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Greece / Thessaloniki / Development / Mobility

Thessaloniki gets ready for its metro launch in November

The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays

Sep 30, 2024 13:49
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Spain / Barcelona / Culture and Tourism / Development

These elements will crown the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona for the highest viewpoint in the city

The cross pinnacle on the Tower of Jesus Christ will be ready to receive visitors in 2026 on the centennial of Gaudi’s death

Sep 20, 2024 17:36

Economy and Finance

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France / Digital transformation / Economy and Finance

Shops in this Bordeaux suburb accept cryptocurrency as payment

Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin

Sep 24, 2024 16:47
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Germany / Economy and Finance / Mobility

Next year, Germany's Deutschlandticket will cost 58 euros

That’s because the state has to spend money on updating the railway infrastructure rather than subsidizing the cost of the popular pass

Sep 24, 2024 13:27

Politics and Reforms

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Germany / Politics and Reforms

Voters in a Bavarian town elected a mayor whose name wasn’t on the ballot

Steffen Romstöck said that he would respect the residents’ choice and would take over the helm of the municipality, even if he didn’t run

Sep 18, 2024 13:50
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Greece / Athens / Culture and Tourism / Politics and Reforms

Athens to ban new short-term lets

The measure, which will come into force from 1 January 2025, will be partial and temporary…for now

Sep 17, 2024 16:22

Innovation and Research

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Belgium / Brussels / Energy efficiency / Innovation and Research

Brussels tries out a novel rooftop wind turbine suitable for cities

Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape

Sep 27, 2024 12:52
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Finland / Innovation and Research

AI-powered drones in Finland could patrol the skies in search of wildfires

But operating them is still illegal under the country’s legislation

Sep 20, 2024 16:33

Digital transformation

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Digital transformation / Energy efficiency

New digital map showcases creative energy solutions across Europe

The examples, compiled by Beyond Fossil Fuels, can inform and inspire communities and entrepreneurs that still feel trepidation at the prospect of energy transition

Sep 26, 2024 14:09
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France / Digital transformation / Economy and Finance

Shops in this Bordeaux suburb accept cryptocurrency as payment

Now you can get your wine in Talence by paying directly in Bitcoin

Sep 24, 2024 16:47

Energy efficiency

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Belgium / Brussels / Energy efficiency / Innovation and Research

Brussels tries out a novel rooftop wind turbine suitable for cities

Rethinking renewable energy sources for the urban landscape

Sep 27, 2024 12:52
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Digital transformation / Energy efficiency

New digital map showcases creative energy solutions across Europe

The examples, compiled by Beyond Fossil Fuels, can inform and inspire communities and entrepreneurs that still feel trepidation at the prospect of energy transition

Sep 26, 2024 14:09

Mobility

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Greece / Thessaloniki / Development / Mobility

Thessaloniki gets ready for its metro launch in November

The underground rapid transit lines have been under construction for almost two decades due to various project delays

Sep 30, 2024 13:49
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Germany / Mobility

Mannheim debuts longest tram in the world

Plus, it has a unique modular design that allows it to be shortened and lengthened like a train

Sep 27, 2024 17:03

Public Spaces

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France / Paris / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

The Olympic Rings have left the Eiffel Tower, but they’ll be back

At least, that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo

Sep 30, 2024 17:57
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France / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

Marseille is home to this year's coolest neighbourhood in the world

Despite its church-y name, the district has long been known as the hangout spot for the artsy crowds

Sep 26, 2024 17:37

Culture and Tourism

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France / Paris / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

The Olympic Rings have left the Eiffel Tower, but they’ll be back

At least, that’s the promise made by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo

Sep 30, 2024 17:57
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Spain / Culture and Tourism

Oldest inn in Catalonia marked 500 years of non-stop business

Hostal de Pinós is located in the geographical centre of the autonomous region

Sep 30, 2024 16:57

Education and Sport

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Budapest / Prague / Education and Sport / Social City

Here are Europe’s 5 best student cities

On the eve of the new academic year, the ranking considers several distinct but essential factors

Sep 19, 2024 17:47
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Education and Sport

Kicking for the Future: How Football Clubs are Creating Sustainable Urban Spaces

Sep 19, 2024 10:06

Welfare and Health

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Belgium / Mobility / Welfare and Health

Shhh!: Belgian railways introduce silent compartments on board

Following a successful trial phase, these quiet areas will now be available on all main routes in the country

Sep 24, 2024 18:04
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France / Education and Sport / Welfare and Health

Check out these sleeping pods at the University of Lille library

The academic institution shows a deeper understanding of the well-being of its students

Sep 12, 2024 16:24
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Poland / Interviews

Hanna Zdanowska: We are one of the leaders in eco-transition and Łódź is much greener than before

Jul 24, 2024 14:48
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Interviews

Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh: True urban development must be inclusive and affordable, otherwise it’s not sustainable

Jun 27, 2024 12:45
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Portugal / Lisbon / Interviews

Carlos Moedas: Our ambition is to become a city where entrepreneurs can come to scale their businesses

