PIE Themes Overview

To further develop the unique perspective that PASCAL International Exchanges (PIE) represents for its contributors and participants, this THEMES section highlights a number of major issues which have evolved since the inception of the project.

Initially, PIE was established with a core set of Stimulus Papers from key contributors representing cities and regions from around the world. This has provided a rich pool of information, experience and innovative ideas that all participating cities have benefitted from. Through this public web space we hope that a wider audience has also found the dialogue an interesting and valuable resource.

For a comprehensive review of the development of the PASCAL International Exchanges project, please see Building Inclusive and Sustainable Learning Cities by Peter Kearns, Michael Osborne and Denise Reghenzani-Kearns.

We now invite extended contributions and discussions on the following PIE Themes:

Cultural policy and cultural institutions as arenas for lifelong learning;
Responding to social change;
Preserving the environment;
Mobilising civil society to build successful cities;
ICT and media as vehicles for an inclusive learning society;
Healthy Cities;
Special Country Papers;
Sustainable Opportunity Cities.

To participate in the PIE project, contribute materials or simply to join in the discussions, please contact Peter Kearns.

PIE Themes Activity

Title	Author	Post date
Rethinking EcCoWell: In the Context of Sustainable Development Goals	Peter Kearns	Mar 3 2018
A second visit to Cork Lifelong Learning Festival	Norman Longworth	Apr 18 2015
Activate programme from University of Glasgow presented in Cape Town	Helen Martin	Jan 7 2015
Three items from Atlantic Arc Cities	Mike Osborne	Jan 1 2015
PASCAL Learning Cities Networks - Harnessing Cultural Policies in Building Sustainable Learning Cities - Rolling Workshops, 2015	Peter Kearns	Oct 21 2014
Making a Commonwealth Games Legacy Meaningful - a new International Legacy Network is launched	Josef Konvitz	Jul 17 2014

Latest Posts

Global Video Dialogue Series on Climate Change - Website Available

Heather Pierce has sent this note on the Global Video Dialogue Series on Climate Change which provides useful references for the Preserving the Environment theme in the PIE exchanges:

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Green Growth Leaders Site

The Green Growth Leaders (GGL) is a global alliance of cities, regions, countries and corporations sharing a vision of building prosperous green economies and communities. Their web site has a good deal of information on innovative policies and strategies including country reports (the report on China is the most recent). See http://greengrowthleaders.org

Mobilising Civil Society

The Carnegie UK report Making Good Society contains the statement that liberal democracy is a three-legged stool comprising government, market, and civil society with the civil society role important in providing social capital and bonding society.

Cultural Identity, Climate Change Resilience and ICT

Angelina Valeria Ospina in a recent blog has helpfully explored links between cultural identity and ICT in sustaining resilience and promoting innovation in vulnerable communities in the face challenges such as those presented by climate change.

Are social cohesion, trust and social capital declining?

A recent Australian survey undertaken under the Scanlon Foundation Mapping Social Coherence research program reached some sobering conclusions. This is the third survey under this program which follows up on surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009. It found a sharp fall in the level of trust of the federal government, in inter-personal trust, and an increase in reported experience of discrinimation.