� Other buildings in the city centre are partly empty or neglected, due to open

ownership or when the many owners of a building can not agree on the maintenance / rehabilitation�

● In addition there are some housing settlements of the 50’s and 60’s on the fringe of the city, built to tackle the housing shortage after the Second World War. Their energy efficiency is rather low. Their utility costs are rising due to increasing energy prices, which worries the tenants. The majority of the tenants have been living in these settlements since their opening� They love to live there in particular

because of the green living environment and the community they have grown up with� But the buildings

are also not barrier-free; elevators and daily supply shops are missing, which makes a self-sustained

living more difficult for the aging population.

● In contrast to these neighbourhoods there is one peripheral housing estate, called the “5 carrots” within

Avalon, made up of five medium-rise blocks on the edge of the ring road at the south of the city. This estate is poorly linked to the city centre and has the highest levels of local deprivation� Residents

complain of fuel poverty, anti-social behaviour and growing levels of crime. Better-off people move out, poorer people move in� This neighbourhood has a negative stigma, which prevents investments and

people moving there, despite the rather low rents�


Stakeholder groups


● Municipal departments responsible for housing and transport, urban planning and development, social

affairs, economic development, building conservation;

● Citizens (initiatives) of the neighbourhoods to be renewed


● Real estate development association

● Cultural institutions

● NGOs dealing with elder people and social affairs


● University

● Experts

Data fields

● Number of low income households and number of social housings

● Number of (semi) empty buildings / m²

Call for actionThus, the council calls to prepare a strategy with a local action plan to confront the above

mentioned challenges to sustain and improve the quality of life in the city for its inhabitants and

users� The local action plan should provide answers and actions on following key questions:

Ô How can the settlements of the 50’s/ 60’s be adapted to ensure a self-sustained living for the growing number of older people? How can the energy costs of the rents be reduced

or capped?

Ô In which way should the peripheral housing estate on the edge of the ring road south of the

city be renewed to present an attractive neighbourhood for its inhabitants, to foster a social

mix and improve its current negative image? How could investments and the renewal of

the neighbourhood be incited and promoted?

Ô How could the problem of missing affordable housing for families and low-income households be solved, without concentrating social housing in one area and exacerbate

segregation?

Ô To what extend can the empty buildings in the city centre be part of the solution? How can

they be activated to provide space for required city functions? What could their function

be? How could the resources be raised for their rehabilitation and adaptation?


Quotations

“I love my neighbourhood! Whenever I go out, I always meet people that I know and with whom I can have a chat. Unfortunately, the small grocery and bakery at the corner is going to close. Peter and Melody always have been so lovely attending me. I fear that in some years I have to move out too, as carrying my shopping bags up the stairs to the fourth floor is getting harder and harder for me. I hope I do not have to go to a retirement home by then; I won’t know any people there” (Elderly

person living in one of the housing settlements of the 50’s).

“I would never move to the “5 carrots”. It takes too long to get into the city from there. And there is so much violence, you read about it all time in the “The Moon”. I would be afraid to leave my child alone there” (Single parent looking for affordable housing).

“City centre initiative of residents and creatives had its first meeting to think about how to rescue and use the empty buildings in the city centre” (Avalon Tribune).


Deputy-Mayor’s briefing note:Urban Sustainability Transitions in Energy, Food and Water systems

Background

The city of Avalon has been investing in an integrated approach to urban renewal� This started with modernising

its infrastructure over the past decade with particular attention paid to improving energy efficiency in the housing and building stock and also in updating its water management infrastructure� The city has seen a wave

of change, including small/medium enterprises that focus on smart energy systems, local food production,

a do-it-yourself ‘beach front’ on its river and other innovations that start to show new forms of commercial and ecological city living. Avalon’s university has invested in clean tech curricula and shown an interest in collaborating with the city to apply and test new technologies and approaches� This has put pressure on

energy and water infrastructures, with utility managers raising service prices to maintain high environmental

quality of operations whilst meeting the pressure of increased demand. The city’s programs to shift the city’s restaurant sector towards more ‘sustainable’, organic and ‘modern’ contributions to the city economy has started to slowly yield fruit� Economic sectors have started to diversify and a slowly increasing percentage

of citizens are enjoying organic food festivals and events. Over the years, the price of organic food has risen and local production has become an option, in turn creating new pressures on the urban environment�

With hydroponic food production mainstreaming in more than 40% of Avalon homes, the energy and water demand per household has increased, further pressuring the utility infrastructure� The current situation is that

to maintain Avalon’s high quality of life and prestigious reputation as a liveable city, new urban solutions are needed� These must balance changes in energy, water and food consumption while sustaining liveability

and ensuring that a good quality of services is accessible to all. Otherwise, the city of Avalon will suffer from eco-gentrification, making its citizens choose between ‘affordability’ and ‘sustainability’.

Challenges: Navigating the nexus of energy, water and food transitions

Currently the city of Avalon is confronted with three main challenges that require attention and new ways of

public intervention:

● With food prices soaring and the media reporting food imports as ‘bad practice’ for a city that wants to be sustainable, in-house food production is being mainstreamed at an unprecedented pace� House-kits

for hydroponic food production, in-house ‘grow-refrigerators’ and modular kits even for aquafarming have become a standard purchase in household stores� They are even popular in IKEA� At the same

time, the agriculture and food sectors have experienced a shock seeing their profits lowering month after month, forcing them to change business approaches and consider switching to organic farming

that allows prices and quality to appeal to a new generation of demanding citizens. This is the first shock to the agriculture and food industry�

Ô How to balance the demand for healthy food for all while supporting local food production and

reducing international food imports?

Ô How to keep the neighbouring agricultural sector while diversifying the urban economy?

Ô How to avoid eco-gentrification, by ensuring that the city’s infrastructure keeps up with changing ‘prosumer’ patterns?


● Avalon city is getting smarter; it actually performs comparatively well in respect to other cities with its

modest but continuous energy efficiency and energy retrofitting programs. In recent years, a number of public sector buildings and facilities have been retrofitted and are now carbon neutral. But more needs to be done in this direction. The current financial crisis put a stop to this progress, however the results of this first retrofitting program are very promising and convincing for more action in this direction. The city of Avalon has introduced incentives for citizens to retrofit their houses, to shift to ‘off grid’ production and to district heating and energy provision systems� In the initial years, such programs were received

enthusiastically by Avalon citizens, with a slow but steady uptake of district heating and solar-energy

systems by social housing corporations, as well as by homeowners and tenants� The resulting energy

demand reduction in the grid triggered energy utilities to broaden their business portfolio and branch

into the building sector, shaking the waters of a conservative and regressive business sector of the

city. More recently, however, the city has seen a rebound effect: with homes and city infrastructures being carbon neutral, each household has doubled its domestic facilities as air conditioning, indoor

wellness rooms, private gyms and not to forget, the in-house food production kits that became the ‘new

necessity’. All these lifestyle additions create new water demands in the city, and put pressure on the housing infrastructure with new retrofitting and adjacent infrastructure systems to satisfy the demand for double energy grids (off-grid and on-grid options co-existing in each building). Consequently, the energy sector faces the need for massive new investment in the city’s grid system whilst the housing sector is faced with new demands from citizens who expect a change of practices in line with their

higher sustainability expectations�

Ô How to remain energy smart and water sensitive while safeguarding the economic development of

the city?

Ô How to deal with new energy and water demands of households despite the efficiency improvements?