Jun 20, 2024 13:25
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Interviews / Mayor of Europe

María José Catalá: the Green Capital mindset is transversal to all action levels and will continue in the years to come

Jun 5, 2024 15:41
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Estonia / Tartu / Interviews

Urmas Klaas: Arts can and must give people the ability and courage to dream of a future

Mar 6, 2024 12:18
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Interviews

Wolfgang Teubner: Тhe path towards the end of fossil fuels is irreversible

Dec 21, 2023 11:03
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Interviews / Read Twice

Ibrahim Kraria: While AI can play a role in combating hate speech, it can also amplify its spread

Aug 16, 2023 17:08
Mihaela Roxana GODINAC
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Interviews

Bertrand Piccard: If something looks impossible, that’s why we try do to it!

Jun 9, 2023 15:40
Denis Balgaranov
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Interviews / Read Twice

Maja Sever: Journalism is a pillar of democracy

Apr 10, 2023 13:46
Magdalena Magdić
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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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Finland
Espoo  image

Espoo

Espoo
Jukka Mäkelä
Mayor

Jukka Mäkelä

Biography
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The first inhabitants in the area arrived about 9,000 years ago. Physical evidence indicates agriculture from ca. 1000 AD, but there are no historical records. Up to the 13th century, the area was a borderland between the hunting grounds of Finnish Proper and Tavastian Finns, with a sparse population. Immigrants from Sweden established permanent agricultural settlements to the area from late 13th century onwards after the so-called Second Crusade to Finland. Espoo was a subdivision of the Kirkkonummi congregation until 1486-7. The oldest known document referring to Kirkkonummi is from 1330; Espoo as a subchapter has been dated to the 1380s, although the first document directly referring to Espoo is from as late as 1431.

The construction of the Espoo Cathedral, the oldest preserved building in Espoo, marks the independence of Espoo. Administratively, Espoo was a part of Uusimaa. When the province was split to Eastern and Western provinces governed from the Porvoo and Raasepori castles, respectively, the eastern border of the Raasepori province was in Espoo. The 13th century road connecting the most important cities in Finland at that time, the King`s Road, passes through Espoo on its way from Stockholm via Turku and Porvoo to Viipuri.  

In 1557, King Gustaf Wasa decided to stabilize and develop the region by founding a royal mansion in Espoo. The government bought the villages of Espåby and Mankby, transferred the population elsewhere, and built the royal mansion in Espåby. The royal mansion housed the king's local plenipotentiary, and collected royal tax in kind paid by labor on the mansion's farm. The administrative center Espoon keskus has grown around the church and the Espoo railway station, but the municipality has retained a network-like structure to the modern day.

In 1920, Espoo was only a rural municipality of about 9,000 inhabitants. Agriculture was the primary source of income, with 75% of the population making their living from farming. Kaunianen was separated from Espoo in 1920, and it gained city rights the same year as Espoo, in 1972.

Espoo started to grow rapidly in the 1940s and '50s. It quickly developed from a rural municipality into a fully-fledged industrial city, gaining city rights in 1972. Due to its proximity to Helsinki, Espoo soon became popular amongst people working in the capital. In the fifty years from 1950 to 2000, the population of Espoo grew from 22,000 to 210,000.

Source: Wikipedia

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Finland / Espoo / Education and Sport / Green City / Mobility

These child-friendly mobility devices are all the rage in Finnish cities

Muksubussi is nature-friendly, too, so they provide 2-in-1 benefit

Apr 19, 2024 13:11
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Finland / Espoo / Public Spaces / Social City

Girls in Espoo move around the city more than boys do, but why?

The intriguing research done by the local municipality can help with future urban planning decisions

Nov 09, 2022 14:27
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Finland / Espoo / Education and Sport / Green City

Espoo schools cut food waste by involving students in meal planning (Part 2)

More good practices from a Finnish city that cares what its young ones eat

Sep 09, 2022 17:58
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Finland / Espoo / Green City / Social City

Espoo schools cut food waste by involving students in meal planning (Part 1)

The reasoning behind this is as simple as it is profound – make the food tastier for the youngsters so less of it will go into the trash

Sep 08, 2022 17:58
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Finland / Espoo / Development

Espoo’s sustainable development zeroes in on land use

The city has set itself a vision of holistic, multi-dimensional growth with a horizon of 2060

Sep 07, 2022 17:57
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Finland / Germany / Sweden / Espoo / Green City

Three EU cities will scale down the European Green Deal

Espoo, Mannheim and Umeå are cooperating in the ALLIANCE project to create a prototype that makes the grand plan more workable for cities

Jun 16, 2022 16:22
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Finland / Espoo / Politics and Reforms

An era of new beginnings – watch live the Eurocities Conference 2022

The focus of the two-day event, which welcomes 500 delegates from more than 100 cities, is the journey towards cities' climate leadership

Jun 09, 2022 10:23
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Finland / Espoo / Culture and Tourism / Digital transformation

