A new environmental attraction in Gulbene, Latvia, features a container nursery for observing young pine trees. Developed by Carbon Less Future Ltd and supported by the local municipality, this innovative design is patented by the EU Patent Office. Entrepreneur Aigars Jačuks explains that the initiative promotes green thinking, offering companies equipment for natural resource restoration … Read more
Dr. Peter Berrill’s study, featured in Transportation Research Part D, investigates the relationship between urban design and mobility habits in Berlin and 18 additional European cities. The findings demonstrate that proximity to city centers significantly reduces car ownership and the use of cars for travel, with a notable exponential drop in car ownership observed 6 … Read more
The EU’s NetZeroCities platform has announced further support for 25 cities striving to become climate neutral by 2030. These cities are part of the EU Cities Mission and will collectively receive over 14 million Euros through the Horizon Europe program to become ‘Pilot Cities’. This initiative will enable them to test innovative decarbonisation strategies across … Read more
Tallinn’s Deputy Mayor, Madle Lippus, advocates for revitalizing the city center to prevent its decline, emphasizing the need for infrastructure projects. Key focuses include improving access to the city center and addressing the shortage of kindergartens. Plans include extending the tram line and creating a bicycle-sharing system. While challenges persist, such as slow progress on … Read more
Valencia, known for its sunshine, has been named Europe’s Green Capital, praised for its 5 million square meters of green space and the accessibility of nature to its residents. Winning the title comes with a 600,000 euro grant and valuable marketing benefits. Paola Llobet, Valencia’s councillor for tourism and innovation, sees it as recognition of … Read more
Bucharest, Romania, is gaining popularity among tourists, earning the nickname “new Berlin” due to its beautiful architecture and vibrant city center. With a bustling nightlife and affordable options, it’s becoming a top choice for city breaks. The city’s thriving cafe culture, with its array of specialty coffee shops, adds to its charm. The Old Town, … Read more
The European Observatory for City Center, launched by Centre-Ville en Mouvement in February 2024 at the European Parliament, held its first online conference on April 3rd, focusing on governance and financing models for downtowns and commercial arteries, with examples from Canada and Italy. Discussions highlighted practices such as Commercial Development Corporations (CDCs) in Canada, which … Read more
In this town in eastern Slovenia, after years of renovations to the city center financed by national, local, and European funds, culture has been restored as the central element of urban policy. The municipality aims to further revitalize the historical district by proposing additional cultural spaces and intergenerational meetings, resulting in a diverse lineup of … Read more
Inside the Czech capital, authorities have made the decision to limit the automobile traffic for all vehicles (except for residents, taxis, and all other vehicles that possess an authorization). Prague’s first district will then be closed for access between 10pm and 6am. The goal? Reduce noise pollution which has been affecting the city center’s residents … Read more
Milan, the capital of fashion, is at a crossroad concerning pollution. As we are facing more and more issues having to do with climate change, a decision has to be made to reduce emissions. The mayor is choosing to target private traffic within the confines of the city center in order to reduce the pollution … Read more
In this municipality, the initiative consists in gathering several little businesses within the same commercial premises. The main goal is to encourage small businesses to take a chance to open their shops and test out the profitability while enjoying a lower rent. This comes after the realization that there needs to be a change of … Read more
As it is the case in most city centers across Europe, there is a need to adapt to the changes following the pandemic which fueled the development of e-commerce amongst other things. Germany has understood the challenge, the main take-away being that we need to rethink city centers as an ensemble. It is the whole … Read more
Located in Brittany, Saint-Brieuc is a mid-sized city with more than 45 000 inhabitants.Music boxes installed in the streets of Saint-Brieuc surprise passersby! They are the work of the multidisciplinary art collective “The Anomik Nation” which “offers music to passersby”. Since 2018, the concept seduced plenty of European cities while installing more than 250 music … Read more
The Municipality of Coimbra is developing and implementing a strategy to revitalize the historic city center, organizing dynamic and attractive cultural events for all age groups and different audiences. The aim is to attract the city’s inhabitants and visitors to the “heart of the city”, creating new economic, social, and cultural dynamics in a unique … Read more
For the past decade, this small town of Tyrol has been emerging as an active regional center. Thanks to several development groups and a clever combination of planning and urban marketing, the commercial vocation of the city center has been strengthened. The recipe for this success? A transversal approach, through an ambitious pedestrianization strategy, the … Read more
What solution to face the scarcity of urban space and climate change? To this question, the city of Rotterdam answered with the Rooftop Walk: a promenade on several rooftops of the city center connected by a 30-meter-long aerial bridge. This interesting yellow path is a short-lived installation created by the association “Dakendagen.” The course showcases … Read more
*This event is not organized by the French Government. However we have been allowed by the French Government to use the emblem of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
