Click to edit Master title style 1 European Regeneration: Importance of knowledge networks Ewan Willars European Policy Officer RICS Europe

Click to edit Master title style 2 Urban Regeneration: a European challenge Why is regeneration such a hot topic? The problems are increasingly visible Unequal social and economic development Unequal opportunities – employment, housing, leisure Negative economic impact Highly complex causal relationships: Local Regional National International

Click to edit Master title style 3 Complex problems = complex solutions Case by case solutions Different mix of social / economic / environmental objectives Different causes / influences Different planning systems Therefore difficult to develop a standard ‘top-down’ approach However… Huge range of local knowledge in each city Shared principles of sustainable regeneration and urban development Acknowledgement of regeneration as a ‘European issue’

Click to edit Master title style 4 Regeneration in the EU Difficulties addressing regeneration at the EU level… Lack of direct EU competence: No planning / development control / land-use responsibility No housing competence Therefore requires a horizontal approach: Environment, competition, regional, construction, fiscal and transport policy But also opportunities: Multi-national approach – range of URBAN cities Multi-disciplinary approach Focus on knowledge networks

Click to edit Master title style 5 Creating a knowledge network: the URBACT programme What is URBACT? Creating a flow / exchange of good practice between cities Accumulating and disseminating the knowledge base Improve the ‘action capacity’ of urban professionals Thematic Network: PPPs 30 month programme Amsterdam, Brussels, Chemnitz, Copenhagen, Gera, Lille, Nottingham, Porto, San Sebastian, Riga, Budapest, Nicosia, Dublin, Liverpool RICS, OPS – specialist partners

Click to edit Master title style 6 URBACT thematic network: Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) Purpose of the study Examine the role that PPPs play in urban renewal Explore and identify good and bad practice To produce and disseminate “transferable knowledge” – a framework to support private sector involvement Rationale Increasingly a pan-European methodology for regeneration Brings better commercial awareness to projects Private ownership of land requiring regeneration Transfer of risk to the private sector

Click to edit Master title style 7 Topics Topic areas: Different types / scale of PPPs and their impact at national, regional, city, local, neighbourhood level Structure of partnerships and the need for formalisation Impact of national and EU policy and fiscal measures The need and means to create viable local markets Practical examples of cross funding via commercial elements (housing, retail, commercial office space) Importance of balanced (re)development – functional diversity and a social mix.

Click to edit Master title style 8 Get involved! Ewan Willars +32 (0)