Urbasofia

23/12/2024

🎄✨ 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐀! ✨🎄

As we gather to celebrate this special season, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the amazing collaborations, partnerships, and milestones we've achieved together this year.

From URBASOFIA team, we want to thank YOU — our excellent collaborators, partners and friends — for your trust, dedication and inspiration.

Looking ahead to 2025, we’re excited to continue shaping more sustainable, innovative and inclusive urban futures together.

Wishing you and your loved ones a holiday season full of warmth, joy and moments to cherish. Let’s keep building better cities and communities in 2024! 🌇

Cheers from the URBASOFIA Team (in the picture)🎁
[plus Sabina Reichert, joining our celebration all the way from Sicily, Adelin Lazăr who was in a mission in France and , wrapping up the year from her home office]

16/12/2024

As part of WOODCIRCLES' mission to advance circular solutions in wood use, our recent meeting in Città di Torino offered hands-on insights into real-world applications.

The consortium visited Iren’s Circular Wood facility, which processes approximately 110,000 tons of wood annually—equivalent to saving 115,000 trees each year. About 70% of this wood is sourced from households, while the remaining 30% comes from construction and demolition waste within the Piedmont Region. The facility’s fully digitalized operations enable the seamless transformation of wood waste into pallets and pallet blocks, showcasing cutting-edge circular economy practices.

Through the city-specific experimentation activities in Città di Torino, these recycled wood materials were used in an art installation at the PARATISSIMA fair and later repurposed into benches and a library for a school.

More about the meeting here: https://woodcircles.eu/woodcircles-general-assembly-advancing-innovation-in-circular-economy/

12/12/2024

NONA Project Event Recap!

Earlier this December, Ravne na Koroškem hosted an incredible gathering of experts and stakeholders as part of the NONA Project. This flagship initiative of the New European Bauhaus on the Danube showcased innovative approaches to sustainable development, emphasizing green investments in small and mid-sized towns.

The event showcased transformative pilot projects, innovative solutions, and meaningful discussions about the future of green transitions. A highlight was witnessing how Ravne na Koroškem, with its industrial heritage and stunning landscapes, exemplifies the potential for sustainable growth. 💡💚

A big thank you to Iskriva, the Municipality of Ravne na Koroškem, and Geodetic Institute of Slovenia (GIS) for hosting us!

06/12/2024

🍃🏢A Systems Perspective on the Circular Use of Wood in Rotterdam

This week, together with Gemeente Rotterdam, ICONS Innovation Strategies, and ClarityMaps®, we organized the first local workshop in Rotterdam, one of the three Pilot Cities in the WOODCIRCLES project.
Participants built and explored the system using 3D Mapping, an intuitive and interactive method to jointly identify stakeholders and understand system dynamics.

Special thanks to Jochem Cooiman and Joep van Leeuwen for hosting us, presenting the Rotterdam Circulair Program, and showcasing relevant locations in the city. A big shoutout to Gianne Tillema for integrating this fun and engaging systems-thinking approach into the workshop objectives.

This workshop is the first step of an ongoing engagement process to co-develop a sustainability strategy and action plan for the Gemeente Rotterdam aimed at fast-tracking investments in wood-based building systems and circular use of wood waste in construction.

More about our project here: https://woodcircles.eu/ 🍃🏢

19/11/2024

Exciting news! 🌍✨ 'TIMBERHAUS' project launches its journey to advance wood construction in Europe, aiming to slash the built environment's carbon footprint.

‘TIMBERHAUS’, is a new European research and innovation project led by the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) that was launched in Copenhagen on the 5th- 6th of November 2024.

The project will support key EU initiatives such as the EU Forest Strategy and the New European Bauhaus (NEB), addressing the heavy over-dependence on only a few tree species, as well as a wood processing industry that is not adapted to work with diverse input of tree species and qualities

It seeks to accelerate the uptake of wood in construction by harnessing the potential of currently under-used hardwood species and post-consumer wood to create sustainable, high-performance construction products and designs, enable more efficient use of forest resources, and promote sustainable urban development through innovative wood construction practices.

URBASOFIA will collaborate closely with Climate-KIC, ETH Zürich, Demos Helsinki, and 3 European cities Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung, Bauen und Wohnen, Primaria Municipiului Baia Mare, Comune di Siena to assess the systemic challenges and opportunities for climate-smart wood use in construction, embed the NEB values and principles through local innovative participatory approaches, formulate decarbonization strategies for buildings, and deliver actionable policy recommendations and roadmaps to expand wood construction across Europe.

Stay tuned for updates as we bring TIMBERHAUS to life! 🌱🏗️

Diagrams by Waugh Thistleton Architects

Partners

Danish Technological Institute, Waugh Thistleton Architects, Climate-KIC, Metabolic , Junckers A/S, Demos Helsinki, Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung, Bauen und Wohnen, Tegel Projekt GmbH, Built by Nature, Bauhaus Earth,Primaria Municipiului Baia Mare, Grupo Gámiz ,ICONS Innovation Strategies, Pfeifer Holding GmbH, University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet), Comune di Siena, Empa, ETH Zürich

12/11/2024

The first day of the CityWalk project meeting hosted by Urbasofia has officially started in Bucharest! Despite the rainy weather, we gathered at Nod Makerspace and dived into inspiring discussions and trainings with full energy!

