Tag: cities

Most residents of European cities breathe noxious pollutants that exceed international health standards, says a study released today (24 September) by the European Environment Agency, giving ammunition to health and environmental groups that demand far tougher EU standards.

European cities are planning to adapt to climate change as the risks become more severe, says a report released yesterday (28 June) by UK-based emissions measurement organisation the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and consultancy Accenture.

European regions are gearing up for the Rio+20 Earth Summit in June by drawing up a list of “key ingredients” in a bid to make sustainable urban development a focal point of the Brazil discussions.

European cities and regions are conducting numerous policies to promote gender equality, including the launch of a new observatory to monitor and address inequality and discrimination, say mayors and other representatives from across Europe.

Europe's biggest cities believe the European Commission's definition of innovation is too narrowly focused on the commercial and research sectors. In an interview with EurActiv, Paul Bevan, secretary-general of Eurocities, said Europe's urban centres are teeming with examples of social, organisational and market-driven innovation.

Stockholm, New York and other cities across the globe are increasingly relying on information and communication technologies (ICT) to manage low-emission traffic zones or improve their ability to fight crime. But privacy issues are never far away and will require political decisions, warns John Post, chief technology officer at IBM Benelux.

Mayors from both sides of the Atlantic have teamed up to ensure that international climate negotiators recognise the important role played by cities in adapting to climate change as they gather in Copenhagen to agree on a post-Kyoto treaty in December.

Home to 80% of EU citizens and 70% of greenhouse gas emissions, urban areas play a key role in fighting climate change; but cities' access to funding for green policies is proving a major stumbling block.

National governments' privileged access to EU decision-makers in Brussels limits cities' access to funding instruments necessary for dealing with significant climate change-related challenges, according to a Commission official and urban policy experts.

Presenting a new Green Paper on Urban Transport, Commissioner Jacques Barrot outlined a large range of potential solutions and areas where the EU could take action in order to tackle the growing congestion, pollution and safety problems in Europe's cities.

More than 1,500 cities will take part in the sixth edition of the annual European Mobility Week, which, under the theme 'Streets For People', aims to prove that reclaiming road space for pedestrians and cyclists can serve to cut congestion and pollution without reducing people's mobility.

60% of the world's population will live in cities by 2030, states Tobias Just in a recent research paper for Deutsche Bank. 

The Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities, signed by European ministers on 24 May, lays the foundation for a new integrated urban policy in Europe, focusing on helping cities tackle problems of social exclusion, structural change, ageing, climate change and mobility.

On 24 and 25 May, EU ministers responsible for urban and spatial development will meet in Leipzig to adopt the Leipzig Charter on Sustainabe European Cities. Apart from the adoption of the charter, a main purpose of the Leipzig meeting will be to "politically emphasise" the importance of cities in the formulation of future EU policies.

This study, by Sybille Reichert of the European University Association, examines the role of universities in the emergence of "knowledge regions" and their relationship with the business sector.

Many environmental problems are caused by the rapid expansion of urban areas, according to a new report on "urban sprawl" published by the European Environment Agency on 24 November.

As 771 European cities prepare to launch the 2006 European Mobility week, Stockholm’s inhabitants must vote on a system of road tolls aimed at reducing traffic in the city centre.

A new Commission strategy to make urban areas greener focuses on better implementation of existing EU environmental policies but proposes little in terms of new initiatives.