● Where does all the water flow? The urban waterfront – the city’s river – has always been a place to see, to visit and to be during the day and evenings in the city of Avalon. Recently, however, wastewater flows in the city have been increasing and the utilities have been facing their own limits: as wastewater flows have a composition of food industry waste mixed with household waste, treatment plants will need to

adapt and invest in either additional processes or a double system for water to be recycled� But how

easy is it to lay down new infrastructure just to satisfy the eco-minded and eco-practising ones? Is it a trend to invest in so that it will last? So far, the water industry has explored the possibilities of a water

sensitive approach where all water is considered ‘good water’. This means that water rich in nutrients from local food production or in-house food growing hydroponics can be recycled and even with natural

purification methods be used to enrich natural flows. To date, drainage systems are the most energy intense way to ensure that there are no wet feet in the city in the event of heavy rain. Last month’s heavy shower rain brought a surprise: the city’s drainage infrastructure experience its limits: water appeared to flow in the city making no distinction between neighbourhoods, between new and old buildings, with water flooding the city’s cathedral, the art gallery and the hospital. Clearly, the pressure for the water system is slowly amplifying�

Ô How to improve water drainage infrastructure while maintaining water flows in the city for its green and blue infrastructure?

Ô How to update urban water infrastructure to deal with increased water due to climate change without

a domino effect in the energy system?

Ô How to cope with increased water and energy consumption caused by organic/sustainable food?

In the midst of all these shocks and pressures, there are a number of potential solutions surfacing for the city

of Avalon� At this stage, it is unclear which ones can be scaled to provide new urban solutions and balance the

urban energy, water and food transitions that are required to move forward and be a liveable city�


Stakeholder groups


● Municipal departments responsible for water infrastructure and water utilities, energy policy, urban

planning and development, housing and transport, social affairs, economic development, tourism;

● Businesses (restaurants, hotels, food shops)


● Energy utilities (companies and companies dealing with the grid)


● University

● Experts

Data fields

● Household energy consumption per year

● Household water consumption per year

Quotations

“We are more aware of what we eat. We now want to eat healthy, it is the only option!’’ Monika Klein, Citizen.

“The bet for Avalon is how to satisfy all those new demands while remaining in a track for sustainability.” Dr. Marco

Futurus, Professor of Energy Policy, Avalon University.

“There are business opportunities in developing new water infrastructure that respect the environment and are carbon neutral” Marike Naumheit, CEO of Water International

COPRODUCING

AN INTEGRATED Action Plan

GENERAL POLICY-MAKING CYCLEPlan

Implement

Evaluate

Drafting a communication strategy to share and communicate to the wider audience on your action plan is also an important task to consider� Depending on the issues tackled in your plan, you might want to focus on a particular target audience: your managing authority, potential funders, citizens and other stakeholders�

ACTION-PLANNING CYCLE

YOUR ACTION PLAN

Con

sulta

tion

and/o

r co-p

roduction processUsing a results fram

ework

Using a results framework

Consultation and/or co-p

ro

ductio

n p

roce

ss

Mapping stakeholders

Gathering evidence

Defining expected results

Generating ideas

Defining actions

Assessment / Evaluation

Defining resources

Defining problems

> Ecosystem map> Importance/influence matrix > Self assessment

tools for ULGs > Evidence Grid

Asset mapping

OPERA

Results framework guide

RoadmapAction table

Results frameworkguide

> Problem tree

Integrated urban development and participative action-planning are at the heart of the URBACT programme� This infographic recaps the main steps to go through to develop an integrated action plan, which will analyse problems and opportunities, address specific needs by defining expected results, and prepare a set of actions in co-production with stakeholders�



LABs and ULGs outlines

URBACT LAB and ULG@WORK - SESSION 1 DEFINING PROBLEMS AND MAPPING STAKEHOLDERS

Objectives

To equip participants with tools and skills to work on the definition of problems and to engage with the right mix of stakeholders to develop efficient participative action-planning processes.

Content

● Introduction to The Case Study and to Deputy Mayor’s Brief. These documents will provide the strategic framework within which you will work during the 3 days of Summer University�

● Defining problems and developing effective problem solving.

