Milan focuses on food waste, not only to avoid it but also to transform this problem into a solution.
7 minute readPlants are climbing back on city walls to fight climate change and build resilience during boiling-hot summers. Milan, Malmo and Barcelona are spearheading this green architecture revolution.
5 minute readDigital rights are human rights. Yet the path to making this a reality is still full of hurdles. What are cities doing to get there, earlier rather than later?
10 minute readSlow the pace of life for healthier, more equal and sustainable cities, say time reform supporters. They’re about to meet and present new ideas at Barcelona’s Time Use Week event from 25 to 31 October.
6 minute readItaly's second city is taking a bottom-up approach to public places, putting their management in the hands of its people.
4 minute readPeople prefer car sharing, where you drive a car alone but share it with others, to ride sharing, where you drive together with other people. “You feel obliged to interact with other people. With ride sharing, you feel like you have to give something back. This is social indebtedness, and people generally don’t want that in everyday life.”
6 minute readCities are the main destination of migrants and refugees, yet cities are not adequately involved in shaping migration policy.
5 minute readAt a European Parliament meeting, Eurocities and LSE Cities launched a major new report on city innovation. It shows that cities view innovation as key to addressing issues like climate change and inequality, but they need more political support and funding.
7 minute readIn a new Eurocities policy paper, city leaders call on the EU to ensure a robust, well-funded Cohesion Policy after 2027, based on strong governance, trusted partnerships, and simplified financial support for city administrations.
5 minute readAs we face increasingly urgent global challenges, including climate change, urbanisation and growing inequality, Europe must transform its food systems to ensure resilience, sustainability, and inclusivity, write the Vice Mayor of Milan and Deputy Mayor of Leuven.
4 minute readCouriers are essential workers in the flow of goods, but the gig economy creates competition harming couriers and the cities they operate in. In Milan, a civic crowdfunded startup is delivering a new model.
4 minute readHost, Natasha Foote, previews the Food Trails podcast exploring the power of cities in shaping sustainable food systems.
5 minute readA new Eurocities report shows that the EU cohesion policy is crucial for prosperity in cities. But if cities are to drive climate and social transformations, the policy's urban dimension must be improved.
8 minute readCities are not only more aware of their role in creating sustainable food systems, but they are also increasingly taking active roles in improving both food production and consumption for a greener, healthier, and more inclusive future.
5 minute readIn Warsaw, cities discussed how food systems are connected and vulnerable to crises. The key to build resilience in the face of these crises lies in collaboration.
8 minute readHousing Ministers meeting under the Belgian presidency of the EU Council call for a platform supporting national, regional and local partnerships to end housing exclusion. Cities welcome the initiative.
4 minute readEurocities members are driving change in urban food policies and advocating for better integration into the EU’s strategic agenda.
4 minute readAs Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine enters its third year, cities across Europe are coming together to express their continued solidarity and support for the Ukrainian people.
7 minute readIn an era increasingly defined by the omnipresence of artificial intelligence, the distinction between human-generated content and that crafted by digital technologies becomes ever more elusive.
4 minute readAir pollution is the leading cause of premature death worldwide. One way cities can address the complexity of air pollution sources is by increasingly relying on their residents for community-led monitoring.
4 minute readWhat can we expect from the future of urban food policies? Listen/read to the conversation.
10 minute readLast week, city representatives met in Brussels to discuss the future of food systems exchanging views with representatives of the European Commission ahead of future legislative proposals connected to food.
6 minute readWhat is the role of Milan in creating a user-centric system? What is the key to their success?
6 minute readHow to make package deliveries more sustainable? European Mobility Week identifies 'Packages' as one of this year's main themes, but those solutions call for a sustainable mobility plan.
2 minute readA single platform will display public and private transport options in Milan to make moving around town simple and sustainable. It will be a pioneering project in Italy, where post-pandemic recovery funds are encouraging a digital revolution.
5 minute readThe war in Ukraine has further highlighted the need for Europe to embrace a swift transformation towards climate neutrality. The 'Fit for 55' package represents a historic opportunity to accelerate this transition, and push for energy independence.
8 minute readIn the wake of two years of pandemic, cities are facing many competing challenges, but are committed to learning lessons, and using the potential boost from recovery funding, to jump ahead of where they were pre-Covid19.
6 minute readWomen worldwide hold just 24% of senior leadership positions. Birmingham's 'Young Women into Leadership' aims to change that and to inspire young women to make history.
