📆 11^th January 2023 (2pm CET)

Gender mainstreaming in urban security policies intends to integrate an equality perspective at all stages and levels of urban policies, security strategies and interventions. 

Men, women and people of all genders are confronted with different security issues in urban environments. Men are more vulnerable to violence and robbery, while women are more likely to experience sexual harassment and gender-based violence. These differences concern a variety  of issues, for example access to and control over power and resources. Unequal access to common goods and rights might equally concern the interaction with institutions and the justice system. The situations of women and men also differ according to country, region, age, ethnic or social origin, economic circumstances or other factors.

Gender mainstreaming in urban security policies should take into account these differences when designing, implementing and evaluating activities or interventions, so that they benefit both women and men and do not increase inequality but enhance gender equality.

During this session, representatives of the partner cities of the project (Rotterdam, Lisbon, Nice, Stuttgart, Riga and Torino) will share their case-study and exchange with the expert Barbara Holtmann, Director, Fixed Africa, on the challenges they face, including such  questions:

• What does gender mainstreaming in urban security policies imply?
• How to integrate a gender perspective into an urban security initiative? Who should be involved?
• What tools facilitate gender mainstreaming?
• What are examples of successful gender mainstreaming in urban security?

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📆 28th February 2023 (10am CET) 

In times when unforeseen events and uncertainties have become the norm, local authorities are called upon to provide answers to complex problems in urban security with no obvious answers. It is therefore essential to make sure they are able to adapt quickly and, above all, to anticipate potential future challenges. By including a variety of perspectives, professions and experiences, the human-centred Design Thinking (DT) methodology enhances the co-production of concrete solutions, starting with a process of collaborative and multi-dimensional problem analysis, which helps to shed light on the whole picture of a given urban security challenge. This enables cities to engage local stakeholders and citizens in the design of interventions, and thus to tailor  solutions to the local context while responding to unmet needs of citizens. 

During this session, representatives of the partner cities of the project (Rotterdam, Lisbon, Nice, Stuttgart, Riga and Torino) will share their case-study and exchange with the expert Prof Kees Dorst, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, on the following questions:

• What is the Design Thinking methodology and how can it be used in urban security policies?
• How can this approach reframe urban security policy issues? How can it generate and test new solutions to old and emerging problems?
• How can Design Thinking improve the participation of citizens in urban security measures?
• What does Design Thinking look like in practice? Case studies and concrete examples of Design Thinking implementation in urban security

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📆 23 March 2023 (2pm CET) 

Public spaces are places for exchange, culture, trade, leisure and political expression, all activities that are at the heart of cities. In this sense, public spaces play an important role in strengthening social cohesion in a city or a neighbourhood. Conversely, when they are neglected or badly managed, they can generate more exclusion and marginalisation.

Public spaces are also an essential part of a city’s image and attractiveness. Different groups of people use them differently (young people vs. seniors, women vs. men…), which can create tensions among users and with local residents. Furthermore, because of their open nature and the fact that they attract crowds, public spaces can be targets for terrorism and criminal behaviour. 

Local and regional authorities are the level of government best placed to embed security in the design and management of such spaces in partnership with local communities. Indeed, experience shows that when citizens are involved in the life of their neighbourhood, including security, they feel a sense of belonging, attach more value to their own city, including local public spaces, and this in turn tends to reduce disorder and crime. Nevertheless, initiatives of citizen engagement are oftentimes adopted on an ad hoc basis and very much dependent on a particular situation rather than on a well designed local strategy.

During this session, representatives of the partner cities of the project (Rotterdam, Lisbon, Nice, Stuttgart, Riga and Torino) will share their case-study and exchange with the experts Thierry Charlois, Night Policy Project Manager, Paris City Council and Laetitia Wolff, Design Impact Consultant, Besign, The Sustainable Design School in Nice, on the following questions:

• What tools can facilitate citizen participation in the security and liveability of public spaces?
• What are examples of successful citizen engagement in maintaining public spaces safe and inclusive?
• How can local authorities promote and empower citizen initiatives without jeopardising the role of law enforcement or other security actors? 
• What criteria are needed to sustain citizen engagement over time (political, economic, communications…)? 

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📆 17 May 2023, (2pm CET) 

While most approaches to juvenile justice concentrate on punishing or treating delinquent youth, the restorative justice process seeks to repair the harm by involving the entire community in rehabilitating offenders and holding them accountable for their behaviour.

The current juvenile justice system in many countries relies heavily on costly and harmful incarceration and punitive probation. This punitive approach has poor outcomes, high recidivism, and little victim satisfaction. As an alternative, restorative justice is a flexible, participatory and problem-solving response to criminal behaviour, which can provide a complementary or an alternative path to justice. Indeed, the primary purpose of restorative justice is just that – to restore justice. Within families, schools, communities, organisations, civil society and the State, restorative justice provides peaceful conflict resolution and contributes to cohesive and democratic societies. 

During this session, representatives of the partner cities of the project (Rotterdam, Lisbon, Nice, Stuttgart, Riga and Torino) will share their case-study and exchange with the expert Tim Chapman, Chair of the board of the European Forum for Restorative Justice, on the following questions:

• What are the main restorative justice models that may be applied for juvenile delinquency cases? 
• What are the benefits of restorative justice for the judiciary system in juvenile delinquency cases, for adolescents and children as offenders, and for society?
• What are the requirements for a successful operation of restorative justice programmes for juvenile delinquency cases ? 

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📆 21 September 2023, (2pm CET) 

Acts of discriminatory violence which target people because they belong, or are perceived to belong, to population groups that have a common characteristic such as their ethnic origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, language, or the fact that they are homeless, are different from other crimes. Not only does discriminatory violence  have a traumatic effect on a victims’ physical and mental health, but it  can also incite  entire groups or communities to turn to violence or exclude the victim from the community. 

Such acts create fear and hostility far beyond the local environment. Even isolated incidents  can trigger tensions or conflict on a larger scale. Furthermore, discriminatory violence directly undermines the founding values of democracy, social cohesion and citizens’ security as stated by the European Union’s Charter of Fundamental Rights. It has a devastating impact on many levels. Comprehensive responses are therefore needed at the local level to enhance knowledge and awareness, empower communities, prevent violent incidents, support victims and foster multi-stakeholder cooperation. 

During this session, representatives from the project’s partner cities (Rotterdam, Lisbon, Nice, Stuttgart, Riga and Torino) will share their case-studies and exchange ideas with the expert Patrick Charlier, Director of the International Centre for Equal Opportunities (UNIA). Their discussion will focus mainly on the following questions:

• What is discriminatory violence ? How is it reproduced at the local level?
• How can cities integrate preventing discriminatory violence in local urban security policies and strategies ? 
• What are important measures which cities should adopt in order to ensure peaceful coexistence between diverse communities ? 
• Which actors should be involved in preventing discriminatory violence at the local level ?
• How can cities effectively assess and monitor discriminatory violence at the local level ? 

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