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Team

Partners

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Development

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Austria / Vienna / Development / Mobility

Vienna expands bike infrastructure – 20 km for 2023

The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt

Mar 23, 2023 13:16
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Romania / Development / Energy efficiency

Romanian town starts geothermal project for district heating

Sântana has only 11,000 residents, yet several municipal buildings will get connected to a renewable geothermal reservoir deep underground

Mar 22, 2023 17:06

Economy and Finance

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Germany / Economy and Finance / Mobility

Despite revenue drop - Leipzig to invest in public transport

With a decline in passengers due to Covid-19 and the energy crisis, among other factors, the city will focus on increasing the quality of service

Mar 23, 2023 16:22
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Italy / Development / Economy and Finance

Italian government greenlights bridge between Sicily and mainland

The idea dates back even to Antiquity, but how feasible is it?

Mar 17, 2023 18:02

Politics and Reforms

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Luxembourg / Politics and Reforms / Welfare and Health

Luxembourg makes contraception free in April

While the new health policy will fund the morning-after pill and various progesterone treatments, it will not cover condoms

Mar 24, 2023 15:47
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Italy / Rome / Culture and Tourism / Politics and Reforms

Italy’s far-right government OKs construction of Holocaust museum

The cultural and victim remembrance facility will be located in Rome

Mar 21, 2023 17:11

Innovation and Research

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Bulgaria / Sofia / Development / Innovation and Research

Sofia seeks young people's innovative ideas in Academy for VISIONARIES 2023

The city wants new approaches to developing the urban environment and is willing to fund the best solutions

Mar 15, 2023 17:46
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Germany / Berlin / Economy and Finance / Innovation and Research

Berlin offers targeted support to make more businesses sustainable

Around 75% of German CO2 emissions come from the private sector, yet less than 1% of businesses are considered fully sustainable

Mar 14, 2023 16:59

Digital transformation

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Belgium / Leuven / Digital transformation / Welfare and Health

Leuven tries to tackle party noise with smart tech

City officials found that simple messages about respecting residents’ sleep were most effective if coupled with the right presentation

Mar 24, 2023 13:29
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Germany / Hamburg / Digital transformation / Mobility

Germany commits to AI-driven public transport in Hamburg

The city has a strategy of putting 10,000 human-controlled and autonomous shuttles on the streets by 2030

Mar 21, 2023 15:48

Energy efficiency

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Germany / Hamburg / Culture and Tourism / Energy efficiency

Hamburg sets guidelines for placing green infrastructure on heritage buildings

The city has learned a lot from an ongoing project for a solar roof on the Altonaer Museum

Mar 24, 2023 17:25
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Romania / Development / Energy efficiency

Romanian town starts geothermal project for district heating

Sântana has only 11,000 residents, yet several municipal buildings will get connected to a renewable geothermal reservoir deep underground

Mar 22, 2023 17:06

Mobility

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Germany / Economy and Finance / Mobility

Despite revenue drop - Leipzig to invest in public transport

With a decline in passengers due to Covid-19 and the energy crisis, among other factors, the city will focus on increasing the quality of service

Mar 23, 2023 16:22
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Austria / Vienna / Development / Mobility

Vienna expands bike infrastructure – 20 km for 2023

The big highlights of the project are two cycling highways, one leading to Lower Austria in the south and another leading to Donaustadt

Mar 23, 2023 13:16

Public Spaces

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Spain / Barcelona / Public Spaces / Social City

Barcelona to host Spain’s first pet cemetery

It will open its doors in 2024 and offer cremations and burials

Mar 16, 2023 17:55
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Greece / Athens / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

Athens to build Greece's first 100% ‘green’ museum

The building will be on the site of Plato’s Ancient Academy

Mar 15, 2023 16:11

Culture and Tourism

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Germany / Hamburg / Culture and Tourism / Energy efficiency

Hamburg sets guidelines for placing green infrastructure on heritage buildings

The city has learned a lot from an ongoing project for a solar roof on the Altonaer Museum

Mar 24, 2023 17:25
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Austria / Culture and Tourism / Welfare and Health

Nursing homes in Graz embrace classical music as therapy

The city has arranged four tailor-made programmes for the different residences as a way to reconnect with patients’ life and memories

Mar 22, 2023 15:51

Education and Sport

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Belgium / Leuven / Education and Sport / Social City

Leuven to fight discrimination with role-playing games

The city has developed its own way to teach young people how to react when they witness unjust treatments

Mar 21, 2023 17:24
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Luxembourg / Education and Sport / Welfare and Health

Free and 100% organic sanitary pads - Esch-sur-Alzette has you covered

The city will supply and maintain 138 dispensers in public buildings

Mar 10, 2023 17:19

Welfare and Health

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Luxembourg / Politics and Reforms / Welfare and Health

Luxembourg makes contraception free in April

While the new health policy will fund the morning-after pill and various progesterone treatments, it will not cover condoms

