ENoLL has organized and participated at several session during the Week of European Regions and Cities – an event which took over Brussels for the week of the 7 October 2019.

The majority of our activities took place on 9 October. ENoLL Director Zsuzsanna Bodi and ENoLL Vice-President Wim De Kinderen spoke at the session “Boosting the upscale of Digital Solutions: Initiatives from Brainport Eindhoven and Umbria Regions”. The objective of the workshop was to explore contribution of Umbria and Brainport Eindhoven regions. De Kinderen, as a representative of the Brainport Eindhoven region shared with the audience how the region he represents collaborates with European Networks, such as ENoLL, Eurocities and OASC.

9 october 2019, 09WS504 – Boosting the upscale of Digital Solutions: initiatives from Brainport Eindhoven and Umbria Regions #EURegionsWeek Belgium – Brussels – October 2019

ENoLL as an association covers most European regions and through the workshop “Interreg MED Piazza: where citizens and EU Institutions meet for the future of Europe” experiences of 13 Mediterranean countries were shared. The MED (Mediterranean) Piazza used interactive activities such as games to tackle strategies for a greener, smarter and more connected future for Europe. There were three main corners:

1. The Bar Terrace – where participants would debate and learn how to raise citizens engagement on sustainability issue
2. The Civic Parliament – to learn about policy decision process
3. The LEGO corner – through the LEGOSeriousPlay workshop, particpants were modelling concepts

The workshop concluded that territorial cooperation is needed to help regions and cities play the key role in shaping and implementing innovative policies for a greener and smarter future.

9 october 2019, 09PL358 – Interreg MED Piazza: where citizens and EU Institutions meet for the future of Europe #EURegionsWeek Belgium – Brussels – October 2019

In another hands-on session, ENoLL presented a methodology that was developed in-house. With the UNaLAB partner ERRIN (European Regions Research and Innovation Network) we held a session with the Urban Living Lab Playground Game. This is an interactive game through which players co-create a storyline to fight against air pollution which is affecting our cities today. During the session the participants learned how an Urban Living Lab functions, what range of tools and methods can be used during the co-creation activities and what Nature Based Solutions can subsequently be implemented. The content for the game derives from two European Projects – Urban Nature Labs (UNaLab) and Improving the Smart Control of Air Pollution in Europe (iSCAPE).

9 October 2019, 09WS498 – Urban Living Lab Playground The Co-Creation GamerBelgium – Brussels – October 2019r© EU/UE

And lastly, ENoLL co-organised the SynchroniCty session titled “Scaling Urban Digital Solutions: Towards a Digital Single Market for Cities & Communities”. The session brough together cities and experts who are reducing market barriers for IoT-enabled urban services, through the SynchroniCity project. The session concluded that “to create a successful digital single market for cities and communities, not only a technical common ground based on open standards and interfaces is needed, but also the political support of the municipality and the willingness to cooperate and use successful European solutions” (EWRC, 2019).

10 october 2019, 10PL487 – Scaling Urban Digital Solutions: Towards a Digital Single Market for Cities & Communities #EURegionsWeek Belgium – Brussels – October 2019