Project description
A vision for human-centred future cities
In an increasingly urbanised world, governments are focussing on boosting cities’ productivity and improving citizens’ living conditions and quality of life. Despite efforts to transform the challenges facing cities into opportunities, problems such as overburdened social services and health facilities, air pollution and exacerbated heat create a bleak outlook. With these challenges in mind, the EU-funded VARCITIES project aims to create a vision for future cities with the citizen and the so-called human community at the centre. It will therefore implement innovative ideas and add value by creating sustainable models for improving the health and well-being of citizens facing diverse climatic conditions and challenges around Europe. This will be achieved through shared public spaces that make cities liveable and welcoming.
Objective
In an increasingly urbanising world, governments and international corporations strive to increase productivity of cities, recognized as economy growth hubs, as well as ensuring better quality of life and living conditions to citizens. Although significant effort is performed by international organisations, researchers, etc. to transform the challenges of Cities into opportunities, the visions of our urban future are trending towards bleak. Social services and health facilities are significantly affected in negative ways owed to the increase in urban populations (70% by 2050). Air pollution and urban exacerbation of heat islands is exacerbating. Nature will struggle to compensate in the future City, as rural land is predicted to shrink by 30% affecting liveability. VARCITIES puts the citizen and the “human community” in the eye of the future cities’ vision. Future cities should evolve to be human centred cities. The vision of VARCITIES is to implement real, visionary ideas and add value by establishing sustainable models for increasing H&WB of citizens (children, young people, middle age, elderly) that are exposed to diverse climatic conditions and challenges around Europe (e.g. from harsh winters in Skelleftea-SE to hot summers in Chania-GR, from deprived areas in Novo mesto-SI to increased pollution in Malta) through shared public spaces that make cities liveable and welcoming.
Fields of science
- social sciencessociologygovernancepublic services
- humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorymedieval history
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicsproduction economicsproductivity
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringair pollution engineering
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
Keywords
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
731 00 Chania
Greece
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Participants (29)
145 61 KIFISSIA ATHENS
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
73135 Chania Kritis
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39100 Bolzano
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35122 Padova
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35122 Padova
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31033 Castelfranco Veneto
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2080 MSIDA
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ZTN 4403 Zejtun
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Participation ended
1000 Ljubljana
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
8000 Novo Mesto
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
8000 Novo Mesto
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Participation ended
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3000 Leuven
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Dublin 1
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
G20 0SP Glasgow
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
A91 Dundalk
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931 85 Skelleftea
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1000 BRUSSEL
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T12NAX0 Cork
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
W1W 7LT London
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Participation ended
145 61 Athina
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
2521 CA The Hague
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5020 Bergen
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Participation ended
5014 Bergen
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Participation ended
5353 Straume
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
8000 Novo Mesto
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V93 PPA0 KERRY
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
9080 Lochristi
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1000 Ljubljana
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.