Mar 24, 2023 15:47
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Belgium / Leuven / Digital transformation / Welfare and Health

Leuven tries to tackle party noise with smart tech

City officials found that simple messages about respecting residents’ sleep were most effective if coupled with the right presentation

Mar 24, 2023 13:29
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Interviews

Kaisa Karjalainen: “It’s better to be an imperfect zero waster for the rest of our lives than a perfect one for two weeks”

Mar 14, 2023 12:56
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Romania / Cluj-Napoca / Digital transformation / Interviews / Politics and Reforms

Online public services as efficient as TikTok: Cluj-Napoca’s Digital Transformation

Feb 16, 2023 13:51
Denis Balgaranov
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Bulgaria / Interviews / Read Twice

Veni Markovski: It's about time the media stopped inviting “experts” who spread false info

Nov 28, 2022 11:30
Denis Balgaranov
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Netherlands / Utrecht / Green City / Interviews

Sharon Dijksma: Without cities, it will be impossible to tackle global warming

Nov 21, 2022 13:41
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Interviews / Politics and Reforms

Vasco Cordeiro: The European project is at stake when solidarity is at stake

Aug 1, 2022 11:34
Denis Balgaranov
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Interviews

Cities Mission has made citizen engagement and participatory processes an important part of its functioning

Jul 14, 2022 14:57
ICLEI Europe
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Portugal / Matosinhos / Interviews

Luisa Salgueiro: Climate resilience work is never completed, it’s a continuously upgraded project

Jun 23, 2022 12:41
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Interviews

EBRD's aim is to support increased climate ambition within cities

May 18, 2022 13:33
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Greece / Athens / Interviews / Welfare and Health

Melina Daskalaki: Our mission is to promote the social reintegration of homeless individuals

May 16, 2022 11:04
Svilena Iotkovska
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Sweden / Interviews

Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh: Malmö Resilience Hub will have the potential to connect cities on the Baltic Sea

May 11, 2022 15:26
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov

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Belgium
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Brussels

Brussels
Philippe Close
Mayor

Philippe Close

Biography
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According to archaeological findings near the city center, the Brussels area is believed to have been inhabited for millenia. The settlement, which would later become Brussels, was located on an island on the River Senne in 580. The official founding of Brussels took place in 979. Because of its location along the banks of the River Senne, Brussels quickly became a fast-growing trade center with a focus on textiles. The city began to expand and the population to grow, which resulted in the drying of the swamp areas around it. After the construction of the first city wall, it soon became clear that the area would not be enough for the growing population. A second city wall was built, remnants of which can be seen today. During the Nine-Year War, which began in 1695, the city was almost fully destroyed as a result of the subsequent fire. This fire is the most destructive event in the history of Brussels. The Belgian Revolution of 1830 marked a new beginning in the development of the city. It became the capital of the Brabant province. The construction of many buildings and the demolition of part of the city wall began. The population grew more and the economy of the city began to develop rapidly as well. The Brussels-capital region was officially formed in 1989 after a change in the constitution. Today, the city hosts many international conferences and political and sporting events and maintains a rapidly growing economy.

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Belgium / Brussels / Mechelen / Digital transformation / Politics and Reforms

Cities in Belgium rush to ban TikTok after National Security advice

Last week, the Chinese app was banned for Belgian federal employees for an initial period of six months

Mar 17, 2023 13:24
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Culture and Tourism / Energy efficiency

Brussels Region’s biggest solar farm is here

The Brussels Expo is now home to 11,000 solar panels, set up after just four weeks of work

Mar 16, 2023 13:04
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

Bruges celebrates women with ‘spicy’ chocolates and bras in the trees

The city will host Lingerie Week, highlighting breast health and the local history of lace manufacturing

Mar 07, 2023 12:12
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Mobility

Brussels’ new traffic plan has reduced cars by one-fifth in the last six months

The Good Move Plan has increased walking space, reduced noise and created a boost of around 18% in cyclists

Feb 17, 2023 11:38
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Green City

Brussels adopts a deposit system for plastics and cans

In 2022, this type of trash made up around 40% of all the litter collected in the city

Feb 14, 2023 16:53
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Development / Public Spaces

Green light for Brussels’ biggest public housing project

The Quartier des Trèfles will be home to hundreds of people as a neighbourhood-sized three-building complex

Feb 07, 2023 17:00
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Finland / Botoșani / Brussels / Gabrovo / Turku / Energy efficiency

Finnish and French cities chart Europe's path to clean energy

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

Jan 27, 2023 10:51
Horizon
  • en
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Austria / Belgium / Italy / Brussels / Munich / Paris / Vienna / Development / Mobility

Night trains Vienna-Italy every day announced for summer 2023

The Austrian Nightjet will also offer a regular nightly train between Brussels and Vienna

Jan 06, 2023 17:31
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Economy and Finance / Mobility

