Urban Agenda for the EU

📢Highlights from the Compact Cities Call! The Urban Agenda for the EU continues to drive collaboration and innovation in sustainable urban development. The recent call for a new Thematic Partnership on #CompactCities, which closed on 1 October 2025, received an overwhelming response from cities and stakeholders across Europe. 🎉A total of 99 applications were submitted from nearly all EU Member States, reflecting strong and widespread interest in advancing the Compact Cities theme. Applicants included a diverse mix of urban authorities, regions, Member and Partner States, umbrella organisations, and other key actors, setting the stage for a well-balanced and impactful Thematic Partnership. This high level of interest underscores the growing importance of compact, efficient, and liveable urban models for cities of all sizes.🏙️🌱 🤔Want to know what’s next? 🔎Explore all the details in our news article: https://lnkd.in/d86sVp7t #CompactCities #UrbanAgendaEU #SustainableUrbanDevelopment

Cities of Equality and Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees Partnerships strengthen collaboration on urban equality and social cohesion🤝 Last week, the Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees (IMR) Partnership met in Milan for an inspiring exchange. The meeting offered an excellent opportunity to deepen collaboration with the #CitiesofEquality Partnership, exploring new ways to advance urban equality, inclusion, and social cohesion. 🔎During the session, partners discussed: ✳️The co-designed model of service delivery in Milan, where municipal leadership is combined with strong participation from third-sector organisations. ✳️Upcoming opportunities for joint online workshops on EU funding for equality and inclusion, with the aim of co-developing sessions and policy papers in 2026. ✳️Future exchanges focused on encouraging the participation of residents with a migrant background in public life and participatory processes—closely linked to one of the key actions in the Cities of Equality Action Plan. 🔗Read the article to learn more:https://lnkd.in/dnMWcJ_m #CitiesofEquality #Inclusion #UrbanEquality #CitizenParticipation

🌍 Cities lead the way in building decarbonisation! 🌿 Recent key events in Brussels have highlighted how cities are driving local leadership in the transition to climate-neutral buildings.🏙️ ✳️At the Covenant of Mayors Award Ceremony on October 16, the City of Mechelen, co-coordinator of the #BuildingDecarbonisation Partnership, was recognised for its innovative and socially inclusive heat planning efforts to decarbonise local heating systems. 👏 ✴️The EU Peers Summit 2025, organised by Energy Cities in collaboration with Green Building Council España (GBCE), co-coordinator of the Building Decarbonisation Partnership, brought together municipal and regional representatives, one-stop shops (OSS), public authorities, and experts for two days of workshops and knowledge exchange. 💡The summit highlighted how one-stop shops (OSS) simplify access to support, enabling energy renovations and helping citizens overcome barriers to energy efficiency. ✳️As part of the #EURegionsWeek 2025, EUROCITIES and the German Association for Housing, Urban and Spatial Development (DV), both members of the Partnership, also hosted events emphasising the power of place-based, local strategies in the green transition. 🌱 Cities are truly at the heart of Europe’s path to climate neutrality. Through collaboration, innovation, and people-centred solutions, local governments are showing that the green transition is happening now. 👉Read more in our article: https://lnkd.in/dVVumVa9 #BuildingDecarbonisation #EnergyTransition #GreenTransition #UrbanAgendaEU

🌿From evidence to investment for urban nature: key insights from the Greening Cities Partnership sessions at #EURegionsWeek! On October 14-15, the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on #GreeningCities hosted two dynamic sessions during the #EURegionsWeek 2025 in Brussels. The events highlighted how cities can transform data into action, and nature into investment. Over two days, experts, policymakers, and city representatives came together to share practical examples and emerging approaches aimed at accelerating the shift toward greener and more resilient urban environments.🏙️🌿 💡Looking for inspiration on green infrastructure projects? 🔎Insights and informative materials are now available on: ✅Bankable Public Green Infrastructure and Services: A Practical Approach ✅How Much Nature Do We Need in Our Cities? Turning Data into Urban Greening Action Curious to learn more? 👉Read the full article on our website: https://lnkd.in/dZv4krTa #GreeningCities #Greening #Cities #UrbanAgendaEU #NatureBasedSolutions #GreenFinance #EURegionsWeek

🌳 How Much Nature Do We Need in Our Cities? Turning Data into Urban Greening Action How can cities use data to guide nature restoration and urban greening? 📊 At #EURegionsWeek 2025, the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Greening Cities, gathered experts and city practitioners to explore how evidence can inform local action and investment. Marino Cavallo (Città metropolitana di Bologna - Metropolitan City of Bologna) moderated a dynamic exchange between, Yoann Clouet (Institute for Urban Excellence / ESPON-GILL consortium), Bo Van Besien (City of Roeselare), and Paola Lepori (ICLEI Europe) — linking research, practice, and policy. ✨ Key takeaways: 🧩 A first look at the ESPON-GILL methodology to quantify the demand for green infrastructure — a data-driven approach connecting EU targets with local planning. 🏙️ Roeselare showed how data-informed planning helps prioritise investments and multi-annual budgets. 🌍 ICLEI highlighted governance and financing pathways, from Urban Nature Plans to innovative nature markets. 💬 What we heard: Participants pointed to fragmented responsibilities as a core obstacle when assessing urban greening needs — along with missing baseline data and the lack of standard methods for measuring ecosystem services. The key question remains: how can we turn data into action — aligning evidence with funding, maintenance, and political will. 🪴 Looking ahead: This work feeds into the implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation (Article 8), helping cities halt the loss of green space and tree canopy by 2030 and increase them thereafter. The ESPON-GILL methodology is being refined and tested in case studies across Europe — with the full report expected in February 2026. 👉 Stay tuned to the Greening Cities Partnership webpage for updates: https://lnkd.in/dU8XYAcV #GreeningCities #Greening #Cities #UrbanNature #GreenInfrastructure #ESPON #NatureRestoration #UrbanAgendaEU #EURegionsWeek

