TheMayor.EU logo 
The first time in over half a century that a tramway will run through the heart of the city
The idea dates back even to Antiquity, but how feasible is it?
The idea dates back even to Antiquity, but how feasible is it?
This Nordic country doesn’t want to wait for the last war bullet to sound off before starting reconstruction
The cultural and victim remembrance facility will be located in Rome
Many municipalities instituted privileges for EVs to promote sustainable mobility. Now, a lot more people are driving electric, so maybe it’s time to normalise legislation
The city wants new approaches to developing the urban environment and is willing to fund the best solutions
Around 75% of German CO2 emissions come from the private sector, yet less than 1% of businesses are considered fully sustainable
The city has a strategy of putting 10,000 human-controlled and autonomous shuttles on the streets by 2030
Last week, the Chinese app was banned for Belgian federal employees for an initial period of six months
Some of the most productive solar installations in the city are on listed buildings, such as Red City Hall
Authorities have published two maps, one of the roofs and the other – of facades so that locals can make the right decision when choosing green energy
The first time in over half a century that a tramway will run through the heart of the city
The city has a strategy of putting 10,000 human-controlled and autonomous shuttles on the streets by 2030
It will open its doors in 2024 and offer cremations and burials
The building will be on the site of Plato’s Ancient Academy
The cultural and victim remembrance facility will be located in Rome
Successful candidates get a card allowing them to perform on the premises of the transit system
The city has developed its own way to teach young people how to react when they witness unjust treatments
The city will supply and maintain 138 dispensers in public buildings
Find out which European region has the highest longevity, and which one the lowest
The Nordic country has topped that symbolic but prestigious classification for six years in a row now
The main principle behind the cemetery is that it takes 25 years for the human body to decompose and become a part of nature
This Wednesday, the first natural cemetery in Flanders opened, in the town of Drongen, a satellite town of Ghent in Belgium. There are no tombstones or divided burial plots, nor paved paths. All the coffins need to be biodegradable, as well, since people can lease a plot there for only 25 years – the time it takes for a human body to be absorbed by nature.
Everything in the cemetery, such as place markers and benches, is made from felled trees and stumps, and if the family wants to honour the deceased, they can put up a named birdhouse in the cemetery.
This is not the first natural cemetery in Flanders, however, Drogen’s is the first where people can bury their loved ones’ bodies. Up to this point, natural cemeteries were places where only the scattering of ashes and the burial of urns was allowed.
The dead are given a place where they can become one with nature again. There are no memorials, but relatives can hang a birdhouse with the name of the deceased on a tree.
Urns and coffins must be made of biodegradable materials, while people can lease the land for 25 years. People can reserve a place in advance, though, and there is room for a total of 600 graves on the property.
In a couple of years, the cemetery will become a cherry orchard,
Source: City of Ghent
The Drogen Cemetery currently has 72 cherry trees and the developers preserved much of the features and landscape on the plot. A nice touch to the concept of the natural cemetery is that there are no evergreens – the usual types of trees used for cemeteries.
Bronze age burial mound in the cemetery, Source: City of Ghent
Evergreens are usually planted so a cemetery can seem frozen in time, with the season barely noticeable. Here, though, the passage of time is somewhat built into the concept, so seasons will be clearly noticeable.
Archaeologists have also discovered a Bronze age burial mound and have marked its contours with wooden posts and a moat. And, more importantly, people can bury urns on the ancient burial mound, creating a link between the distant past and the present.
Filip Watteeuw, Alderman of City Archaeology, was quoted in a press release, saying: “The City conducts archaeological research on all new developments. This also happened in connection with this new natural cemetery. The research has yielded a lot. It is great that the archaeological finds are incorporated in the new cemetery and given a new function.”
The first time in over half a century that a tramway will run through the heart of the city
The cultural and victim remembrance facility will be located in Rome
Many municipalities instituted privileges for EVs to promote sustainable mobility. Now, a lot more people are driving electric, so maybe it’s time to normalise legislation
The city has a strategy of putting 10,000 human-controlled and autonomous shuttles on the streets by 2030
Last week, the Chinese app was banned for Belgian federal employees for an initial period of six months
Authorities have published two maps, one of the roofs and the other – of facades so that locals can make the right decision when choosing green energy
The first time in over half a century that a tramway will run through the heart of the city
The city has a strategy of putting 10,000 human-controlled and autonomous shuttles on the streets by 2030
The product launch will mark the 10-year anniversary since the city started working with ethically sourced products
The city has developed its own way to teach young people how to react when they witness unjust treatments
The cultural and victim remembrance facility will be located in Rome
Find out which European region has the highest longevity, and which one the lowest
The new itineraries are part of the DiscoverEU programme, which lets 18-year-olds travel by train between important European sites
The European Commission has published its first progress report charting the achievements of the socio-cultural movement that combines beauty, inclusion and sustainability
The 2023 edition of the creative initiative promises to be bigger, bolder and more inclusive
A talk with the head of Mission Zero Academy on the benefits for municipalities if they go the zero waste way
A talk with Nicolae Urs, one of the key figures behind the city's new data platforms and online services strategy
Veni Markovski’s take on dealing with disinformation in the European Union's poorest country – Bulgaria
