Europe within the reach of the municipality: URBACT best practices.

URBACT, a program for urban development: best practices from the cities of Borgomanero and Alessandria

Let’s talk about URBACT: the approach, the tools, the resources – and an interview with the winners

After devoting several insights to the initiatives and tools available for municipalities to approach European planning, today we talk about URBACT, a European program of particular interest in terms of the development and exchange of expertise among municipalities-in terms of approach, tools offered and calls for proposals.

We will talk about this with the deputy mayor of the City of Borgomanero, Ignazio Stefano Zanetta, and the Councillor for European Projects of the City of Alessandria, Vittoria Oneto, for their views and advice on what it means, in practice, to submit an application and implement an URBACT project.

URBACT Networks, Calls and Infodays

URBACT promotes an integrated approach to urban development-both in a “vertical” sense (it involves collaboration between different levels of governance, regional, national and European) and in a “horizontal” sense (it simultaneously considers environmental, economic and social dimensions); and participatory, because it actively involves (“bottom-up“) citizens, local actors and city decision-making and administrative bodies in the development and implementation of policies, strategies and action plans for sustainable local development.

The main objective of URBACT is the sustainable development of cities and is pursued primarily through the creation and support ofURBACT Networks (URBACT Networks) between European cities. The aim of the networks is to strengthen the governance capacity of cities, enhance the skills of citizens and local actors in coping with the problems that affect them, and promote the transferability of good practices between cities in different European countries.

Three types of networks are planned, working on the themes of participatory governance, urban planning, local economy, climate action and social cohesion:

• Networks aimed at creating local action plans(Action Planning Network);
• Networks aimed at the transfer of innovation to the sustainable development of cities(Innovation Transfer Network);
• Networks for the Transfer of Good Practices(Transfer Network).

There are specific calls for proposals for each type of network. One can keep up to date by consulting the Get Involved page of the URBACT website, where an indicative calendar of calls for proposals is also posted, as well as following our Calls for Projects Portal. To learn more about the program and the calls for proposals, Infodays are organized by the National URBACT Points (NUPs), run in Italy by ANCI: we talked about them here.

We particularly highlight the upcoming release of the new call for Action Planning Network, which will be presented in late March at the upcoming URBACT City Festival in Nicosia.

URBACT: the tools available to municipalities

URBACT provides free online resources and tools, accessible even to municipalities that are not part of any network. Among them:

• Resources on the URBACT participatory method, a video presentation of which can be found on the program’s YouTube channel, and the URBACT toolbox, which includes guides, videos, and templates for developing and implementing participatory and integrated actions for urban development, from needs analysis to results measurement, through involvement of local actors and knowledge sharing;
• The Knowledge Hub, a digital space that brings together courses and tools designed for cities on Agenda 2030, mobility, housing policies, strategic public procurement, food and sustainability, digital transformation, gender equality and the New Leipzig Charter (a European Union strategy document on integrated urban development);
• Webinars and training videos on specific topics and methodologies developed by URBACT or shared because of their relevance, such as the use of storytelling in citizen activation, or how to support the development of a sustainable local economy, available on the program’s YouTube channel, which one can subscribe to in order to keep up-to-date;
• The section Capacity building, which offers courses and a review of training events dedicated to URBACT beneficiaries, but whose recordings and materials are available to all online, as in the case of URBACT e-Universities, trainings and workshops on URBACT tools;
• The URBACT IVProgram Handbook, which provides a comprehensive overview of the program and all the opportunities it offers, including expert support and training and capacity-building activities for municipalities;
• Resources covering the best practices of cities involved in URBACT networks, brought together in an easy-to-search database, and with a playlist of dedicated video presentations. You can also browse the networks database for a visual of all URBACT-funded networks;
• The Library section provides access to documents and reports produced by grantees. This is a more technical section, but can be useful for resources and experiences on topic areas and in specific geographic areas.

The Call for Transfer Networks (Call for Transfer Network).

TheCall for Transfer Networks is one of URBACT’s most interesting calls. Its goal is to promote the transfer of already tested and validated good practices within networks of cities in European Union member countries (and, with some limitations, also in countries outside Europe). It is particularly interesting for at least four good reasons.

1. It is accessible: to apply, the first step is to network. In this respect, URBACT is particularly accessible because:

• All types of cities are allowed, regardless of the number of inhabitants;
• It encourages the participation of cities that have no experience in the program (so-called newcomers, a term in European planning that we have also discussed here);
• Requires there to be a good balance of cities from different regions, with presence of cities from less developed regions of the EU;
• In addition to cities, public entities such as provincial, regional and national authorities, universities and research centers, and Managing Authorities are allowed to participate.

