Networks and cities' news

What has been done in PUMA network in the first quarter of 2025?

How European cities are helping one another in advancing towards sustainable mobility

While the transport sector is a vital component of the European Union (EU) economy, contributing 5% to the EU’s GDP and employing 10 million people, it also presents a significant environmental challenge. Indeed, transport accounts for around 25% of the EU’s total CO₂ emissions, with road transport being the largest contributor, responsible for 71.7% of those emissions. Additionally, 23% of all transport-related greenhouse gas emissions come from urban areas (cities, towns and suburbs), where most EU citizens live.

Cities across Europe must thus strive to make urban mobility more sustainable and accessible to achieve a 90% reduction in transport-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, in line with the European Union’s climate targets. One significant challenge is the insufficient public transport in smaller and medium-sized cities, which causes residents to depend more heavily on cars on a daily basis. In fact, larger cities (with over one million inhabitants) tend to offer more frequent public transport services and better-developed cycling infrastructure than smaller cities (with under 250,000 inhabitants). Overall, approximately 88% of European citizens still own a car.

“If we want to achieve our sustainability goals, then I believe that all European cities, also small and medium ones, have to focus on the more sustainable types of transportation,” explained Aksels Ruperts, PUMA Lead partner project coordinator.

The Role of Civil Servants in Strengthening Citizen Participation Lessons from the Agents of Co-Existence Network

Citizen participation is an essential pillar of democracy, yet many municipalities struggle to create effective and inclusive engagement processes. The Agents of Co-Existence (AoCE) Network, a European collaboration of cities working together as a URBACT action planning network, focuses on innovative ways to bridge the gap between governments and citizens. Basically, they look at two ways to improve citizen participation. On the one hand, they search for new ways and methods to include citizens in decision-making processes. On the other, they seek ways to foster meaningful engagement by redefining the role of civil servants. This requires experimenting with new participatory approaches and learning from each other. After 1,5 years of working and exploring together, it is time to share some relevant findings and key insights from the AoCE network and related studies, shedding light on how civil servants can better facilitate citizen participation at the local level

How do we make public participation more inclusive?

Public participation is a fundamental part of sustainable urban development, and yet traditional participation formats tend to preselect a rather homogenous group of citizens. How might we increase the diversity of those we are reaching and the voices we are including in our policy design?

How the movement “city of commons” was born in Bologna and spread over Italy

Over the past decade, Italy has undergone a remarkable transformation with the implementation of the concept of "city of commons." This idea, which originated in Bologna, has quickly spread across the country and has led to numerous initiatives aimed at social inclusion and urban renewal.

WELDI Journal Number 4 (03-2025)