3 minute readLocal leaders are multiplying their voices in support of Ukraine with messages, aid, donations and solidarity offers while draping themselves in yellow and blue.
3 minute readWith the Commission publishing a set of Digital Rights Principles, cities agree that digitalisation has to benefit everyone, however, stating principles are not enough, and cities are ready for the next step.
5 minute readNewly published air quality guidelines from the World Health Organisation shine a harsh light on how poor air affects health and what the EU must do to catch up.
5 minute readThe long term effects of the Covid-19 crisis on mental health are still to be studied, but people already need support and cities already made some moves.
5 minute readEurocities members across Europe raise their hand to welcome Afghans fleeing their country after the Taliban takeover.
4 minute readAbout half of all migrants in the EU are women, but integration policies often leave women behind. Here are ten cities where things are different.
8 minute readHealthy food, produced in a sustainable way and available for all, rich and poor – a shared vision for cities across Europe. Here is what the speakers at the breakfast sessions of the EU project Food Trails brought to the table.
5 minute readDigging holes in the city can be tricky and dangerous when the information you need is owned by 40 different entities. Milan’s solution is to go digital.
6 minute readEurope Day on 9 May 2021 is an occasion to celebrate some of the incredible solidarity that cities have displayed over the last year.
4 minute readThe European Commission wants to make beautiful, inclusive and sustainable design the embodiment of the Green Deal. Find out how cities are leading the way with their ideas.
2 minute readOne year after lockdowns first cleaned up air in major European cities, new data shows pollution can drop to these levels again through green policies.
2 minute readThe pandemic has called for fresh thinking and long-term solutions to food aid. Read how cities from Eurocites’ working group Food are responding with dignity and innovation.
4 minute readMayors call on the EU presidency to ensure that cities are better involved in the national recovery plans. Portugal’s prime minister Costa promises support.
1 minute readA resilient and inclusive recovery must mean investing in children - doing so requires planning across levels of government and with the private sector. Recent initiatives at EU level are promising.
3 minute readGovernments around the globe want to spend more money to help countries and cities to cope with the impacts of climate change. At the Climate Adaptation Summit, Rotterdam’s mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb presented a special programme for cities.
2 minute readWhat are the pressing questions for integration at local level? The European Commission and Parliament got together with cities at Integrating Cities IX to find out.
8 minute readCOVID-19 was a shock to the system for many cities, but Milan, Bergamo, Bordeaux and Grenoble used clever food policy to get through the crisis. Find out how.
4 minute readMayors from nine major European cities have written a letter to the presidents of the European institutions to demonstrate the need for a clear local level role in the recovery.
2 minute readFinding opportunities in the corona crisis, Rome, and many other European cities, are boosting their cycling revolution.
5 minute readThe city has reduced CO2 emissions from its school meals by 20% in five years.
2 minute readNow more than ever, cities are playing a role in food system transformation.
4 minute readThe mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, calls for national governments and multilateral agencies to support cities’ efforts towards a sustainable and inclusive society for all.
4 minute read44 cities, representing more than 51 million citizens, have jointly pledged €14.2 billion in social investment measures towards creating a fairer, more equal and inclusive Europe.
5 minute readAhead of the announced Digital Services Act, mayors and leaders from 12 European cities met with European Commission Executive Vice-President, Margrethe Vestager.
4 minute readMayors and representatives of cities want stronger regulations on the Short Term Holiday Rental market in order to counter the harmful impact of STHR on the housing market and make neighbourhoods more liveable.
3 minute readThe COVID-19 crisis in our cities is proving to us that a fair and rapid digital transition is not only possible, but also more necessary than ever before.
3 minute readIn an open letter to leaders of the EU institutions, political groups and representatives of the member states, six mayors of major European cities call for more funding for science.
2 minute readHow do you prevent a public health emergency from becoming a food emergency?
3 minute readEuropean cities call for tougher laws on short-term tourist accommodation.
1 minute readWhat is the role of cities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations? What can policy makers, international organisations, business and civil society organisations do to successfully transform food systems?
1 minute readAt a signing ceremony today in Genoa, 12 big European cities committed to at least 40% carbon emissions reduction by 2030 and adaptation to climate change, in line with the EU climate objectives.
3 minute read21 cities, representing more than 20 million citizens have so far pledged €4.32 billion towards a fairer, more equal and inclusive Europe.
3 minute read50 cities have now adopted the Eurocities Declaration on citizens' engagement, demonstrating their commitment to create a Europe where people come first and citizens have a role in new forms of participatory democracy.
2 minute read