Author: indy

New Zealand: Christchurch delegation mets counterparts in Brussels, Malaga and Vitoria-Gasteiz

A delegation of four delegates from Christchurch City Council institutions supported by Prof. Paul Dalziel from Lincoln University - who coordinates IURC activities in New Zealand - participated in a series of meetings on climate action, innovation ecosystems and smart city strategies in Europe. The programme started with a two-day workshop in Brussels consisting of a regional event for cities...

Regional Workshop for European, Asian and Australasian city experts in Brussels

More than 50 delegates from 26 EU cities and regions as well as from 6 cities from Australia (Brisbane), New Zealand (Christchurch), Japan (Nagoya), the Republic of Korea (Sejong) and India (Chennai, Kochi and Pune) met on 7 November 2022 in Brussels to exchange on the implementation of the IURC programme. The workshop provided the opportunity for cross-country cooperation among...

Delegations from Hamburg and Barcelona visit Australia

Two delegations from Hamburg and Australia held meetings with their counterparts in Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. Meetings started in Melbourne on Monday 25 July 2022 with a meeting at Melbourne City Hall. Brisbane and Canberra city representatives joined the EU cities and Melbourne for a shared program on Monday and Tuesday. Delegates were welcomed by Melbourne's Lord Mayor Sally Capp...

Rotterdam visits Busan and Sejong as the first study visit of the IURC EU-Korea partnerships

From 4-8 July 2022, Rotterdam visited South Korea as part of the IURC programme to connect with Busan, its partner city, and Sejong, whom it is expanding cooperation with outside of the programme. Rotterdam and Busan launched their study visit with a kick-off conference at Busan Metropolitan City Hall. First, IURC introduced the programme to orient the delegates for their...

EU – New Zealand: Vilnius visits Taranaki / New Plymouth

From 5 to 7 July 2022, city officials from Vilnius, Lithuania, visited New Plymouth / Taranaki in New Zealand to further explore their cooperation topics (urban / mobility) and better understand the host city’s context for urban development. This is the first time that New Zealand has been part of the IURC programme, and this was the first visit by an...

Japan: Delegates from Koriyama and Toyota visted Essen and Grenoble

Koriyama and Toyota completed the study visit to Essen and GAM (Grenoble-Alpes Metropole) from 22-29 June. During their visit, Koriyama and Essen were able to see Essen and GAMs’ action to promote a “hydrogen-based society” and their utilization of “open innovation” platforms to support innovation for industrial transitions. The delegation from Japan was membered by municipality officials responsible for the...

EU – New Zealand Cities: Climatorium Lemvig and Nelson Wakatu

After the joint EU-NZ cities meeting on 27 September 2021, further online meetings were organised by partners from Lemvig (Climatorium) and Nelson (Wakatu Incorporation) without requiring input from the Australasia Helpdesk. The IURC project team has met online with Sarah Lund from the Danish Climatorium. Meetings are currently taking place every fortnight, focused on collaborative planning for a conference scheduled...

3rd Round of EU-Malaysia Cities’ Bilateral Exchanges

For the third time since the kick-off meeting, Malaysian and Portuguese pilot cities representatives met online and agreed on cooperation areas, possible pilot actions and possible schedules for the study visits. Two bilateral encounters were organised in December 2021 online: EIXO Atlántico and George Town (Penang State) Vila Nova de Famalicão and Seberang Perai (Penang State) At the events, representatives...

EU – New Zealand Cities: Christchurch and Málaga / Vitoria-Gasteiz Collaborations

After the joint EU-NZ cities' meetings on 13 and 27 September 2021, further online meetings with the three cities took place on n 26 October 2021. Overarching potential topics included climate action (mobility, food systems, green infrastructure, risk mitigation); diversifying economic development (new sectors such as cultural sector, high tech sectors in cooperation with universities); and inclusive urban planning (shape...

EU – New Zealand Cities: New Plymouth and Vilnius Collaboration

After the joint EU-NZ cities' meetings on 13 and 27 September 2021, bilateral events between New Plymouth and Vilnius took place on 5 October, 19 October, 3 November, 23 November, and 14 December. The topics discussed at these meetings covered: waste management; local partnerships; hydrogen; emission neutrality; the 2050 roadmap; energy-efficient buildings; and central city strategy. In all of these...