Espoo’s web library turns the page on inaccessibility

A fine example of a digital service increasing the value of its offline counterpart

Jun 07, 2022 17:24
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Finland / Espoo / Jyväskylä / Green City

Finnish cities prevent the habitat loss of flying squirrels

The Siberian flying squirrel is an endangered species whose biggest threat is forestry

May 25, 2022 16:18
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Digital transformation / EU funding updates

EIB boosts Europe's quantum computing sector with EUR 35 million

The European Investment Bank wants to position Europe as a technological leader

May 03, 2022 13:49
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Helsinki / Vantaa / Education and Sport

Helsinki Metropolitan Area offers residents 125 guided tours in nature

Excursions will be free of charge

Apr 26, 2022 14:36
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Development / Digital transformation / Energy efficiency

New data centre in Espoo to produce heat for local homes and businesses

Microsoft and Fortum have collaborated to accelerate Finland’s digital and green transition

Mar 18, 2022 11:34
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Culture and Tourism / Welfare and Health

Espoo is sending out postcards to all new residents

Those who have moved to the Finnish city in 2021 can present the cards to receive discounts at local shops

Feb 23, 2022 14:26
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Development / Innovation and Research

IQM Quantum Computers unveils state-of-the-art facility in Espoo

The company has invested EUR 20 million in the new fabrication site

Nov 12, 2021 13:19
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Green City / Politics and Reforms

Espoo wants to become Europe’s most sustainable city

The Finnish city has outlined seven objectives that will help it achieve this goal

Oct 29, 2021 13:57
Svilena Iotkovska
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Denmark / Finland / Germany / Netherlands / Sweden / Aalborg / Amsterdam / Berlin / Copenhagen / Espoo / Lund / Stockholm / Innovation and Research

Cities of the Future Index: 3 European metropolitan areas rank highest

Easy Park has found the world’s 150 most intelligent cities

Oct 14, 2021 12:04
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Innovation and Research / Welfare and Health

Espoo announces 2021 Mayor’s Innovation Competition winners

The winning ideas explore wellbeing, health care and mental health

Oct 12, 2021 16:55
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Helsinki / Pirkkala / Tampere / Vantaa / Welfare and Health

Which are Finland’s most vibrant cities?

Ramboll conducted a study based on the 15-minute cities concept and its LIVCY index

Oct 04, 2021 17:01
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Innovation and Research

Espoo to host virtual AI event in November

“AI Finland & AI Day 2021: Reboot with AI” will combine two annual events and showcase the latest developments in artificial intelligence

Sep 13, 2021 11:26
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Turku / Innovation and Research / Mobility

Espoo and Turku are working towards introducing automated traffic

On 24 August, the two cities will present the results of their studies at a webinar

Aug 20, 2021 14:22
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Helsinki / Culture and Tourism

Southern Finland launches new platform to boost tourism

Bookingpoint.fi allows customers to book hundreds of services from one place

Jun 07, 2021 16:52
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Welfare and Health

Espoo allows residents to get vaccinated at home

Fear, age, and underlying conditions may hinder people from going to a vaccination centre

Jun 07, 2021 12:38
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Development / Innovation and Research

Applications are now open for the Mayor's Innovation Competition in Espoo

From 6 April to 24 May, companies from Espoo and employees of the City can submit their applications

Apr 06, 2021 11:58
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Energy efficiency / Innovation and Research

Espoo launches a shared zone car service

As of 10 March, drivers in the Finnish city of Espoo can use shared vehicles to reduce personal costs and pollution

Mar 10, 2021 11:25
Svilena Iotkovska
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Finland / Espoo / Helsinki / Vantaa / Culture and Tourism / Green City

Helsinki’s libraries ditch plastic book covers

Instead, bio coating will be used in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen

Feb 12, 2021 16:10
Aseniya Dimitrova
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Finland / Espoo / Politics and Reforms

Espoo tests new ways to involve international residents in local decision making

The goal is to increase the influence and sense of belonging of foreign nationals living in the city

Jan 21, 2021 17:37
Anton Stoyanov
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Finland / Espoo / Education and Sport

Discover Espoo through the eyes of children

A new book presenting the city in a manner suitable for toddlers has been developed with the input of local children

Jan 15, 2021 18:07
Anton Stoyanov
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Finland / Espoo / Innovation and Research

Espoo – the city where foreigners feel right at home

The “Hello Espoo” project is aimed at providing increased support to the constantly growing non-Finnish population of the city

Jan 09, 2021 18:40
Anton Stoyanov
  • en
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Espoo / Welfare and Health

Espoo launches trial immigrant counseling service

It is meant to speed up and improve integration of new arrivals in the city

Dec 31, 2020 13:07
Anton Stoyanov
  • en
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Espoo / Helsinki / Tampere / Turku / Vantaa / Energy efficiency

Multicity project offers environmental solutions to Finland’s urban areas

A landmark initiative involving 6 cities has allowed them to find new ways to further combat climate change on their premises

Dec 27, 2020 15:09
Anton Stoyanov

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