● Mapping Stakeholders and getting the right mix of people

ULG @ work session 1

During the ULG@work session, your group will get to practice the tools introduced in the Lab session:

● Defining the problem you will work on during the USU (Problem Tree)

● Turning the problem statement into an objective

● Mapping your stakeholders (Stakeholder Ecosystem Map)

● Reviewing the list of stakeholders to be involved in the co-production of your action plan

Building your IAP portfolio

By the end of the 1st ULG @work session, you will have to deliver the following portfolio components:

● The Problem Tree

● The Complete List of Stakeholders


URBACT LAB and ULG@WORK - SESSION 2 DEFINING THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE. What resources, evidence and assets do we have?

Objectives

To familiarise participants with the EU Results Framework and to explore available evidence and assets to be

used in the action planning process�

Content

● Using the EU Results Framework, what is the change we want to see?

● What evidence can we use in our action planning process?

● What assets do we have across the city?


The session focuses on two important things in preparing well for action plans and running projects:

● Completing an asset map�

● Enhancing the Evidence base to inform action by identifying what gaps there are in the evidence

provided in the Avalon material on the Theme, and then share ideas on where and how to improve the

evidence base�


The documents that participants will have to produce by the end of the 2nd ULG@work session that go into

the group portfolio for the final presentation:

● Completed asset map

● Evidence Enhancement table


URBACT LAB and ULG@WORK - SESSION 3 PLANNING ACTIONS: Generating ideas and planning actions that will achieve the expected results

Objectives

Planning for success by turning expected results into concrete, realistic actions� Expose participants to

Rotterdam good practice examples in their policy area�

Content

● Designing a set of actions

● Introduction to the OPERA methods and filling in the roadmap

ULG @ work exercises

During the ULG@work session, your group will get to work further on your Avalon city case and experience

some of the tools introduced in the Lab session:

● Brainstorm ideas, record and structure them using OPERA

● Fill in the action table�


The documents that participants will have to produce by the end of the 3rd ULG@work session that go into the

group portfolio for the final presentation:

● Completed OPERA Grid

● Completed Road Map


URBACT LAB and ULG@WORK - SESSION 4 PREPARING OUR SELLING PITCH

Objectives

To equip participants with a mind-set and tools to communicate about and present their action plan�

Content

● Tips and tools for preparing your presentation

Criteria for the evaluation of the Portfolio and of the Presentations

● Most innovative idea

● Best integrated approach- considering other policy challenges

● Best participative approach

● Best coherence from challenge to Action Plan in the Portfolio development


● During this last ULG @ work session, you will prepare your presentation for the final LAB and finalise your IAP portfolio

● Checking coherence of action plan


By the end of the 4th ULG @work session, you will have to deliver the following portfolio components:

● A slide for the LAB 5 presentation

● A tweet for the LAB 5 presentation


URBACT LAB - SESSION 5 SHARING ACHIEVEMENTS

Objectives

To share ULG portfolios across policy labs, promote discussion around integration and highlight good ideas/

experiences�

Content

● sharing of ULG Action Plans, via short presentations

● feedback and reflection

● a panel and participants will vote on the Action Plans

General recap of the portfolio: ● The Problem Tree

● The Complete List of Stakeholders

● Completed asset map

● Evidence Enhancement table

● Completed OPERA Grid

● Completed Road Map

● A slide for the LAB 5 presentation

● A tweet for the LAB 5 presentation

Lab module & ULG@work

- session 1 -

Defining Problems and Mapping Stakeholders

HOW YOU CAN USE IT

1� List all problems that come to mind related to the main theme� (eg

youth unemployment or lack of public funding) Problems need to

be carefully identified: they should be existing problems, not possible, imagined or future ones. The problem is an existing negative situation, not the absence of a solution.The problems and solutions table presented below can help with this�

2� Identify a ‘Core Problem’ (which will be written on the trunk of the

tree). This may involve some trial and error before settling on one.

