TheMayor.EU logo 
The French-Irish infrastructure will transfer sustainable nuclear and wind energy between the two countries, strengthening their energy independence
Do you think your city has what it takes?
City officials believe that financial conditions will deteriorate in the coming winter months
The Latvian capital joins a growing rank of European cities that have turned to taxing the visitors’ impact
The EDMO hubs work to connect fact-checkers, academia and the media, as well as boost local media literacy
Ireland is currently going through a major rental housing crisis
The Estonian city is preparing for its upcoming European Green Capital year in style
The birds will be specially trained to scare off pigeons from their favourite places in the city’s parks
The system uses a simple tri-colour traffic light code to let commuters know the best place to enter a train
The smart devices also let drivers with reduced mobility know where the nearest free spot is located
Plants feed on CO2 and plenty of it is produced at the local Tekniska verken energy company, so there’s a circular win-win solution
The city’s Second District opted for sustainable Christmas decoration this year
The city marked the 250th e-taxi license, issued by local traffic authorities
The city will limit the number of these two-wheelers in the centre to 500, in order to push companies to service residential areas as well
The system uses a simple tri-colour traffic light code to let commuters know the best place to enter a train
The smart devices also let drivers with reduced mobility know where the nearest free spot is located
City officials believe that financial conditions will deteriorate in the coming winter months
Some shops have stayed open for more than six generations of the same family and trace their origins to the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Faux or fact? Now, it’s up to you to shine the light on the truth
Local authorities want to monitor the situation and keep a healthy housing balance
Ireland is currently going through a major rental housing crisis
It will aid them in collecting data about the incidents that can be used in court
The innovative project received funding from the participatory budget in Lille, France
Cities have long ago discovered the hidden power of urban furniture. In fact, they have shown that even something as simple as a bench can serve multiple innovative functions.
For example, we've already reported on smart benches being used to charge your phone, or to tackle loneliness amid the coronavirus pandemic. Benches can also tell the stories of the cities, helping locals and tourists discover these places in unusual ways. Or, they can get people acquainted with high-quality literature or movies.
The latest addition to the “power of the bench” list comes from Lille, France. Thanks to a new creative project, a local bench will be able to … collect and store rainwater and irrigate plants. Something particularly useful, in the face of climate changes leading to extreme weather adverse effects such as droughts or heavy rainfalls.
The bench, now located in front of the Pasteur School, at the Philippe Lebon Square of Lille, collects water through its covering, which will then be used to plant nearby gardens. Thanks to this bench directly connected to the school gutter, the water reserve builds up on its own.
Then, when the time is right, the inhabitants of the district, the students or the members of the association can fill the watering can or the bucket to water the vegetable gardens or the neighbouring plants. All this, while they rest on the bench, awaiting for their next class to start.
The bench is the initiative of the St Michel en transition association, conceived by designers Simon Carrez and Clément Lascombes, realised by Bois & Loisirs.
It has been funded under the participatory budget of Lille (a democratic instrument in which citizens can put forward projects to be funded by the city budget and have their say on the ones to get public money) and will be tested for 8 months. The results from the test will be summarised in a technical file, which will be submitted to city authorities with the perspective of extending its test for another 8 months.
See also:
The local authorities are taking the bold step as a way to declutter the urban streets from delivery traffic
One-third of homes on the islands this year were sold to nationals of other countries, many of whom are non-residents
This was one of the more creative and unusual ideas set to take shape as a result of the second participatory budget initiative in the city
Users can now get an overview of the state of the output in the country and receive a warning to reduce consumption and avoid power cuts
The city will launch an urban walk with a digital visual guide
The system uses a simple tri-colour traffic light code to let commuters know the best place to enter a train
The city inaugurated twelve of these spots to encourage people to still feel at home while on the street
The Danish capital was recognized for its citizen-centric approach to urban planning
The pioneering green move would make the country the first in Europe to do so
The city inaugurated twelve of these spots to encourage people to still feel at home while on the street
This was one of the more creative and unusual ideas set to take shape as a result of the second participatory budget initiative in the city
The city will launch an urban walk with a digital visual guide
This initiative seeks to integrate the values of the New European Bauhaus into the European Commission’s 100 Cities Mission
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
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
