The award ceremony of the UfM Student Competition on Urban Design 2023: Urban Solutions to Climate Change in the Mediterranean took place in Barcelona on January 17, with Istanbul’s Özyeğin University students scooping the €5,000 first-place prize for their exploration of the coexistence of water and life in Türkiye’s Lake Amik basin. An ENSA Marseille student was the runner-up for her proposal transforming a post-industrial area in southern France into a sustainable development park, while Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya students came in third for their project transforming a degraded coastal territory in northeastern Spain into a water retention landscape to… read more
Academicians from across the Mediterranean meet in Tirana to materialize cooperation among Schools of Architecture and Urban Planning in the region through concrete joint actions, including the launching of a student competition on urban design. Tirana, Albania, 18-19 May 2023. The third meeting of the “Academic Advisory Group – Network of Schools of Architecture and Urban Planning of the Euro-Mediterranean Region” was organized by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and hosted by Polis University in Tirana on 18-19 May 2023, and gathered a group of academicians from across the region committed to working together to advance efforts towards the… read more
The “Shiraka Study Visit on Citizen Engagement in Urban Development” training course inspired participants with innovative projects in good governance, spatial justice, and resilient and inclusive cities from The Netherlands. The Hague, 8-12 May 2023. The “Shiraka Study Visit on Citizen Engagement in Urban Development”, organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of the UfM in The Hague on 8-12 May 2023, promoted community and stakeholder engagement and co-creation of shared visions for the region. It strengthened cross-border cooperation and coordination, and exchange of knowledge between local and national planning authorities. Practical examples from The Netherlands… read more
The Mediterranean region is particularly vulnerable to climate change, as the Mediterranean basin has one of the fastest urbanisation rates in the world. Cities are a key cause of climate change, but they can also be key to solving it. The 3rd Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development provided a key mandate to enhance cooperation through the new UfM Strategic Urban Development Action Plan 2040. Zagreb (Croatia), 4 May 2023. At the 3rd Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development, held today in Zagreb, Ministers affirmed their strong commitment to boost… read more
A joint webinar series by the UfM and the WHO Regional Office for Europe addressed the challenges and solutions to embed health and wellbeing in the planning and management of urban settings, as according to studies, cities can avoid up to 20% of premature deaths with better urban and transport planning. Urban sustainability is becoming an urgent need, especially in the Mediterranean region, which is one of the world’s climate change hotspots. Barcelona, 18 April 2023. In the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UfM and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to collaborate across sectors in reinforcing the… read more
The 2nd UfM Ministerial Conference on Transport took place online on 9 February 2023. A new Regional Transport Action Plan was endorsed by the UfM Ministers, that will reinvigorate multilateral cooperation in this sector until 2027 and unlock an important potential in the economic and social development in the region in the years ahead. Transport is a vital “enabler” in sustainable development, with transport-related targets included in eight out of the seventeen SDGs. Transport is also a multiplier in the economic development of any country and an important component of regional integration in the Mediterranean. Barcelona, 9 February 2023. On… read more
Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt), 7 November 2022. The Event “Boosting Energy Efficient Buildings in the Mediterranean Region”, held at the Mediterranean Pavillion in the framework of the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), spotlighted the need to boost action through national commitments and international cooperation. Experts and representatives of national governments and the European Commission showcased their collective efforts towards an energy-efficient, decarbonized and climate resilient built-environment in the Mediterranean Region. The event was a unique opportunity to highlight the commitment of the European Commission to support energy-efficiency in the Mediterranean Region, as… read more
Barcelona, 29 September 2022. The Conference on “Sustainable Urbanisation through Port City Transformation” was held in Barcelona on 28 and 29 September 2022, and it provided a unique opportunity for representatives of Mediterranean ports and adjacent cities, government representatives, and other key regional and international stakeholders to discuss sustainable urbanisation through port city transformation. The Conference underlined, once more, the importance of stronger dialogue and working relationship between ports and port cities as well as with governments and other stakeholders in general with a view to realizing urban development visions in port cities. The UfM, in the upcoming period, intends… read more
Civitavecchia, 7-8 July 2022. The MEDports Forum 2022: The Challenge of Digitalisation in the Mediterranean, was held in Civitavecchia, Italy on 7 and 8 July 2022. The Forum was co-organized by the MEDports Association and the Port System Authority of Central Northern Tyrrhenian Sea – Port of Civitavecchia, and co-sponsored by the Union for the Mediterranean. For several years now, and especially since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, digitalisation has emerged as one of the key drivers for the development of a more sustainable and resilient global shipping industry. Widespread awareness of climate change, the need for greater safety and… read more
Helsinki, 16 June 2022. The Workshop “Housing cooperatives: a sustainable model for European and Mediterranean countries”, held on 16 June in Helsinki in the margins of the International Social Housing Festival 2022, was co-organised by the UfM Secretariat and Housing Europe and gathered representatives of both Housing Cooperatives and the Ministries in charge of Housing from European and neighbouring countries. The workshop, which contributed to the implementation of the UfM Strategic Urban Development Action Plan 2040 and its Housing Action Plan, presented different existing models of housing cooperatives in Europe and in neighbouring Mediterranean countries, it discussed the success factors… read more
