Urbasofia

🌍 Day 3 at the World Urban Forum 13 in Baku and the conversation on the future of cities continues.

One of today’s highlights was the lively pop-up discussion on “Biophilic Cities – Is Nature More Than Just Beautiful?” together with, together with Ali A. Alraouf, Dr. Haris Piplas, and Darinka Golubovic-Matic.

A key takeaway from the discussion: nature should be perceived as planned infrastructure in our cities. But dealing with living and complex systems is not easy. It is a matter of awareness — both from communities and public authorities — of how we can work together with nature, rather than against it.

One thing becomes clearer with every discussion: if we want to create a more sustainable pathway for our cities, the most important thing we need to do is collaborate.

Many thanks to Ali Alraouf, Haris Piplas, and Dara Golubovic-Matic for the inspiring discussion and valuable exchange of ideas.

🌍 Elevate project holds its 3rd Partners' Meeting in Bucharest!

On 5–6 May 2026, the Elevate project consortium gathered in Bucharest, Romania, hosted by DGASPC Sector 6, for two days of knowledge exchange, co-creation, and forward planning — bringing together 17 partners from 11 Danube Region countries.
Under the motto "nothing about us without us," the meeting deepened our shared commitment to building inclusive, age-friendly communities where older adults and people with disabilities are active shapers of change.

🌟 Our colleagues from the Urbasofia team, brought their insights for strategic overview and interconnectivity between project within these two days:
- Irina Alexandra Panait as Leader of SO1 opened the meeting by presenting the strategic steps in the agenda and its main objectives, putting together the gathered knowledge within SO1. On Day 2, she took the floor to present The Draft ELEVATE governance model — a key milestone for the project, outlining the practical roadmap for implementing pilot actions across 12 Danube territories over the next three semesters.
- Ana Dragomir represented the NONA Academy, introducing their innovative governance models, policy recommendations, investor handbooks, and educational formats — including travelling academies and national forums — all focused on sustainable development, green investments, and the revitalisation of public spaces and heritage areas across the Danube Region.

Other highlights from Bucharest:
🎤 Sessions on age-friendly media & digital inclusion, population ageing policies, and a capacity-building workshop on communicating social solutions to diverse stakeholders;
🗺️ All 12 pilot partners presented their action plans under SO2, outlining target groups, planned activities, and expected impacts;
🔭 A first look at sustainability & mainstreaming activities (SO3), including the upcoming Society Fair on 24 September 2026 in Slovenia;
🏛️ Study visits brought the mission to life: → Seniors' Club "Iulia Hasdeu" — active ageing and intergenerational connection → Social XChange — circular economy meeting social inclusion → Local Food Bank Sector 6 — 2,000 warm meals daily for children in need.

A warm thank you to DGASPC Sector 6, for the exceptional organisation and warm Romanian hospitality!
The ELEVATE project (2025–2028) is co-funded by the Interreg Danube Region Programme with a budget of €2.79M, supporting inclusive territorial development across the Danube Region.

👉 More information about the project: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/elevate