Networks and cities' news

Have you heard about the Berlin Urban Nature Pact?

Joining this new initiative to promote biodiversity in your city is perhaps the best New Year's Resolution your municipality should do…

The Berlin Urban Nature Pact is an alliance of cities to implement global biodiversity goals locally. Signatory cities will implement targeted and visible actions, projects, and processes by 2030. Watch their short video here.

Cities for Sustainability Governance: A Governance Styles Toolbox

By Louis Meuleman, 07/01/2025

Cities for Sustainability Governance: A Governance Styles Toolbox

By Louis Meuleman, 07/01/2025

City cards: a tool to promote rights and belonging for all?

Can European cities follow the example of New York in promoting inclusion and access to rights for all residents by issuing local citizen cards? A transnational exchange hosted by the city of Liège on December 2, 2024 brought together a range of experts and practitioners to discuss the practical aspects of city card projects currenlty underway. City cards are a popular idea. Four of the ten WELDI partners are planning to make city cards a central element of their Action Plans, and many other cities, including Zurich, Bern, Berlin, Hamburg and Lyon, have similar projects. These projects are an expression of local commitment, but also of the growing contradictions local faced by governments as national policies become increasingly restrictive towards residents with a precarious status. 

Driving Circular Economy Awareness and Education

The transition to a circular economy (CE) represents a paradigm shift from traditional linear economic models towards a regenerative system. Cities, as epicenters of consumption and innovation, play a crucial role in fostering awareness and education around circular principles. The article synthesizes insights from the LET’S GO CIRCULAR! Paving the way for circular cities Action Planning Network financed by the URBACT IV programme and from various case studies in Europe, highlighting measures to engage different target groups and foster educational initiatives.

Creating temporary space for experimentation about future activities

The case study on Hamburg (Germany) is one of the concrete results of the URBACT workstream ‘Sustainable regeneration in urban areas’, after collection of data, a study visit, and interviews with local stakeholders. It explores environmental measures for regenerating urban areas the city put in place, achievements and challenges, success factors, and conditions for transfer to other cities. The first part of the case study summarises the key points of the practice, while the second part (analytical template) provides more details for those interested in transferring the practice to their local context.