3� Determine which problems are ‘Causes’ (write them at the level of

the roots of the tree) and which are ‘Effects’ (the branches).

4. Arrange in hierarchy both Causes and Effects, i.e., how do the causes relate to each other - which leads to the other, etc.

KEY MESSAGE

Problem analysis is needed to make

sure that the Local Support Group is

tackling the right problem - one that

has been discussed and agreed with

all stakeholders�

One well established technique for

working with problems in a group

setting is to make a problem tree. This is a simple graphical representation of

the problems, their causes and effects.

THE PROBLEM TREE

CAUSES

EFFECTS

PROBLEM


Problems and solutions table For analysing issues and brainstorming possible solutions.

Example used: Youth unemployment

Problems Solutions Resources Lack of access to work experience placements, internships or temporary work opportunities leading to limited awareness of world of work and unpreparedness for work�

- Increase exposure of young people to world of work: - Engage with local employers to promote value and benefits of work placements - Increase interaction between education and business through school visits joint events (eg� careers fair) - Use role models (young person or employer) with positive experience of work placement/internship to promote benefits of work placements

Partnership working between LA, education providers, business community, education and business intermediaries No specific resources required other than partner staff time�

Lack of employability skills amongst young people

Raise level of employability skills of young people: - Identify employability skills required by employers through surveys and direct interaction - map existing provision in employability skills training and identify gaps in provision - Explore possibility of developing tailor-made employability skills training programmes based on findings of survey with employers/provision mapping - engage employers in delivery of employability training - increase “real” world of work experiences (company visits, school challenges (i�e� create own business project) - Support young people in identifying and harnessing the skills they have (gained through school/college activities or out of school activities)

Budget allocation for employer survey Budget allocation for skills provision mapping Partnership funding to support employability training� Existing resources could be re-directed Staff time (partner organisations)

Longer life expectancy leads to longer working life and limits opportunities for new talent entering the labour market

Promote engagement of older workers with young people: - Develop mentoring schemes whereby older worker mentor students or young workers - Support employers in developing succession planning

Budget allocation to develop training sessions for employers (succession planning) Staff time (partner organisations)

Mismatch between supply and demand in the labour market�

- Build robust evidence-based and shared data to gain comprehensive information on current state of labour market - Identify current and future skills needs (skills forecasting) - Map existing education and training provision - Identify gaps between skills needs and provision - Develop demand-led training provision where employers are at the heart of development of training content

Budget allocation to populate skills forecasting tool (purchase of data sets) Partnership funding to support development of tailor-made training Staff time (partner organisations)

Vacancies not filled as do not meet young people’s preferences linked to lack of a appropriate careers guidance

Develop effective careers guidance programme - Raise awareness amongst young people of which career opportunities are available to influence choices - Map training and progression routes reflecting gaps in labour market

Partnership funding (redirection of existing resources allocated to careers guidance) or new budget allocation to support careers guidance schemes� Possible use of volunteers to provide careers guidance�


Stakeholder ecosystem map /ULG 1

TO MAP STAKEHOLDERS

Place the ecosystem map (looks like a spider web with concentric

circles) on the wall� In each segment place a sector that is important

to your plan such as education, enterprise, mobility, housing� It

could also be economy, environment, social policy� (People, planet,

profit). Then think of the key stakeholders, which sector they belong to, and

how important they are� Using post-its ask ULG members to place

each stakeholder on the chart and discuss, then agree and place

location with post its� Most important in the centre, least important

on the periphery� In the centre circle are ULG members, on the outer

circles stakeholders that could be important but don’t need to be

permanent ULG members�

KEY MESSAGE

It is important to analyse and map the

importance and influence of stakehol-ders – but it is equally important to have

a plan of action that will ensure that the

importance and influence of key stakeholders’ adjusts as the action plan

progresses�

Different perspectives will emerge about the relative importance and influence of stakeholders�

STAKEHOLDERS ECOSYSTEM MAP



- session 2 -

Defining the change we want to see.

what resources, evidence and assets do we have?

