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Team

Partners

Contacts

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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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
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Germany / Mobility / Politics and Reforms

Cities in Germany roll back incentives for e-vehicles. Here’s why

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

Mar 20, 2023 16:28

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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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
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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

Energy efficiency

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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
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Germany / Berlin / Culture and Tourism / Energy efficiency

Berlin gives guidelines for mounting solar on listed buildings

Some of the most productive solar installations in the city are on listed buildings, such as Red City Hall

Mar 16, 2023 17:18

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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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
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Germany / Berlin / Culture and Tourism

Berlin promotes off-the-beaten-path tourism

The city has supported 65 initiatives in 9 districts away from its centre as a way to draw crowds to more unique experiences

Mar 22, 2023 14:00

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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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
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Welfare and Health

EU life expectancy drops for a second year in a row

Find out which European region has the highest longevity, and which one the lowest

Mar 21, 2023 15:23
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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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Spain
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Barcelona

Barcelona
Ada Colau Ballano
Mayor

Ada Colau Ballano

Biography
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The first traces of human settlement in Barcelona date back to the Neolithic period. At the end of the 1st century BC Romans set up a colony called Barcino, which is viewed as a predecessor of the city. Remains of the colony’s defensive wall can still be seen in the old town of Barcelona.

Muslim rule left its mark on the city for over 200 years. Following the Christian reconquest, Barcelona became a county of the Carolingian Empire and the Crown of Aragon set up one of its main residences there. The medieval period saw Barcelona cement its position as the economic and political hub of the Western Mediterranean.

From the 15th to 18th centuries Barcelona struggled to maintain its economic and political independence but fell into decline. In 1714 the city surrendered to the French Bourbon troops and lost its rights and privileges with the rest of Catalonia.

The textile industry upsurge in the mid-19th century ushered in a period of cultural recovery. During that time known as the Renaixença, Catalan regained prominence as a literary language.

The 20th century brought widespread urban renewal throughout Barcelona city. Many buildings, especially in the Eixample district, were executed in Catalan art-nouveau, or modernista style. Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, who took inspiration from God and nature for his visionary creations, designed landmark buildings such as the Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera), the Casa Battlo and the otherworldly Sagrada Familia cathedral, which should be completed in 2026.  

The freedoms achieved during this period were severely curbed during the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco following the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). With the restoration of democracy in 1978, Barcelona society regained its economic strength and the Catalan language was reintroduced alongside Spanish. 

Barcelona reaffirmed its status as a major metropolis with the 1992 Olympic Games hosted by the city.

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Spain / Barcelona / Development / Mobility

Barcelona begins work on connecting its two separate tram systems

The first time in over half a century that a tramway will run through the heart of the city

Mar 21, 2023 18:02
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Culture and Tourism / Mobility

Barcelona metro musicians have to go through casting before they can play

Successful candidates get a card allowing them to perform on the premises of the transit system

Mar 20, 2023 17:37
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
  • en
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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
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
  • en
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Spain / Barcelona / Green City

Barcelona recovers 45 tonnes of clothes in a month with new textile home collection service

And this is only one of the arms of the city’s zero waste strategic plan

Mar 15, 2023 17:45
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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France / Italy / Portugal / Spain / Barcelona / Lisbon / Paris / Rome / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Lisbon launch a municipal alliance for the preservation of emblematic local shops

The aim of the four cities is to promote the initiative on an international scale

Mar 08, 2023 17:50
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
  • en
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Spain / Barcelona / Social City / Welfare and Health

Catalonian government approves free access to reusable menstrual products for all women

The administration of this Spanish region wants to promote menstrual equity hand in hand with environmental justice

Mar 08, 2023 13:11
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
  • en
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Spain / Barcelona / Green City

Barcelona goes into water-restriction mode, won’t irrigate parks

In fact, the whole of Catalonia is preparing for dry times ahead, the worst in 15 years

Mar 02, 2023 13:16
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
  • en
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Spain / Barcelona / Digital transformation / Public Spaces

Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou stadium introduces new anti-drone system

The Kuppel system was introduced in the city of Barcelona in 2020, the first European city to do so

Feb 22, 2023 15:56
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Madrid / Culture and Tourism / Innovation and Research

Spanish airports to liberalize liquids and electronics rules

Return to an old-school normality thanks to cutting-edge technology, starting 2024

