News

29.10.2008
The world's most global cities
A new study compiles a list of the world's most global cities, weighing financial as well as cultural and political influence.read more

27.10.2008
Eurocities' declaration on climate change: signing ceremony held at EU French Presidency event in Lyon
On October 27th in Lyon, at the Eurocities conference on climate change, leading politicians of nearly 50 major European cities pledged their commitment to fight climate change in a common declaration. The official signing ceremony of the ‘Eurocities...read more

24.10.2008
The McCain-Obama mismatch on urban policy
How do John McCain and Barack Obama compare on urban policy and what will it mean for New York and other large cities? Obama's campaign has a detailed set of principles and proposals that differ markedly from previous Democratic policy. McCain, on th...read more

24.10.2008
UN-HABITAT unveils State of the World’s Cities report 2008/2009
Half of humanity now lives in cities, and within two decades, nearly 60 per cent of the world’s people will be urban dwellers. Urban growth is most rapid in the developing world, where cities gain an average of 5 million residents every month. As cit...read more

24.10.2008
Urban areas at risk from overheating
At the Tokyo Conference for Climate Change, representatives from the so-called C40 cities warned that crowded urban areas were particularly susceptible to the Planet’s rising temperatures.read more

23.10.2008
CEMR to launch multilingual website on town twinning
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) will launch its new multilingual website totally devoted to town twinning, on 13 November 2008 in Brussels.read more

23.10.2008
European Planning Awards 2008 presented in Dublin
Planning will have a crucial role in how our cities become more competitive in order to meet the new economic challenges, Ms Virna Bussadori, one of Europe’s leading planners, said at the European Urban and Regional Planning Awards in Dublin Castle, ...read more

22.10.2008
Credit crunch lowers expectations for 2012 London Olympic Games
London is set to host the Olympics in 2012, but the global financial crisis has left organisers looking for ways to scrimp amid a worldwide credit crunch, tumbling domestic property values and rising unemployment.read more

21.10.2008
Metro works sink Budapest Technical University
The Budapest Technical University has sunk over five centimetres into the ground and cracks which first appeared in tiles are now affecting supporting walls and columns, the leader of the opposition on Budapest County Council alleged last week, blami...read more

21.10.2008
Mixing rich and poor: Dutch housing policy
In the wake of the current credit crunch, British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror looks at different housing policies troughout Europe. This news article focuses in (social) housing in the Netherlands. It feels the United Kingdom can learn from th...read more

17.10.2008
Austrian village makes a declaration of energy independence
Güssing, a town in the Burgenland, Austria, has made a declaration of energy independence.read more

15.10.2008
Spend a night in a nuclear bunker in Switzerland
In the Alpine town of Sevelen, two brothers have transformed one of Switzerland's nuclear bunkers into a "zero-star hotel." The outside world is visible only through monitors, and a wheel of fortune determines who gets to shower with warm water. The ...read more

15.10.2008
East London borough praised for tackling child poverty
Tower Hamlets Council has been shortlisted for a prestigious Beacon award for its work in Preventing and tackling child poverty. With the East London borough often cited as one of the country’s most deprived areas, the news is a huge boost for the co...read more

15.10.2008
European cities ensure equality when employing migrants
The European Employment Strategy could emphasise the key role of local authorities in providing more and better jobs for migrants, according to a new report from the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)...read more

15.10.2008
New EU information centre in Skopje
The new European Union Information Centre of the EU Mission to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, has been officially opened on 15 October. The centre is located in its new premises on Mito Hadzivasilev Jasmin Street, in Skopje. The Informati...read more

14.10.2008
Mayor of Cape Town wins the 2008 World Mayor Prize
Helen Zille, Executive Mayor of Cape Town and leader of South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance, has been awarded the 2008 World Mayor Prize. Commentators supporting her nomination said that in a country devoid of present-day role models, this ...read more

14.10.2008
Researchers target better transport systems for older people
Safer and more effective transport for the elderly is high on the EU agenda, and joining this effort are UK-based researchers who have identified a number of measures that could change the way older people think about transport systems. The 'Older Pe...read more

13.10.2008
Al Gore to open Rotterdam Climate Campus
Former American Vice-President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore will open an institute for sustainable and innovative technology in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on October 14th. The Rotterdam Climate Campus (RCC) focuses on the development of new ...read more

09.10.2008
For sale: the Belfast eco-house that costs nothing to run
Northern Ireland’s first A-rated house was unveiled today. The five-bedroom property in Holywood is the province’s first carbon neutral home, which means it has no running costs. And the lucky home-owner who buys the 2,500 sq ft, high-tech home is se...read more

09.10.2008
Future of cohesion policy debated with regions and cities during the Open Days
Regional policy responses to issues such as innovation, climate change, inter-regional co-operation and the future of EU cohesion policy were debated at the closing session at Parliament of the annual Regions and Cities "Open Days" of 6-9 October. Th...read more