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Action planmonitoring & evaluation

SITUATION CHANGE

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

INTENDED RESULT

RESULT INDICATOR

OUTPUTOUTPUT

INDICATOR

Results framework - overview and examples

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4

Specific objective Result indicator Output indicator

WHAT IS IT? Description of the change you want to achieve in the existing situation: the intended result

A variable that describes a relevant aspect of your intended result, to measure the change in the situation

A variable that describes the outputs that your action plan will produce.

Outputs are the direct products created by the implementation of your action plan

EXAMPLES Jobs & Skills

Increase the number of young people in jobs (or reduce the youth unemployment rate)

Youth unemployment rate

Baseline: 24% (2016)

Target: 20% (2020)

● No� young people accessing training

● No� young people accessing careers

advice

● No� young people accessing work

experience placements

Economic development & entrepreneurship

Increase the capacity of high street shop keepers to collaboratively attract customers to their shopping street

Average number of customers visiting the high streets per day (based on systematic visitor counts)

Baseline: 10�000 (2016)

Target: 20�000 (2020)

● No� of promotion activities to attract

customers to high street

● No� of retail organisations supported to

write a business plan

● No� hours support delivered

Community cohesion

Reduce inter-racial tensions between the different communities of Avalon

Number of racism-related incidents and hate crimes reported in police statistics (average per week)

Baseline: 45 (2015)

Target: 20 (2019)

● No� of inter-cultural dialogue events

organised

● No� of awareness campaigns delivered

● No� of new inter-community

neighbourhood groups established

Urban renewal

Improve the suitability of the post-war housing settlements for self-sustained living for elderly

% inhabitants who qualify their housing situation (defined as quality of their house and availability of essential services and facilities) as adequate for self-sustained ageing�

(Based on survey among inhabitants)

Baseline: 25% (2016)

Target: 60% (2024)

● No� of social housing apartments made

‘future proof’ ● No. of ‘elderly living support services’ established

Urban sustainability

Increase the share of locally generated

renewable energy in total energy

consumption of Avalon

● No� of local energy cooperatives created

● Additional solar energy production

capacity installed (kilowatt peak)

● City incentive schemes to boost local

renewable energy generation (e�g� small

investment grants or a local revolving

fund)

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Specific objective Result indicator Output indicator

WHAT IS IT? Description of the change you want to achieve in the existing situation: the intended result

A variable that describes a relevant aspect of your intended result, to measure the change in the situation

A variable that describes the outputs that your action plan will produce.

Outputs are the direct products created by the implementation of your action plan

YOUR EXAMPLES

Results framework - overview and examples


ULG@WORK - SESSION 2List of resources and assets

4 People, social capital

4 Places & spaces

4 Money

4 Buildings, infrastructure

4 Knowledge, experience

4 Natural Assets

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8

Source of information, data and learning What type of information, data and learning sources will you use? What is your experience of using them?

1. CITY DATA AND OTHER STATISTICS

2. EVIDENCE FROM PAST/ EARLIER ATTEMPTS

3. COLLEAGUES IN THE CITY

4. USERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

5. OTHER CITIES THAT FACE THE SAME PROBLEM,

HOME OR ABROAD

6. SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

7. EXPERTS AND ANY ’UNUSUAL SUSPECTS’

Evidence Experience Table

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Source of evidence and learning How do you want to use these to improve the evidence base of your Theme in Avalon

Priority order 1 - 7

1. CITY DATA AND OTHER STATISTICS

2. EVIDENCE FROM PAST/ EARLIER ATTEMPTS

3. COLLEAGUES IN THE CITY

4. USERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

5. OTHER CITIES THAT FACE THE SAME

PROBLEM HOME OR ABROAD

6. SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

7. EXPERTS AND ANY ’UNUSUAL SUSPECTS’

Evidence Enhancement Table


- session 3 -

Planning action.