💶 Bankable Public Green Infrastructure and Services: A Practical Approach How can cities unlock viable finance for green infrastructure and nature-based solutions? 🌱 At #EURegionsWeek, the Greening Cities Partnership brought together Dušan Pollich - City of Ostrava - official,  Étienne Aulotte - Brussels Environment, Ana-Maria Mitroi-Ciobica - European Investment Bank (EIB), and Jaroslav Mysiak -CMCC Foundation - Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, to explore how cities can bridge the gap between public funding and private investment — and how environmental and social benefits can translate into tangible value for urban resilience. ✨ Key takeaways: 🌿 Strong preparation, governance, and partnerships determine bankability 📊 Metrics and data are essential to demonstrate impact and attract finance 🤝 Cities like Ostrava and Brussels are pioneering ways to reinvest the value created by green infrastructure Green infrastructure builds economic stability, social cohesion, and climate resilience — all at once. 👉 Stay tuned to the Greening Cities webpage for more insights and updates on the session: https://lnkd.in/dU8XYAcV #GreeningCities #Greening #Cities #UrbanAgendaEU #NatureBasedSolutions #GreenFinance #EURegionsWeek2025

Wrapping up the first Urban Food Policy Training in Milan! 🌍 Organised by the #FoodPartnership and hosted by the City of Milan within the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Global Forum, this training marked a key milestone in advancing urban food strategies. 🤝 Developed in collaboration with researchers from Wageningen Economic Research and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the training session brought together more than 40 participants, including both Food Partnership members and external stakeholders. ✳️ As part of Action 4 of the Food Action Plan, the training focused on two core topics: 🔹 Developing Urban Food Policies, featuring insights from the Food Trails project and real city case studies; 🔹 Designing Food Waste Actions, offering practical tools for creating effective food waste action plans. 💡 The training equipped participants with actionable tools and ideas to kickstart or strengthen their own urban food policies and food waste strategies. 👏 Huge thanks to all the moderators, speakers, and participants for their contributions and engagement! Elisa Porreca João Lopes Marijke Dijkshoorn-Dekker Thom Achterbosch Yvette Cabrera This is just the beginning — more training sessions will be organised by the Food Partnership under Action 4. 👉 Stay tuned to the Food Partnership webpage for updates on the Urban Food Policy Training and to explore opportunities to get involved: https://lnkd.in/dcU_-c8b #FoodPartnership #FoodSystems #UrbanFoodPolicy #UrbanAgendaEU #MUFPPGlobalForum

🔍How can we track progress across the Urban Agenda Partnerships? The ongoing Thematic Partnerships have already delivered Action Plans tackling critical urban challenges — but what’s happening next? 📊To monitor real progress and highlight key achievements, the newly updated Monitoring Table of Actions is now available! This dynamic tool offers valuable insights into: ✅ How implementation is advancing ✅ What results are being achieved ✅ How multi-level governance is shaping urban policy across Europe 👉 Explore how these efforts are turning Action Plans into real impact: https://lnkd.in/dDfeNYXP #UrbanAgendaEU #ThematicPartnerrships #UrbanTransformation

The #CompactCities Call is now closed! 🌟 A big thank you to everyone who submitted their applications! 🤔What’s next? The applications will now be carefully assessed by the EAA expert taking into consideration: 🔸the diversity of stakeholders 🔸the geographical location in Europe 🔸the variety of size of urban authorities 📅The evaluation of the applications will take place over the coming months. 🚀 Get ready—the Partnership is set to launch in early January! 🔗 Follow the Compact Cities webpage for all upcoming news and updates: https://lnkd.in/d5pdKAVK #CompactCities #ThematicPartnerships

🌿Nature Restoration Regulation in action 🌿 🎥The full webinar series by the #GreeningCities Partnership is now available! Implementing the EU Nature Restoration Regulation is a complex task for cities, regions, and national governments. To support this effort, the Greening Cities Partnership launched a webinar series packed with expert insights, real-world case studies, and practical tools. 🔎The series includes: 📊 Webinar 1: Urban Ecosystem Restoration – Baselines and Data 🗺️ Webinar 2: Developing a Municipal Roadmap for Urban Ecosystem Restoration 🏘️ Webinar 3: Building and Spatial Regulations for Nature Restoration 🌲 Webinar 4: Regulations for Nature Restoration on Municipal-Owned Land 🌱 Webinar 5: Citizen Engagement for Nature Restoration 🤝 Webinar 6: Collaboration on National Restoration Plans 💡Dive into this valuable resource to enhance your knowledge and support the restoration of urban nature. 👉 Access the materials and discover upcoming initiatives by the Greening Cities Partnership here: https://lnkd.in/dEvit35r #GreeningCities #NatureRestorationLaw #WebinarSeries