Today was all about setting the stage for sustainable, pedestrian-friendly cities across the Danube Region, covering topics such as street redesign, travel behaviour change and strengthening political commitment.

✨ Stay tuned for updates and highlights from CITYWALK 2.0 meeting!

24/10/2024

Very glad to be able to present the progress of our Horizon Project INT-ACT at the ISOCARP - International Society of City and Regional Planners Conference. 🥳

🌍 The INT-ACT project is thrilled to be part of the 60th ISOCARP - International Society of City and Regional Planners World Planning Congress in Siena, Italy, from October 8-12, 2024! Partner Urbasofia will be presenting our innovative approach to preserving and showcasing intangible cultural heritage through immersive XR environments.

Stay tuned for insights and updates from the event!

18/10/2024

We are excited to share our participation in the 60th ISOCARP - International Society of City and Regional Planners World Planning Congress - Reinventing (In)Visible (In)Cities, held in Siena. The event brought together researchers and academics from around the world and was an excellent opportunity for knowledge sharing and exchange.

URBASOFIA, represented by Valentina Stan, was happy to present the CityWalk project within Track 02-Innovation, creativity, legacy: Cities of/for tomorrow. The presentation focused on showcasing best practices from the Good Practice Catalogue. In short, it highlighted the use of complementary mechanisms for the two categories (Street Redesign and Travel Behavior Change) that have led to successful solutions in the transition towards sustainable urban mobility. Also, the main lessons learned were presented and discussed with the specialists present at the event, discussing on real cases and situations in their countries and cities.

Thanks to the CityWalk project for the opportunity to present the results of our work on urban mobility!

15/10/2024

We’re excited to announce that our latest article, "Transformation Pathways: Drumul Taberei Neighbourhood – a Positive Energy District?" has been published! As the lead partner of the KINETIC project, Urbasofia is proud to contribute to shaping sustainable urban transformations and innovative energy solutions for Bucharest’s Drumul Taberei neighborhood.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our journey towards Positive Energy Districts across Europe! 💡🌿

🚀 Exciting News from the KINETIC Project! 🌍
We are proud to announce that our article titled "Transformation Pathways: Drumul Taberei Neighbourhood - a Positive Energy District?" has been published in the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science! 🎉
This paper explores the innovative transformation of the Drumul Taberei neighborhood in Bucharest, part of the KINETIC project, into a Positive Energy District (PED). Through collaboration with local authorities, housing associations, and community members, we are working towards making urban areas energy-positive, sustainable, and resilient.
Key Highlights: ✅ Stakeholder co-creation workshops to identify energy transition pathways ✅ Innovative models for Renewable Energy Sources (RES) deployment ✅ Strategic collaborations between municipalities, housing associations, and NGOs ✅ Data-driven approaches to enhancing energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprints
As Europe strives towards climate neutrality, KINETIC’s work demonstrates how large housing estates from the 60s and 70s can be revitalized into vibrant, energy-efficient communities! 🚀💡

Check out the full paper here 👉 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/1402/1/012009

08/10/2024

Check this out! Our NGO got its first-ever Horizon. And what a Horizon to begin with. Exciting times ahead. 🥳🤩

26/09/2024

15 minute cities knowledge.

PROximity Without Density

03/09/2024

The completion of the ✨Build-in-Wood✨ project marks a key milestone in our journey to support EU cities in decarbonizing the construction sector and achieving more sustainable and healthy neighborhoods.

The final conference highlighted all the project's achievements and explored future opportunities to advance the significant amount of knowledge gained by the entire consortium. It's worth highlighting the Build-in-Wood Demonstrator, a novel testing and demonstration facility embodying all the project outcomes and aiming to promote the growth of multi-storey and large-volume timber construction within the EU and beyond.

A huge thank you to the outstanding coordination team at the Danish Technological Institute (Niels Morsing, Anders Kjellow, and Henriikka Taipale) and the entire Build-in-Wood for their invaluable collaboration throughout this project.

We also extend our gratitude to keynote speaker Bob van der Zande from Metropolitan Region Amsterdam, for opening the Final Conference with an inspiring presentation around the Green Deal for Timber Construction. Special thanks to the representatives from Built by Nature, the European wood policy platform (woodPoP), and Stadt Innsbruck who took part and shared their insights and expertise in the field.

Here you can access the Build-in-Wood project results: https://lnkd.in/ddM3rUZf and the Web-based Design Guide: https://lnkd.in/dtgixpN5

Danish Technological Institute
Waugh Thistleton Architects
Norsk Treteknisk Institutt (Norwegian Institute of Wood Technology)
C.F. Møller Architects
National Technical University of Athens
Agentia Metropolitana Brasov
Università di Siena (Università degli Studi di Siena)
proHolz Tirol - mehr über Holz erfahren
Bimetica
Rothoblaas
rtd services OG
Adserballe & Knudsen A/S
Habitech - Distretto Tecnologico Trentino
Stora Enso
Knauf Gips KG
Scandi Byg
hsbcad

08/08/2024

We are excited to share our participation in the 2024 Annual Congress of AESOP - The Association of European Schools of Planning, held in Paris. The event brought together researchers and academics from all over the world and was a great opportunity for sharing and exchanging knowledge.

