Belgium will host Europe’s biggest sportainment park
The facility will be located in Hasselt and is set to welcome its first visitors this spring
Swedish cities share experience and best practices in the economic, social and environmental sustainability fields
The Scandinavian countries are famous for their innovative programmes and schemes as well as for their green policies. One exemplary initiative is Sharing Cities. It aims to make Sweden a pioneer in the development of a new platform for cities to share best practices in fields such as economic, social and environmental sustainability. Over the last 4 years, this national initiative by itself has earned investments of nearly €12 million. The funds come from the Swedish Innovation Agency, The Energy Agency and the Swedish Research Council for Environmental, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning.
The cities that are taking part are Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Umeå. The initiative develops a sharing and cooperation system on local, national and international level. To this end, participation is needed by the business, private and public stakeholders as well as academia.
The four pillars on which this initiative is based are collaborating, experimenting, investigating and learning.
Collaborating – need for cooperation in terms of ICT, people, space, services and goods and mobility.
Experimenting – through the established test-beds, the initiative will test and develop digital solutions for sharing economies and services. For example, in Stockholm, there is the ElectricCITY citizens` initiative, in Hammarby Sjoestad. It aims to reduce the local carbon footprint in line with climate change goals. There are a few sub-initiatives to raise people`s knowledge and awareness on energy and how to use it, what sources to use, the increase in e-cars use, etc.
Another interesting initiative comes from Gothenburg where Klaedoteket has developed a business to counter the so-called fast-fashion industry. It is a place where you can go and rent clothing or accessories that you may need for an evening cocktail, for example. Instead of buying a dress you will never wear again, you can rent it from this place.
Investigating – this pillar aims at looking into activities that will further deepen the sharing economies concept of the initiative through digitalization software and platforms. It also investigates international examples that can serve as a model development for future projects under this initiative in terms of business models, social behaviour and communities.
Learning – the results from the test-beds and their projects as well as from the investigations conducted are shared with all stakeholders that may have a developed interest in it. This is done through public events, media outlets and reports.
Under this initiative, every city organizes seminars and conferences to share experience, advantages and disadvantages of the used models and methods and how to further develop the idea behind this initiative. Sweden leads the way into the future of sustainable urban development and more open economies that are multilevel and can serve as an example of good governance.
Citing concerns about humaneness, the legislation aims to discourage the proliferation of the so-called designer pet breeds
Naturally, many aren’t happy - not because of the reduced possibility for prayers, but because they felt it was an attack on welfare
The facility will be located in Hasselt and is set to welcome its first visitors this spring
Some autonomous shuttles in France are now doing their rounds without a human supervisor inside
Europe is striving to cut the costs of operating wind turbines on water
38,000 of these fellas help to purify the city air, so why not become friends with them?
2020 and 2021 were zero years for these types of events, but the break has not diminished its reputation
As Europe strives to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, Turku and Dijon are among a group of cities seeking to reach this goal two decades earlier
Some autonomous shuttles in France are now doing their rounds without a human supervisor inside
2020 and 2021 were zero years for these types of events, but the break has not diminished its reputation
Citing concerns about humaneness, the legislation aims to discourage the proliferation of the so-called designer pet breeds
The facility will be located in Hasselt and is set to welcome its first visitors this spring
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
This initiative seeks to integrate the values of the New European Bauhaus into the European Commission’s 100 Cities Mission
Veni Markovski’s take on dealing with disinformation in the European Union's poorest country – Bulgaria
A conversation with the mayor of Utrecht on the occasion of her mission to COP27
A conversation with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, about energy, climate change and the underrated importance of cohesion policy