Generating ideas and planning actions that will achieve the

expected results

What is OPERA ?

OPERA is a co-creation method that can highly improve the efficiency of even the simplest meetings. It can be applied in very small groups (5-6 people), but it is an efficient tool to apply in larger groups as well (up to 40-50 participants). This method focuses the group’s energy on the problem or issue at hand, collects, filters and synthesizes the proposals in a structured way. It combines a systematic way of thinking with a creative process for solving problems, thus enabling the most efficient use of the participants’ knowledge and experiences. Through the technique of pair discussions, it involves each and every participant in the process, mobilizes their thoughts and proposals, without letting more extrovert people dominate the discussion.

The first step is the identification of the lead question – the issue or challenge to which the group seeks the solution. Once the lead question is identified, the facilitator drives the group through the following stages:

� Own suggestions: the participants spend a couple of minutes with individually pondering the lead question and put down their thoughts or proposal, each participant on his / her own piece of paper (no discussion is allowed at this stage).

� Pair suggestions: the participants form pairs and they discuss their written thoughts. Following discussion, the pairs come up with their (consensus-based) joint proposals, which they record on paper, each on a different paper. These papers are then postered to the workboard for everyone to see.

� Explanation: in this phase, each pair briefly explains to the rest of the audience the proposals they have attached to the workboard. No one is allowed to comment on the suggestions of others at this stage.

� Ranking: following the explanations, each pair is required to assess the suggestions by selecting the most important ones – using agreed selection criteria. They mark their choices on the workboard.

� Arranging: the facilitator arranges the suggestions on the workboard according to topics, linking and merging similar proposals. This is done together with the participants, following their instructions.

The result is a jointly created, consensus-based set of suggestions that can be used as input for further processes.

example:


SCRIPT for a typical OPERA session

Activity Formulate the lead question:

Example: „What are the key issues to deal with in order to improve the public spaces in our city?”

Key messages • Be as specific as possible • Use concise terms, do not overcomplicate

Own reflections:

• Individual work • Spend 3-5 minutes to think about the lead question • Write down your ideas on an A4 sheet • Specific, concise

Pair discussion: • Formulate pairs - preferably work with someone other than your colleague • Both parties present their ideas, the other listens • Discuss your proposals – ask clarifying questions, challenge, discuss • Come up with 3-5 joint proposals based on agreement (no consensus is needed) • Record each proposal on a separate A5 paper (index card)

Explanations

• Each pair briefly explains its proposals • Everybody listens to the others • 1-2 minutes / pair max! • The facilitator and the participants may ask clarifying questions – no discussion,

though! • Parallel with explaining, pin / stick the proposals on the OPERA board, just in the

order they follow each other (if there is a proposal that is very similar to one that is already on the board, stick it to that one)

Ranking • Rank the proposals • Criteria: (note: the facilitator proposes a set of simple, relevant criteria, recorded on a

flipchart paper in advance) • Do not worry – this is just an input, not a final agreed priority ranking! • Each pair receives – 5-10 depending on the number of proposals – self-adhesive

dots. (note: the exact rules of voting may be adjusted) o They have to have an agreed ranking o They can give all dots to just one, or distribute the dots o They cannot vote on their own proposals!

Arranging

• Now we have a ranked list – lets arrange them according to their themes and popularity

• Together with the participants, identify some key subtopics to arrange accordingly (you can already think in advance and propose if there are no proposals, but try to ask them!)

• Record the names of the subtopics in the headings of columns of the OPERA board • Following “orders” from the participants, arrange proposals under the relevant

subtopics; the ones with higher rankings on the top, the ones with lower further down


opera grid

A B C D E F

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SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE

ACTION Intended Result Resources/ Assets Lead Agency Key partners Timescale

ROADMAP / ACTION TABLE

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