2. It is based on tested and recognized best practices: only a city that has obtained official recognition of the good practice by URBACT can act as the leader (Lead) of a Transfer Network through which the practice is shared. This means that it is an already tested good practice that will have a better chance of being able to be successfully replicated within the network. The application process that the city went through to have its good practice recognized also gives indications of its high degree of initiative and proactivity, which are key characteristics for the leader (Lead) of a network. Good practice recognition is based on criteria such as:

• The ability to generate positive local impact;
• The participatory and integrated approach (considering social, environmental and economic aspects);
• European-level relevance (so it must address common challenges);
• The capacity for transferability and replicability in other contexts.

3. Projects are placed in a defined structure, based on a method tested by URBACT: the call promotes the transfer and scalability of good practices by following a precise structure. This allows a structured accompaniment of networks, based on:

• The three phases of Understand, Adapt and Re-Use. The first phase(Understand) focuses on the understanding of the good practice by all members of the network; the second(Adapt) on the adaptation of the good practice in local contexts, through the creation in each city of URBACT Local Groups (ULGs); and the third and final phase(Re-Use) on finalizing the process of transferring the good practice and producing in each city a Transfer Plan, a strategic document detailing how the good practice will be implemented or reused in its local organisations. The three steps are explained in detail within the Call Guide, a document in which there is also other useful information such as a glossary of terms and advice on building partnerships;
• The threeWork Packages, which include cross-cutting activities to be carried out in all three phases and cover Network management (WP1), Network level activities (WP2), and local level activities (WP3). The Call Guide defines a detailed list of activities to be carried out by each city for each Work Package.

4. Provides for ad-hoc expert support: in addition to the budget available for network activities, the call provides additional resources to mobilize experts to accompany the work of the network. A very useful element to cope with a varying degree of expertise present among the network cities. The selection of experts follows precise contracting rules defined by URBACT, available in the text of the call, to avoid conflicts of interest.

For these reasons, it is therefore a suitable and enriching opportunity for both more experienced cities and municipalities that for various reasons have more difficulty accessing European opportunities.

From theory to good practice: projects in Alexandria and Borgomanero

As a Guide, we started following the municipalities of Alessandria and Borgomanero from their first entry into URBACT, telling you about the two good practices of each municipality that had achieved official URBACT recognition in 2024. During the URBACT infoday, organized by ANCI Piemonte and held in Orta San Giulio in May 2025, the municipalities were invited to tell about the two good practices, with a view to their application as Lead to the Call for Transfer Network. In October 2025, both municipalities were among the 25 winners of the call. The projects started in early November 2025 and will end in late April 2028.

The latest results of this call demonstrate once again how URBACT opportunities are accessible to all: as ANCI Piemonte reports, 90 percent of the cities involved are small and medium-sized, and 64 percent of the members of the selected networks are “newcomers” on their first URBACT experience.

The City of Alexandria presented the “Theatre for All” project, a participatory, multi-level theater project involving the population to promote theater, foster the creation of new audiences and increase access to culture. A community theater process that accompanies the reopening of the Public City Theater, planned for 2026 with Next Generation EU funds. The network includes the City of Alexandra as Lead Partner and the cities of Den Bosch (Netherlands), Rhodhos (Greece), Plasencia (Spain), Braga (Portugal), Celje (Slovenia), and Khotyn (Ukraine).

The City of Borgomanero presented the project “Lake contract for protecting and valuing waterresources,” which promotes a participatory approach to the protection of natural resources through the Cusio Lake Contract, operating to protect Lake Orta (Piedmont, Italy). The Cusio Lake Contract, managed and animated by the Lake Orta and Mottarone Ecomuseum Association, brings together more than 130 local stakeholders in an action plan. This plan combines environmental protection and territorial development, while integrating social, economic and educational components. It proposes collective and individual actions in four areas: pollution reduction, lake ecosystem, shared local organisations redevelopment, and education for environmental sustainability. The network has Borgomanero as Lead partner, with Águeda (Portugal), Ioannina (Greece), Silla (Spain), Kolašin (Montenegro), Tartu (Estonia), Ternopil (Ukraine) and Edineț (Moldova).

We asked the Deputy Mayor of Borgomanero, Ignazio Stefano Zanetta, and the Councillor for European Projects of the Municipality of Alessandria, Vittoria Oneto, to tell us what is happening in the two projects; and to give us some advice that may be useful for municipalities that want to apply in the next call.

Why did your city decide to participate in URBACT?