Feb 22, 2023 12:36
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Madrid / Development / Mobility

15 years of Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail, far more popular than flying route

It shows how sustainable mobility development can organically challenge domestic flights, without resorting to legislative coercing

Feb 21, 2023 13:32
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Digital transformation / Welfare and Health

Barcelona has a digital map of its health and care centres

Search for health, search for well-being - in any sense and category of these terms

Feb 02, 2023 17:37
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Social City

Barcelona prepares to host the Congress of Feminist Economics

The event will focus on the gender aspects of the digital economy, among other things

Jan 23, 2023 16:04
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Politics and Reforms / Social City

Europe’s first Capital of Democracy is – Barcelona

The Catalan capital will host events, spanning 2023 and 2024, to affirm the values that Europeans hold closest to their hearts

Jan 18, 2023 16:16
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Social City / Welfare and Health

Barcelona’s climate shelters also open in winter

Not a city you’d normally associate with freezing temperatures, but it’s good to know that cosy options are there if the need arises

Jan 17, 2023 17:53
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / L’Hospitalet / Mobility

Barcelona bans e-scooters on public transport

Following an incident that saw one of these devices burst into flames on a local train

Jan 13, 2023 14:49
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Development / Mobility

90% of Barcelona’s inhabitants live within 300 m of a cycling lane

The city has added more than 7 kilometres of new biking infrastructure

Jan 09, 2023 17:14
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Growing City

Rent in Barcelona has grown over 50% in less than a decade

The Catalan capital is the most expensive Spanish city in terms of property – both for renting and for buying

Dec 29, 2022 17:18
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Economy and Finance / Public Spaces

Barcelona, first Spanish city to set a tax on e-commerce deliveries

The local authorities are taking the bold step as a way to declutter the urban streets from delivery traffic

Dec 05, 2022 17:35
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

Barcelona to limit the size of tour groups

The amended regulation is supposed to enter into force in March 2023

Nov 29, 2022 15:50
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

Barcelona offers a bus tour of its Christmas lights installations

It runs from 25 November until 30 December, or in other words during the season to be jolly

Nov 25, 2022 17:59
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Germany / Spain / Barcelona / Munich / Green City

Barcelona and Munich: the largest European cities to get zero waste certification

Scaling up the effort of waste reduction must eventually go through the continent’s metropolises

Nov 24, 2022 17:17
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / L’Hospitalet / Digital transformation / Mobility

Hailing a cab in Barcelona now easier, just click on the local public transport app

The city’s taxi services are getting integrated into the AMB Mobility app as a way to optimize their driving routes and to provide better intermodality

Nov 02, 2022 14:14
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / L’Hospitalet / Development / Mobility

Barcelona launches fully electric bike-sharing service in 2023

The metropolitan AMBici will not replace the Catalan capital’s Bicing scheme - instead, it will integrate with it

Oct 26, 2022 17:00
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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France / Portugal / Spain / Barcelona / Development / Energy efficiency

European Commission warms up to Barcelona-Marseille green energy pipeline idea

Out with MidCat, in with BarMar

Oct 24, 2022 17:50
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Development / Digital transformation

Catalonia launched its first international cable landing station

The Barcelona facility, which aims to become the digital port and internet gateway of the Mediterranean, should get to full capacity by 2027

Oct 14, 2022 16:13
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Public Spaces / Welfare and Health

Barcelona’s first no-smoking-on-beach summer ended without a single fine

Even smokers felt positive about the change and supported the new policy

Oct 11, 2022 13:25
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Green City

Barcelona is the European Forest City 2022

As the winner, the city will also host the European Forest Institute annual conference

Oct 05, 2022 17:56
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Culture and Tourism / Public Spaces

Barcelona started revamp works to “detouristify” La Rambla boulevard

Bringing the local residents back to the iconic thoroughfare is the aim of the project

Oct 05, 2022 17:34
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Energy efficiency / Mobility

Energy generated by Barcelona metro train brakes will charge e-vehicles

Energy is never lost, it only gets transformed – finally, someone’s making use of that principle

Sep 29, 2022 17:13
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov
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Spain / Barcelona / Green City / Politics and Reforms

Catalonia to establish a Citizens’ Assembly for Climate

The new body will have between 100 and 150 from all walks of society and it will coin environmental proposals

Sep 27, 2022 16:24
Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov

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