URBASOFIA, represented by Miruna Draghia, was happy to present the CityWalk project within Track 05-Planning for mobility: accessibility, affordability and sustainability. The presentation was focused on the theoretical work which set the basis for the Good Practice Catalogue prepared within the project. Briefly, it highlighted the multifaceted nature of sustainable urban mobility, presenting different typologies of interventions categorised in street redesign actions and travel behaviour change initiatives.

Thanks to CityWalk project for the opportunity to present the results of our work on the topic of urban mobility!

05/08/2024

We are excited to share the results of the work carried out in the first 6 months of the CityWalk 2.0 project. This work has resulted in the Good Practice Catalogue, which aims to showcase best practices in sustainable urban mobility and travel behaviour change. We are confident that this catalog will be a good starting point for any city willing to make a change towards sustainable urban mobility.

Thanks to all partners involved in this process!

Today, we are excited to launch a new series where we will feature the Good Practice Catalogue coordinated by Urbasofia. In this series, we will showcase exemplary practices that our partnership has identified and curated, focusing on two key themes relevant to our project from all over Europe (see the map).

Category 1: Street Redesign
This category involves modifying urban street layouts and infrastructure to enhance safety, accessibility, and efficiency. It prioritizes pedestrian spaces and promotes urban livability, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. Practices within this category include pedestrian streets, shared spaces, boulevards, promenades, low-speed-limit streets, traffic calming measures, parklets, cycling infrastructure, signage, and urban space furniture or amenities such as public transport terminals and bicycle shops.

Category 2: Travel Behaviour Change
This category focuses on implementing multifaceted strategies to reduce car dependency and promote sustainable transportation. It addresses the social, cultural, and psychological factors that influence individual and collective travel choices. Key practices include educational campaigns, zoning regulations, parking policies, congestion pricing, incentives and rewards, behavioral nudges, and technology solutions such as applications, real-time information, and smart transportation systems.

Join us as we explore these outstanding practices and their impact on urban development and transportation!

27/07/2024

Cu multă bucurie am primit vestea intrării LIMES-ului Roman de pe teritoriul României în Patrimoniul UNESCO. Urbasofia e onorată ca a putut contribui la acest demers.

With great joy we received the news of the entry of the Roman LIMES from the territory of Romania into the UNESCO Heritage. Urbasofia is honored to have been able to contribute to this endeavor.

20/06/2024

Urbasofia is thrilled to be part of the groundbreaking Danube Indeet project, collaborating with TZE and our long-time partners from DanuP-2-Gas. This project aims to revolutionize the renewable energy landscape in the Danube region by integrating electric vehicles as mobile storage solutions and promoting green hydrogen production. We're especially proud to have AIDA Alba Iulia Metropolitan Area as our pilot location, showcasing innovative approaches to sustainable energy.

The Danube Indeet Model is a decision-support tool designed to optimize investments in renewable energy infrastructure. The infographic illustrates how the model integrates components like EV chargers, green hydrogen production, and energy storage systems, ensuring efficient and sustainable energy delivery. Through extensive analysis and pilot testing, the project aims to create a transferable strategy for transitioning to renewable energy and transport systems across the Danube region.

18/06/2024

📕 BOOK PUBLICATION with the collaboration of the INCA team

We are thrilled to share the news of the recent publication of a book co-edited by Edoardo Mollona, the coordinator of the project.

✒ Titled "Disruptive Digitalisation and Platforms: Risks and Opportunities of the Great Transformation of Politics, Socio-economic Models, Work, and Education," this book addresses a key theme of the INCA project.

👥 Edoardo Mollona led the book's first section, with valuable contributions from other project members. Specifically, Nic Cuppo, Mattia Frapporti, and Maurilio Pirone are the authors of the second chapter.

🔎 For further details, we invite you to visit our newsroom on the website 👉 🔗 https://inca-project.eu/2024/06/18/book-publication-with-the-collaboration-of-the-inca-team/

EU Law and Publications Digital EU

24/05/2024

We are thrilled to announce that two of our projects have been selected under the 2nd Call for Proposals of the European Urban Initiative - Innovative Actions (EUI-IA). Out of 112 applications from 12 EU Member States, 22 projects have been chosen, showcasing the innovative spirit and diverse urban contexts of Europe.

Selected Projects: B-CONNECT - Municipality of Bistrita and CARE-GET - Municipality of Haskovo.
These projects showcase our commitment to creating sustainable and innovative urban solutions. We are proud to collaborate with the municipalities of Bistrita and Haskovo to bring these transformative initiatives to life.

For more details on the selected projects and the EUI-IA 2nd Call, visit here: https://www.urban-initiative.eu/calls-proposals/second-call-proposals-innovative-actions/selected-projects-eui-ia-2nd-call

Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this exciting journey!

-IA