European cities are currently facing massive challenges that range from growing urbanization to an increased cultural diversity of their own population. The way urban planning chooses to address these issues will influence the future of our living together in permanent ways. In order to foster livable, sustainable and resilient cities, an inclusive, creative, interdisciplinary and participatory urban planning approach is needed.

There is an increasing need to tackle the complex realities of cities by addressing and incorporating stakeholders collective knowledge in the development and implementation of urban solutions for the management of public spaces: organizations or individuals, and range from public and private organizations, to experts and politicians, to media and citizens.

Local Squares is a training for urban planners that aims at identifying and experiencing participatory approaches in local urban contexts. The Training focuses on the design, development and testing of a toolbox of strategies and approaches to involve a broader diversity of stakeholders in the management of public spaces.

The Partnership will be composed of seven Partners from five countries:

• Interactive Workshop of Europe GbR (DE)
• Local Intelligence (NL)
• PlanSinn GmbH (AT)
• Catholic University of Louvain (BE)
• INCA Deutschland e.V. (DE)
• Stichting Elos Nederland (NL)
• Basurama (ES)