Ihe City of Alexandria chose to participate in URBACT with the “Theatre4all” project because it represents a strategic tool to strengthen the capacity of cities to design and implement integrated, inclusive and sustainable urban policies.

URBACT is both a funding program and a real way of working, bringing the administration into dialogue with local stakeholders and European partners, fostering mutual learning and the improvement of public policies.

In our case, participation stems from a desire to enhance a local good practice in the field of cultural accessibility and social inclusion, with specific reference to theater, by transforming it into a shared heritage at the European level. At the same time, URBACT allows us to compare ourselves with other cities on common challenges, strengthening the internal competencies of the administration and improving the quality of public decisions for the benefit of citizens. The Municipality of Borgomanero has come to be a URBACT project coordinator thanks to a capacity-building path started in 2018, in collaboration with ANCI Piemonte. In 2021 the first European project, Solidarity IN ProGress, funded by the Europe for Citizens Program; then two experiences with the European Urban Initiative – the City-to-City Exchange with Silla (March 2024) and the Peer Review (June-October 2024) that worked on the Urban Area Strategy: the plan shared by the municipalities of Alto Novarese and Bassa Valsesia, led by Borgomanero, to integrate soft mobility, regeneration and heritage enhancement, with concrete projects and dedicated governance. In October 2024, the recognition of URBACT Good Practice; in April 2025, the participation in the URBACT City Festival; and finally, the decision to apply as lead partner in the call for Transfer Networks. Borgomanero chose URBACT to enhance and internationalize a specific and successful territorial policy: the “Cusio Lake Contract,” the participatory tool adopted by the local organisations around Lake Orta to protect water resources that, over the years, had been exploited to exhaustion and then recovered through innovative and costly interventions.

What would you recommend to a municipality that wants to bring its own good practice to URBACT, or participate in the Call for Transfer Networks?

On the part of the City of Alexandria, the first piece of advice is to start with a truly established, local organisations-tested good practice backed by a clear political vision. URBACT requires cities to be ready not only to recount a successful experience, but also to question, improve and adapt it through European comparison. If it is also innovative, all the better.

It is essential to involve the administrative structure and local stakeholders from the outset, building a stable and cross-cutting working group. Indeed, URBACT rewards the ability to work in a participatory and integrated way, rather than just the technical dimension of the project.

Finally, we recommend investing time in the preparation of the application: carefully studying the call documents, engaging with the National URBACT Point, and building a coherent and motivated partnership. The quality of the process is as important as the end result.

On the part of the City of Borgomanero, we emphasize that the URBACT Program, with the call for Transfer Networks, does not fund new ideas, but the enhancement of policies or tools that have already proven to be effective, with solid data on results achieved and a strong demonstrable impact. The first piece of advice, then, is to start with a strength in your local organisations.

It is also important to build networks and participate in capacity-building events: Borgomanero worked with ANCI Piemonte and the Lake Orta and Mottarone Ecomuseum Association well before the deadline, participating in exchange and training events to understand European language and priorities. Arriving “cold” on these calls is almost a guarantee of failure.

What are the most positive aspects and challenges you are facing in implementing the project?

Among the most positive aspects we note as the Municipality of Alexandria, the value of the European comparison undoubtedly stands out: working with cities that differ in size, context and administrative traditions enriches the project and offers new perspectives on local policies. URBACT fosters a strong strengthening of internal competencies, both on the planning and governance levels.

Another key element is the involvement of local stakeholders, in this case through the activation of the URBACT Local Group, which helps make policies more effective and shared, increasing the project’s impact on local organisations.

On the other hand, the main challenges relate to the complexity of international coordination and the need to integrate the time and methods of the European project with those of local government. Added to this is the commitment required on the management and administrative level, which requires organization, continuity and strong collaboration between offices.

However, these are challenges that we believe are fully justified by the results obtained and the added value that URBACT brings to the cities involved. Among the positive aspects that we note as the Municipality of Borgomanero, there is definitely the possibility of receiving funding: the Program makes it possible to finance concrete exchange activities, study tours and dedicated staff, something that the ordinary municipal budget would not allow.

But it is not just about funding. Municipal staff and administrators gain international management skills, technical English and project management that lead to growth of the entity. Added to this is the opportunity to gain international visibility: from “Provincial Municipality” to “European Lead Partner” presenting their results in Europe.

The biggest challenges lie in administrative and accounting complexity: managing European funding requires a great deal of administrative and reporting effort. In addition, given that funding is disbursed only upon reporting, the municipality must pay attention to careful cash management.

Finally, it should be remembered that coordinating partners from different countries requires constant cultural and linguistic mediation efforts by our staff.