News
What 24 European cities are deciding and building, and the EU news that matters to them. Every article is built from official sources, each claim quoted, and checked by an editor.
RSS feed- Budapest Budapest starts building a protected two-way cycle path on Szent Gellért rakpart Budapest started building a barrier-protected two-way cycle path on Szent Gellért rakpart on 19 October, moving cyclists from a shared pavement onto a little-used parking lane along about 260 metres opposite the Rudas Baths, with completion expected in mid-November.
- Malmö Malmö pilot helps ten families grow more of their own vegetables Malmö's Hemodlarna pilot, run by Botildenborg for the city in 2026, helped ten households grow more vegetables at home; all ten became self-sufficient in at least one vegetable, and more than 150 families had applied.
- Nacka Nacka commissions its first battery storage for emergency power at Sigfridsborg school Nacka commissioned its first battery storage in September at Sigfridsborg school and sports hall, an emergency support point; the solar-charged 700 kWh system can power the site for 4 to 48 hours in an outage and earns revenue otherwise.
- Barcelona Barcelona opens €10.5 million in grants for home renovation and building accessibility Barcelona has opened two grant calls worth €10.5 million: €6 million for energy-efficiency and adaptation works inside homes, with up to €6,000 per applicant, and €4.5 million for lifts and barrier removal in residential buildings.
- Copenhagen Copenhagen starts collecting nappy waste for recycling Copenhagen began collecting used nappies for recycling on 19 October 2026, starting with apartment buildings with at least six young children and municipal day-care centres, and expects to collect 5,000 tonnes once the scheme is fully implemented in 2029.
- Cities EU LIFE programme awards over €390 million to 135 climate and environment projects The Commission has granted more than €390 million to 135 LIFE projects, including heating plans for Bucharest and Budapest, Romanian nature projects in the Carpathians, and a City Facility whose next call for municipalities opens on 26 October.
- AI policy European Commission publishes first harmonised standard supporting the AI Act in Official Journal EN 18286:2026 gives providers of high-risk AI a presumption of conformity with the Act’s quality management rules; high-risk rules for areas such as education, employment and public services now apply from 2 December 2027.
- Turin Turin approves €861,000 of energy upgrades on three municipal buildings Turin's city executive has approved €861 thousand of energy upgrades on three municipal buildings, expected to avoid 129 tonnes of CO2 a year, as part of the EfficienTO plan funded with €110 million from Iren Smart Solutions.
- Turin Turin approves phased plan for Ponte Mosca urban campus in the Aurora district Turin's city executive approved an amended planning agreement for the Ponte Mosca area in Aurora, letting TSH Turin Propco build a 23,535-square-metre urban campus in three phases and pay €528,539 for public works with no deduction from planning fees.
- Turin Turin reopens historic Boncompagni school after €9.5 million renovation Turin has completed the €9.5 million PNRR-funded renovation of Boncompagni primary school at via Vidua 1, a building first constructed in 1880-1882, with works split into three lots covering structure, facades, windows, doors and floors for its 175 pupils.
- Valongo Valongo hosts FLY! 2026, a European forum on youth participation Valongo hosted FLY! 2026, a European forum on youth participation promoted by ALDA and co-organised with the municipality, on 15 and 16 October, with debates on the revision of the EU Youth Strategy and the future of Erasmus+.
- Vienna Vienna tightens short-term rental rules with a mandatory register and higher fines Vienna's housing committee has backed stricter short-term rental rules, including a mandatory provider register from 1 January 2027, fines of up to 50,000 euros per violation and a requirement that converted buildings keep at least 80% of floor space as housing.
- Zurich Zurich pays half the cost of e-cargo bikes for businesses Zurich has launched «CarGoVelo für Züri», a programme that pays half the purchase cost of an electric cargo bike for companies and organisations, with a total budget of 390,000 francs available for a maximum of three years.
- Amsterdam Amsterdam wins EU LIFE support to turn green waste into biochar The European Commission listed the city's LIFE NATURECDR project among its new LIFE awards, with carbon credits tested as a funding source for urban greening.
- Bonn Bonn receives around €980,000 in federal funding to renovate Endenicher Park Bonn has received around €980,000 from the federal government to renovate the sports areas of Endenicher Park, a €2.2 million project that adds a basketball and 3x3 streetball court and a calisthenics area, with works planned to start in 2027.
- Vienna Vienna commissions Europe's most powerful rainwater pump of its type on the Donauinsel Vienna's sewer utility Wien Kanal has commissioned a 15,000-litre-per-second rainwater pump at the Donauinsel pumping station, an €18 million project that raised peak capacity from 45,000 to 60,000 litres per second for Floridsdorf and Donaustadt.
- Zurich Zurich expands mobile recycling centre to 33 sites and retires disposal tram Zurich is retiring its disposal tram after more than 85 years, with a last stop in Hirzenbach on 20 October 2026, as its mobile recycling centre expands to 33 locations by early 2027, adding 22 sites the tram never reached.
- Vienna Vienna adopts plan for green spaces and a roof park at Erdberg under the Tangente Vienna's urban development commission adopted a guiding plan on 13 October for the Erdberg office area at the Tangente, including an ARWAG high-rise with a publicly accessible 5,000-square-metre roof park, whose design will come from a 2027 architectural competition.
