Author: Elisa Abrantes Stories from Pilot Cities: Uppsala is a participant in the Pilot Cities Programme, an EU grant-funded programme that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period. Demolition for innovation: Uppsala is building back greener  What can tearing down a building teach us about circularity? In Uppsala, Sweden, they are showing that lessons from practical experience are invaluable.   The city administration is using demolition and renovation projects as real-world laboratories to explore circular construction methods. From steel to concrete, the building blocks that make up the city will be [...]

Author: Elisa Abrantes Stories from Pilot Cities: Limassol is one of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period.   Changing attitudes to beat the heat in Limassol The Mediterranean island of Cyprus marks the EU's eastern extreme, so far east that it sits geographically in West Asia. Where scorching summers are becoming the new norm, the country’s second largest city, Limassol, is increasingly confronted [...]

Author: Barbara Jarkiewicz Stories from Pilot Cities: Velenje is one of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period.  Once built around coal mining, Velenje—one of Slovenia's sunniest and greenest cities—is transforming to achieve climate neutrality. The city has committed to phasing out coal by 2033 but will have to reconcile its industrial heritage with the demands of a sustainable future. Read here about how it is testing [...]

Author: Elisa Abrantes Stories from Pilot Cities: Liberec is one of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period.  Affordable, clean, renewable energy. Lower energy bills. Reduced energy poverty. More green jobs. Europe’s Mission Cities see these as critical benefits of their energy transition, which not only help cities prepare for a future in which fossil fuels must be phased out but ensure that sustainable energy will be available [...]

Author: Elisa Abrantes Stories from Pilot Cities: Guimarães is one of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period.  "You cannot say Guimarães without a smile. To do this work you need to smile, and you need to have passion. That's the secret ingredient," says Dalila Sepúlveda, the city’s environment and sustainability director. This sentiment encapsulates the spirit driving Guimarães' innovative approach to climate [...]

Author: Barbara Jarkiewicz Stories from Pilot Cities: the Slovenian cities of Ljubljana, Kranj and Velenje are part of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period. Ljubljana, Kranj and Velenje are gearing up to pave the way to climate neutrality through innovative, systemic approaches. The three ambitious Slovenian cities have partnered under the Pilot Cities Programme to develop and test new solutions to their [...]

Author: Elisa Abrantes Stories from Pilot Cities: Galway is a participant in the Pilot Cities Programme, an EU grant funded programme which focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period.   “The climate neutrality targets of 2030 and 2050 are closing in on us,” says Sharon Carroll, as she reflects on the formidable challenge ahead. “The level of action that’s needed is almost a barrier in itself because it can be so overwhelming,” says Carroll. Galway, where Carroll is the Project Coordinator for the Irish city’s participation in the NetZeroCities Pilot [...]

Author: Barbara Jarkiewicz Stories from Pilot Cities: Istanbul is one of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period. The last major earthquake in Turkey was nearly eight magnitude, causing massive damage to millions of buildings and resulting in thousands of lives lost. The country suffers regular smaller tremors too and therefore the historic city of Istanbul, the country’s largest city, faces a dual [...]

Author: Elisa Abrantes Stories from Pilot Cities: Budapest is one of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period. As a European crossroads of culture and a historical intersection of power, Budapest’s streets, food, ruin bars, historical monuments, castles, bridges and spas tell the story of Roman, Ottoman Turkish, Slavic, Jewish and Viennese influence. They have left their stamp on the city, the ‘Pearl [...]

Author: Elisa Abrantes Stories from Pilot Cities: Bristol is one of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period. “Who is going to pay for this?” The estimated cost of Bristol’s decarbonisation is around £10 billion. Therefore, to Bristol City Council, it is clear that finding the money is imperative. Situated in the southwest of England, the city is taking bold steps towards answering [...]