LUDA e-news is the free electronic newsletter of the project LUDA (Improving the quality of life in large urban distressed areas). It is edited by the LUDA team of the Institute of Ecological and Regional Development in Dresden (Germany). The newsletter is published every three months in English. Four editions have been published so far. LUDA e-news informs about the project's progress, current affairs and interesting topics. The newsletter is structured around the following sections: highlights (important events related to the project), worth knowing (interesting literature, web-sites, events etc.), essay (articles and discussions about issues relevant to the project), hints and upcoming events (next steps, events and the latest results of the project). LUDA e-news is publicly available via e-mail (to subscribers) and at the projects homepage.
Summary of contents:
As mentioned above LUDA e-news features several columns and sections. In the essay section at least one article per edition is published. Project partners as well as other practitioners and academics contribute to discussions by presenting their views on issues relevant to the project. The following articles have been published so far:
- John Ratcliffe and Lorcan Sirr (The Futures Academy at Dublin Institute of Technology): IMAGINEERING CITIES: A plea for more futures thinking in urban planning and development.
- Juliane Mathey, Birgit Kochan and Sylke Stutzriemer (Institute of Ecological and Regional Development, Dresden): Urban Wastelands of Today Ecological Recreation Areas of Tomorrow?
- Stefan Weber (Saxon Redevelopment Bank, Dresden): Presentation as Part of the International Conference ?Green Brownfields II on 18th June 2003 on the Topic of Financing.
- Lubomír Jamecný, Dagmar Petrikova and Maroa Finka (Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava): Surveys, Analyses and Evaluation of LUDA Experiences from Slovak Republic.
- Julie Gannon (The Futures Academy at Dublin Institute of Technology): Healthy Cities.
- Ingrid Belcáková (Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava): Methods and Tools of Revitalisation of Deteriorated Areas.
- Mario Moutinho (Universidade Lusofona de Humadidades e Tecnologias, Lisboa): A Quick View over an Urban Distressed Area in Rio de Janeiro.
Main innovative features/benefits:
The newsletter is oriented towards practitioners as well as academics who are interested in the topics of urban distress and urban rehabilitation. Furthermore it is used to point out the specific needs of large urban distressed areas to decision-makers and multipliers on different levels. The newsletter informs about the highlights of the LUDA project, offers space for articles and discussions, and provides useful links and other hints. Thus, the newsletter is a platform for discussions on LUDA issues within a broader network and a main element of information about the projects progress.
Current status and use as well as potential application and End-users:
LUDA e-news is the established newsletter of the LUDA project, published every three months. The newsletter is freely distributed via e-mail and available at the project s homepage. Currently there are about 150 subscribers from different countries, aside the project countries, e.g. Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.
As stated above, the newsletter is a main element of information about issues of urban distress in general and specifically about the subject of large urban distressed areas within the LUDA project. The newsletter LUDA e-news orients towards all major target groups of the project:
-The scientific community demanding methodologies on how to find solutions for complex problems (state of the art of current scientific discussion);
- Planning authorities on local, regional, national and EU level needing tools for development;
- Private planning businesses needing planning solutions for analysis and management of distressed areas;
- Local, national and international NGOs, civic groups and associations as well as individual citizens, who can act as multipliers to transmit the project results, needing information on the general framework of urban rehabilitation (e.g. ideas, good examples);
- Politicians on different levels needing policy recommendations and acting as decision-makers to transmit project results into policies;
- Private economy needing solutions for problems caused by the situation in distressed areas.
Representatives of most of these groups are already subscribers. The project encourages a wide dissemination and asks for more subscribers in all fields.