- Barcelona Barcelona awards design contract for the Felip II market renovation in Sant Andreu Barcelona's Municipal Markets Institute awarded Taller Sau SLP a contract worth more than 159,000 euros to design and supervise the renovation of the Felip II market in Sant Andreu, with works due to start at the end of 2027.
- Vienna EU-funded LIFE VienNATURA restores a 90-hectare former railway yard in Vienna Vienna has begun renaturing the former Breitenlee railway yard, an area of about 90 hectares under Natura 2000 protection, through the EU-funded LIFE VienNATURA project, replacing invasive species such as goldenrod and tree of heaven with oaks.
- Amsterdam Amsterdam home-rental overnight stays in 2025 were 59% below 2019 Amsterdam's statistics office reports that overnight stays in private homes and rooms booked via online platforms fell 4% in 2025 to just over one million, 59% below 2019, while hotels and hostels recorded 22.2 million nights.
- Barcelona Barcelona buys an eight-home building on Carrer d’Espalter in the Raval using pre-emption Barcelona has approved buying the eight-home building at Carrer d’Espalter 6 in the Raval through its right of pre-emption, paying 1.3 million euros, or 2 million euros including planned refurbishment, at 3,408.80 euros per square metre.
- Bonn Bonn agreement with the federal government due to be signed on 17 December 2026 The supplementary agreement to the Berlin/Bonn Act, negotiated by Bonn, three districts and two states with the federal government, is due to be signed on 17 December 2026 and includes a Foreign Office-led strategy to expand Bonn as a UN location.
- Bonn Bonn becomes home to European office of forestry research centre CIFOR The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), active in over 60 countries, has opened its European Secretariat in Bonn, which will link German and European science, policy and development cooperation with CIFOR networks in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
- Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca hosts URBACT URBAN ECHO partners to plan the regeneration of Iris Cluj-Napoca hosted the third transnational meeting of the URBACT IV network URBAN ECHO from 13 to 15 October 2026, with six cities taking part, as it works to adapt Ghent's neighbourhood regeneration approach to the Iris neighbourhood.
- Eindhoven Eindhoven opens 19 temporary studios for formerly homeless residents in De Zuidwester Eindhoven opened the converted Zuidwester building on Cyclamenstraat on 14 October, offering 19 studios as a temporary home for formerly homeless residents, who usually stay one to two years with support from Springplank040, plus a resident-run neighbourhood room.
- Marseille Euroméditerranée appoints UAPS as urban adviser for its next six years in Marseille EPA Euroméditerranée has given the UAPS group and its partners a six-year urban adviser mission, under a 2025-2040 framework protocol that targets 10,000 additional homes and 250,000 m² of offices by 2040.
- Bucharest Bucharest opens its draft cultural strategy to feedback from cultural organisations Bucharest has launched strategiaculturala.pmb.ro, where cultural organisations can comment on the city's 2027–2036 cultural strategy while it is drafted by AEUB and Insula 42; a first version is due by the end of November and the final document next year.
- Paris Paris opens a Campus de la Résilience to prepare residents for crises Paris has opened a Campus de la Résilience of more than 400 m² in the 15th arrondissement, created with the fire brigade and Protection Civile, to prepare residents, schools and officials for climate, health, domestic and technological risks.
- Tampere Tampere's Nysse public transport begins switching to account-based travel cards Tampere's Nysse public transport has started moving to account-based travel cards that store ticket data in a back-end system. New cards are already account-based, existing cards will be converted automatically, and Nella.fi purchases now reach cards immediately instead of after two hours.
- Paris Paris announces €200 million cycling plan for 2027-2032 Paris has set out a €200 million cycling plan for 2027-2032 that adds 140 km of cycle tracks and 220 km of contraflow lanes and makes 420 more junctions safer, 56 of them in the first year.
- Berlin Berlin Senate approves implementation plan for Blankenburger Süden district of 8,600 homes Berlin's Senate on 13 October 2026 approved the implementation concept for the Blankenburger Süden quarter in Pankow, planned for around 8,600 homes and 35 hectares of commercial space, with an M2 tram extension as a precondition.
- Rennes Rennes opens new Baud-Chardonnet bus depot with rooftop solar and district heating Rennes Métropole has inaugurated its new Baud-Chardonnet bus depot, relocated at a cost of over 40 million euros including tax, where 1,366 m² of rooftop solar panels produce 300 MWh a year, 80% of it used on site.
- Rennes Rennes completes underground storm basin to cut sewage discharges into the Vilaine Rennes Métropole is completing a 5.3-million-euro underground buffer basin in Saint-Hélier that stores 1,750 cubic metres of storm water and is expected to cut discharges into the Vilaine by more than 90%.
- Amsterdam Amsterdam statisticians forecast 1.08 million residents by 2050 Amsterdam's research and statistics office O&S has published a report forecasting that the city will grow to about 1.08 million residents by 2050, with ageing certain, births falling and migration uncertain; it was presented on 8 October 2026.
