20/11/2025
🇸🇮Wrapping up two insightful days in Celje!
The EUI Capacity Building event “Integrating Horizontal Principles into Urban Development Projects” took place on 19–20 November 2025 in Tehnopark Celje, bringing together representatives of urban municipalities, municipalities, regional development agencies and centres, national institutions and other stakeholders.
The training responded to the growing need for Slovenian cities and municipalities implementing Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs) or Regional Development Agreements (RDAs) to align their projects with complex environmental, climate and sustainability standards. Its purpose was to provide participants with the knowledge and practical tools needed to prepare and implement projects while respecting key horizontal principles such as the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle, climate proofing, the New European Bauhaus, and the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.
Across the two days, the programme combined plenary sessions and practical work. Participants followed a keynote panel on urban development in the context of horizontal principles, along with an introductory session presenting the three central topics:
the DNSH principle & climate proofing in the context of infrastructure projects related to urban regeneration, compliance with the Nature Restoration Regulation, and adaptation to climate change in urban areas with cultural heritage protection regimes.
This foundation set the stage for a series of interactive workshops, where participants explored two of the three thematic areas in depth, drawing on good practice examples and engaging directly with European experts. The event also included a site visit on urban transformation through integrated territorial investments, offering a close look at the Centre of urban happening, Tehnopark and other ITIs in Celje.
👏Thank you to all speakers, experts and participants!
Gabriel Mezang Nkodo, Natalija Simunovic, Janez Berdavs, Borut Cink, Ben Rolles, Saša Heath-Drugovič, Klemen Strmšnik, Nataša Beltran, Katarina Pogačnik, Monika Tominšek, IPoP - Inštitut za politike prostora
📸https://flic.pulse.ly/qtosmp5ok8
