Be inspired by our cities! Day by day, during the first hundred days of the new EU Commission, we present one example of how cities tackle European challenges.
Getting together to get cars off the road – Toulouse is trying new ways to reduce traffic
Sharing the journey
LEEDS
High reduction targets and climate protection as a democratic process: Leeds forges ahead in fighting the climate crisis
Ask those concerned
LILLE
Using design principles, cities can open themselves up to radical transformation from the ground up. It's all about experimentation and finding out what works.
Intelligent Design
DRESDEN
Creative energy now flows where electricity used to be produced: Dresden’s arts centre Kraftwerk Mitte.
Creative powerhouse
SHEFFIELD
“He came, he was so isolated. He had anxiety; he was so stressed. He was an asylum seeker. He was lost, he didn’t think he could do anything.”
No one has no skills
SOCIAL INCLUSION
With inequality evident, especially in our cities, how do we achieve social convergence in Europe?
Breaking free of poverty
CULTURE
Culture has found its place back in the title of one of our commissioners - is it still a factor for all of them?
Culture is back
MOBILITY
Cities suffer from air pollution, traffic jams and accidents. A new sustainable urban mobility is needed.
A future without cars?
A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Europe's success depends on its cities, where most people live. The new EU Commission must therefore strengthen the urban dimension in European policies.
EU do it better with cities
UTRECHT
When cycling is the most popular method of getting around, it promotes healthy urban living.
A path to wheel urban development
STRASBOURG
All major cities have vacant housing and people looking for homes. To make these two problems solve each other, you have to go to the source.
Making a house a home
ZARAGOZA
The spaces, objects and places around us shape our experience of the city – which is why ensuring equal access to public services is vital!
The city is for me
LJUBLJANA
How a 1970s hit became the unlikely anthem of a city turning its waste system around.
Rubbish bin blues
GHENT
Ghent has won an UN Climate Action Award for the way the Belgian city puts food on the table. These are the ingredients of Ghent’s food policy.
Saving the world with tomatoes
CITIZEN DATA
The digital transformation is increasingly impacting our daily lives – but what rights should private or state entities have over the data produced by people?
My data, my rights
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
The circular economy is set to become a key component of the European Green Deal, and many cities are already leading the way.
Rethink, reuse and repair
CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT
Cities can bridge the gap between European and national leaders and their citizens. As the closest level of government to people, cities are already experimenting with new types of democracy.
The missing link
EDINBURGH
With Brexit blurring party lines and sharpening divisions in UK politics, one thing remains clear – city leaders still want a seat at the European table.
Empty chairs at empty tables
IZMIR
Through co-design, the local authority can be a catalyst that empowers people to bring about the change that they want to see in areas that have lost their luster.
Design for community
ANTWERP
How do you create a whole new city district without expanding upwards or outwards? Antwerp’s urban mobility project provides an answer.
Reclaiming the city
A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Cities can help EU policies to become more pragmatic and citizen-centred, says Anna Lisa Boni from EUROCITIES.
“We are the Pragma Party”
MIGRATION
Cities are the main destination of migrants and refugees, yet cities are not adequately involved in shaping migration policy.
Welcoming cities
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The EU’s cohesion policy has the potential to harmonise economic development, but for cities it’s not so straightforward.
Gluing Europe together
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
If we are serious about a sustainable future, now is the time to invest in it.
When is growth unstable?
CLIMATE
Frans Timmermans, new commissioner for the European Green Deal, has an ambitious climate agenda. To make it happen, he needs cities.
