The City is Alive: Transformative Politics in Practice
Cities are traditional strongholds of green politics, where the roots of the movement run deep across time and place. As conservative and even far-right forces gain power and momentum across Europe, they remain key spaces for grassroots mobilization, where green initiatives and democratic innovations can thrive.
With pressing climate and socio-economic challenges, we’ll discuss how local leaders – councillors, mayors, and other green-minded actors – are balancing immediate needs with long-term transformative goals. How can cities lead the way in fostering a post-growth wellbeing economy? What transformative change can emerge from below? This session will offer an honest reflection on the potential of local governments to push for system-wide change and explore how the green movement can continue using cities as an incubator and instigator for a green, democratic, and more socially just Europe.
Speakers:
Michalis Goudis, Director, Heinrich Boll Stiftung Thessaloniki
Michalis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. His Journalism and Mass Communication studies at Aristotle University were followed up by Radio & Data Journalism training at LfM in Düsseldorf and at DJS in Munich. As a journalist in Greece, he has reported, published and broadcasted for several magazines, online media and radio stations, while freelancing- especially at peak of the Eurozone crisis- for numerous European Media, including among others DIE ZEIT, ZDF, Songlines and Nieuwsuur. Moving to Brussels, after a valuable learning experience at the Press Unit of the European Parliament, starting in July 2013 and over a period of 7 years he’s been leading the communications work of Housing Europe, while being actively involved in the International Social Housing Festival. In the meantime, his persistent interest in cities gave a twist to his professional and educational path with a Master’s degree in Human Geography & Spatial Planning. Summer 2020 includes an exciting professional turning point that brings him back to his hometown to head the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Office in Greece with its talented team working closely with a wide range of partners on democracy, ecology and social solidarity economy.
Danijela Dolenec, Deputy Mayor of Zagreb, Možemo
Danijela Dolenec serves as Deputy Mayor of Zagreb on behalf of the green-left platform Možemo. She is the co-founder of Zagreb je naš! and Možemo!, where she coordinated the political program for several electoral campaigns. Danijela holds a MSc from the London School of Economics and a PhD from ETH Zurich, and is the recipient of several scholarships and two science awards. The focus of her academic career has been the political economy of post-socialism, social movements and political parties as vehicles of democratization, and the politics of environmental sustainability. Her current work is focused on enhancing the strategic and governing capacity of the city administration, and on fast forwarding Zagreb’s just transition.
Zack Polanski, London City Assembly Member; Deputy Leader, Green Party of England and Wales
Zack Polanski is the Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales elected in 2022. He is also an elected member of the London Assembly and is the Chair of London’s Environment committee since 2021. Zack is passionate about environmental, social, racial and economic justice and has been working to gain justice for a range of sectors including tackling inequality through fair taxation, LGBTIQA+ rights and to amplify the positive case for migration
Gilles Rémi André Denans, Mayor of La Barraca d’Aigües Vives, Valencia
Gilles Denans is mayor of the Barraca d’Aigües Vives, a minor local entity of Alzira in the Valencian community He is a member of the environmental political party VerdsEquo, integrated into the Compromís coalition at the local level and VerdesEquo at the state level. Gilles is an electronic engineer who graduated from the University of Toulouse and has worked in the Software industry. For years he has been active in local environmental associations and since 2015 he has made the leap into local politics first as a councilor and now as mayor to deal with the day-to-day life of the town and to put political environmentalism into practice.
Tine Heyse, Deputy Mayor, City of Ghent
Tine Heyse has served as the Deputy Mayor of Ghent since January 2013. Her executive responsibilities encompass energy, housing, and environmental policies. She currently chairs the Eurocities Environmental Forum and, until 2023, served as the co-president of the Climate Alliance. Ms. Heyse is a regular speaker at international events, focusing on climate issues. Her talks emphasize the crucial role of local partners and communities in developing and implementing energy and climate policies. Her current primary focus is on a fair climate transition, particularly in the areas of climate-neutral social housing and equitable renovation policies, food policy and circular economy. Throughout her career, climate and energy have been recurring themes. Prior to her tenure as Deputy Mayor, Ms. Heyse dedicated ten years to environmental organizations as a campaigner and worked in the Climate Change unit of the Belgian Federal Ministry of Environment. She also contributed her expertise in climate and energy as a specialist for the Green party in the Belgian federal parliament. Website: www.tineheyse.be
Yasmine Bouagga, Mayor of the 1st arrondissement, City of Lyon
Sociologist and member of French Green Party (Les Ecologistes), Yasmine Bouagga is a district mayor in the City of Lyon, France, and metropolitan counselor. She works in particular on social issues and housing.
Moderator: Imogen Hamilton-Jones, Programme Manager, European Cities Initiative, LSE Cities
Imogen is an urban anthropologist based at LSE Cities. She manages the European Cities Programme, a research, engagement and capacity-building initiative focused on the future of European cities. Her research currently centres on urban climate action, city government innovation and the cultural politics of economic systems change in European cities. Previously, she was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Urban Studies and lecturer in the Anthropology Department at the University of Amsterdam. She has also worked on London urban policy and is committed to research that shapes cities and political movement building in practice.
