Building Bridges between the EU and the Global Urban Agenda: an Interregional Debate on New Urban Governance

On May 30th, 2016, the EU ministers responsible for urban matters have adopted the Pact of Amsterdam with the support from cities, the European Commission, and other European organizations. The Urban Agenda for the EU (EAEU) is the key EU delivery instrument of the New Urban Agenda. The close relation between the two agendas is the topic of an interactive debate with key actors involved in the making of the two agendas.The Pact of Amsterdam was the result of a deliberative process involving all key urban stakeholders, both governmental and non-governmental, including civil society, private sector and knowledge institutions. The result is an innovative governance approach based on partnerships urban actors jointly addressing major societal challenges. This partnership approach embodies the governance model of the New Urban Agenda.The interregional debate will formulate lessons to cross-fertilize the two strategic urban agendas focusing on four thematic areas: Affordable Housing, Air Quality, Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees and Urban Poverty.