News

23.09.2008
European Commission presents its “health check” on 321 European cities
Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for regional policy, is today presenting the results of the urban audit – a health check on 321 European cities, produced in association with EUROSTAT. The audit is based on 420 000 pieces of statistical information focuss...read more

22.09.2008
Portland named as the greenest American city
Portland, Oregon, has been named America’s greenest city by the Sustainlane 2008 study. Based on 16 economic, environmental and green/clean tech categories, the environmental research organisation SustainLane has examined cities’ ability to maintain ...read more

17.09.2008
London Mayor sets out his stall on future of street markets
A study into the future of London's street markets is to be commissioned by Boris Johnson.read more

16.09.2008
Urban-Rural linkages enhancing European territorial competitiveness
European, national and regional policies are increasingly stressing the need to address issues related to urban-rural linkages, which also is closely connected to the work ongoing on territorial cohesion. As a result, during the course of 2008-2009, ...read more

15.09.2008
Large gap between what Europeans say and do about cliimate change
An overwhelming majority of Europeans - 62 percent - consider climate change the second most serious problem facing the world today, a fresh EU poll has shown. However, they have little appetite for turning green when it comes to their lifestyle.read more

10.09.2008
Košice becomes European Capital of Culture 2013
Košice was awarded the title of European Capital of Culture 2013 on September 9, following a decision by a 13-person international jury under the leadership of chairman Sir Bob Scott. This will be the very first time that a Slovakian city has become ...read more

09.09.2008
Low taxes make Zurich preferred business city
Zurich is not only rated the best city in the world to live in, it has now also been nominated as the best European region for doing business. New research by Basel-based BAK Economics places Switzerland’s largest city at the top of 192 cities and re...read more

05.09.2008
Paris, London and Barcelona are Europe’s top city brands
In a unique study, which ranks Europe’s largest cities based on a comparison of their assets and attractions against the strength of their brands, Paris emerges as Europe’s number one city brand, followed by London, Barcelona, Berlin and Amsterdam. T...read more

03.09.2008
Scientists from Germany and Korea work on creating green mega cities
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a typical mega city: vast, pulsating, noisy and full of exhaust fumes. This is the setting in which researchers from the German Fraunhofer Institute are developing new building concepts and IT solutions. which wi...read more

27.08.2008
French presidency of the European Union: "Cities forum" (Forum des villes) in Montpellier
On the occasion of its presidency of the European Union, France has decided to stress the importance of “sustainability and solidarity in our cities”. Following the meeting of the ministers responsible for housing, cohesion and urban development, whi...read more

26.08.2008
"Nightclubs are a crucial part of urban planning"
"Nightclubs are central to the nighttime economy and signifiers of the urban cool. They are also a crucial part of urban planning and manufacture a city's appeal." George S. Rigakos, associate professor of law, criminology and political economy at Ca...read more

22.08.2008
NYC mayor foresees wind turbines on city’s bridges and skyscrapers
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, announced his city’s first steps toward developing new sources of renewable energy, including off-shore wind farms. He called for innovative ideas to help New Yor...read more

19.08.2008
A green thumbs-up to urban farming
Founded by San Diego native Bill Tall in 1972, City Farmers Nursery is a family-owned, independently operated garden supply nursery located in the heart of San Diego. At City Farmers Nursery, Bill Tall tends to visitors, animals, plants – and his mis...read more

18.08.2008
Eco-clubbing: Dutch Club to Recycle Dancers' Energy
Wind power is great. But what about all that energy you expend on the dance floor on Saturday night? A next-generation nightclub wants to use that energy to keep the strobes lit and the bass bumping.read more

16.08.2008
New York mayor offers new poverty yardstick
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called America’s system of measuring urban poverty as outdated and claimed it seriously under-estimated poverty in his city. In a speech prepared for the annual conference of the National Association for the Adva...read more

14.08.2008
Boris Johnson announces London Freewheel event
On August 13th, 2008 Boris Johnson announced the route of London's biggest free cycling event, which is expected to attract up to 100,000 people.read more

13.08.2008
21 US cities agree to report their green house gas emissions
ICLEI, the Toronto and Freiburg based International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, announced that some of the largest US cities including New York City, Denver, Las Vegas and New Orleans, will for the first time report their green house...read more

11.08.2008
ESPON Info Day: second round for calls for proposals
The second round of calls for proposals of the ESPON 2013 Programme (European Spatial Planning Observation Network) will be presented during an information day to be held in Brussels on 9 September 2008. All potential beneficiaries who would be inter...read more

05.08.2008
"One of the fundamental ideas behind Paris Plage is social equity"
City beaches are nothing new. In many places around Europe, people can enjoy these attractive urban hide-outs over the summer and pretend they are on some tropical location instead of at home. However, no city beach resembles that of Paris: not in sc...read more

04.08.2008
Call for candidacies: Be the host of CEMR's 2012 General Assembly
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) has issued a "call for candidacies" open to European cities and regions interested in hosting its 2012 General Assembly.read more