EIB wants to make public transport in Brussels more attractive than cars

The massive 475-million-euro investment will renovate and strengthen the Good Move mobility plan

Dec 21, 2022 14:57
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Growing City / Public Spaces

Brussels wants to keep street terraces instead of parking spots

The Covid-born measure allowing restaurants and cafes to retake on-street parking spots will live on in the Belgian capital

Dec 19, 2022 16:45
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Public Spaces / Social City

Brussels to make public places safer for women by engaging vigilant citizens

According to a survey by the Brussels Capital Region, 86% of women have experienced sexual harassment and 17% have experienced stalking

Nov 22, 2022 13:57
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Green City / Politics and Reforms

Brussels unveils a Citizens’ Climate Assembly to democratize the policy

The body should help bridge the gap between what climate action citizens want and what politicians do

Nov 18, 2022 13:34
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Green City / Welfare and Health

Brussels to curb the pigeon population with contraceptive corn

The policy has seen a three-year pilot implementation and is ready to expand to more locations in the Belgian capital

Nov 14, 2022 17:09
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Development / Mobility

Cycling infrastructure in Brussels gets boost from the Belgian Crown

The King Baudouin Foundation will support various sustainable mobility infrastructures to the tune of 1.15 million euros

Oct 26, 2022 17:32
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Mobility / Politics and Reforms

Brussels mandates all car parks to get charging stations by 2025

The new policy would cover public, office and even residential parks, to meet the growing demand

Oct 07, 2022 16:39
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Development / Mobility

Brussels to Leuven cycling highway ready in 2025

It will run for 16 kilometres, allowing daily commuters a safe and sustainable mobility route option

Sep 28, 2022 12:59
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Public Spaces

Brussels to extend the ban on drinking in public for another year

The ban aims to make the streets of the Belgian capital safer at night

Sep 26, 2022 16:04
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Mobility / Public Spaces

Car-Free Sunday in Brussels leads to 90% drop in automobile-related pollution

During European Mobility Week, many EU cities instituted car-free Sundays, becoming more accessible for public transport and cycling

Sep 21, 2022 14:18
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Innovation and Research / Mobility

Green hydrogen taxis roll out in Brussels

They are a warm-up for the city’s requirement that all new taxis after 2025 must be CO2 neutral

Sep 19, 2022 12:54
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Green City / Innovation and Research

Brussels’ new ecoduct will remove barriers for animals in the Hallerbos forest

The Brussels Ring highway has split the forest in two, shrinking natural habitats and separating species

Sep 16, 2022 16:32
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Education and Sport / Public Spaces

Brussels wants to make public spaces more female-friendly

Women use public spaces much less often than men and the city wants to change that, making them more inclusive for everyone

Sep 08, 2022 12:55
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Development / Innovation and Research

Could vacant offices be the solution for Brussels’ housing crisis?

Research by the municipal organisation Perspective.Brussels looks at post-Covid empty office buildings as a possible way out of a tight affordable-housing market

Sep 05, 2022 17:24
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Politics and Reforms / Welfare and Health

After 30 years of waiting, Brussels finally has an ombudsman

The Brussels Capital Region, created in 1989, was the only administrative entity in Belgium to not have a working mediation office

Sep 01, 2022 17:04
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Education and Sport

Free supplies worth 110 euros as a back-to-school special in Brussels

The supplies will come in the form of tailor-made kits for kids studying in grades 1 through 6

Aug 29, 2022 16:37
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Public Spaces / Social City

New community farm in Brussels will bring local food to local stores

The community garden will occupy a 4,900 sq m site in Anderlecht, complete with growing, packing and entertainment facilities

Aug 24, 2022 16:22
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Green City

Bats in Brussels: a late summer festival about biodiversity

The Belgian capital is home to around 20 species of bats, who mainly feed on insects and help keep local biodiversity

Aug 19, 2022 16:35
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Mobility / Smart City

Brussels will funnel cars out of the city centre to make way for people

People’s usual routes to home or work will probably change, but so will the air quality and the noise levels

Aug 16, 2022 14:23
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Leuven / Culture and Tourism

There is a 700-year-old feud between Brussels and Leuven and it’s about a tree

The ancient dispute is recognised by UNESCO as part of the region’s heritage

Aug 09, 2022 13:51
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Culture and Tourism

The new permanent Ferris wheel in Brussels will offer people the best view in the city

The Belgian capital joins the likes of London, Vienna and Paris as a European Ferris wheel city

Aug 02, 2022 13:22
Denis Balgaranov
  • en
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Belgium / Brussels / Economy and Finance / Politics and Reforms

Molenbeek introduces the first tax on supermarket self-checkouts in Belgium

The local mayor, Catherine Moureaux, argues that this practice disrupts social cohesion and causes job loss in her municipality

Jul 13, 2022 17:08
Denis Balgaranov

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