- Turin Turin joins EU social-economy procurement project meeting in Iași Turin took part on 7 and 8 October 2026 in the third interregional meeting of the EU project PROSECO in Iași, Romania, where partners reviewed three semesters of work on using public procurement to support the social economy.
- Copenhagen Copenhagen moves to cut waiting times for local development plans Copenhagen's Climate, Environment and Technical Committee on 5 October 2026 delegated final adoption of simple local plans to officials, saving about 11 weeks per case, and approved a trial in which developers draft three local plans.
- Lyon Lyon's first natural swimming site at Confluence confirmed for summer 2027 The Métropole de Lyon has confirmed the city's plan for a natural swimming site at the Confluence dock, targeting a summer 2027 opening for a roughly 1,500 m² daytime area capped at 300 people.
- Nacka Nacka joins ICORN and will host a persecuted artist, writer or journalist Nacka has joined the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) and will host one persecuted artist, journalist or writer at a time, offering housing for two years, financial support and practical help in everyday life.
- Zurich Zurich buys 64 flats in Seebach for 78.22 million francs Zurich's city council has decided to buy a site in Seebach with 12 apartment buildings and 64 flats for 78.22 million francs, a step towards making one third of the city's rental flats non-profit by 2050.
- Copenhagen Copenhagen approves six new resident-led city-life streets Copenhagen's Climate, Environment and Technical Committee has approved six resident-proposed city-life streets in Christianshavn, Nørrebro, Østerbro and Vesterbro, chosen in a third round that drew 33 ideas, with work expected to start in spring 2027.
- Eindhoven Eindhoven hackathon looks for ways to make better use of the full electricity grid Eindhoven held the Recharge Eindhoven Hackathon, where 12 teams spent two days on grid congestion problems; team De Vonk won first prize from a €8,500 pool with Same Grid - More Homes, which makes better use of existing grid capacity.
- Solna Four-party Solnakoalitionen to lead Solna for the 2026-2030 term Solna's governing coalition of the Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party has agreed to lead the city for 2026-2030, based on a governing programme of 90 political points focused on schools, safety, sustainability and sound finances.
- Ghent Ghent opens new bike-share permits and aims to double trips by 2030 Ghent will open new bike-share permits from November, licensing two operators from next year with up to 1,250 bikes each, as it aims to double shared-bike trips from about 1.25 million last year to 2.5 million by 2030.
- Oulu Oulu residents pick 12 projects for the city’s €500,000 participatory budget Oulu residents chose 12 of 94 proposals for the city's €500,000 participatory budget for 2027, with 5,119 people voting and recess equipment for 67 schools, costing €90,000, topping the poll with 1,236 votes.
- Marseille First stone laid for Théodora, a 35,000 m² training and AI campus in northern Marseille The first stone has been laid for Théodora, a 35,000 m² campus for training, digital skills, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship facing the Gèze transport hub in northern Marseille, where Euroméditerranée plans a tree-lined boulevard, a new square and a stream park.
- Ghent Ghent sets aside €4.46 million for a social mobility budget against transport poverty From 1 May 2027, Ghent will give low-income households a social mobility budget for car sharing, bike sharing, bikes and commuting, with €4.46 million reserved until 2031 and about 11,000 households expected to qualify.
- Oulu Oulu reaches the semi-finals of the European Capital of Innovation Awards 2027 Oulu is one of six semi-finalists in the European Rising Innovative City 2027 category of the European Capital of Innovation Awards, competing for a €500,000 prize to be awarded in Grenoble on 3 December 2026.
- Ghent Design Museum Gent reopens after four years with a new wing and a city-wide festival Design Museum Gent reopens on Saturday 3 October after four years of renovation and a new wing, with free entry on 3 and 4 October and more than 120 Design Fest Gent activities across Ghent until 11 October.
- Eindhoven Grid congestion: only 2,156 of more than 13,000 planned Eindhoven homes get capacity Grid operator Enexis has given provisional transport capacity to 13 Eindhoven housing projects with 2,156 homes, while 59 projects with 10,845 homes join a waiting list, meaning about 17% of the more than 13,000 registered homes get capacity.
- Budapest Permit plans ready for the renewal of Budapest’s Nagykörút boulevard Budapest has completed permit plans for renewing the Nagykörút between Nyugati tér and Boráros tér, with physically protected cycle lanes, sponge-city drainage and at least three new trees planted for every tree replaced on health grounds.
- Paris Paris speeds up heat adaptation with €400 million for schools After the heatwaves of summer 2026, Paris announced on 29 September a heat adaptation plan, including €400 million over the mandate for schools and the aim of one cooled room in every crèche, school and collège by summer 2027.
- Lahti Pre-study backs a new city-centre university campus at Ranta-Kartano in Lahti A pre-study commissioned by the City of Lahti, LUT University and LAB University of Applied Sciences recommends continuing work on a new higher education campus at Ranta-Kartano and setting up a joint development company, with construction possibly starting in the early 2030s.
- Zurich Zurich reaches a third of its street greening target after one year Zurich's first annual report on its voter-mandated street space targets shows that 33.3 percent of the greening target and 8.3 percent of the walking, cycling and public transport target were reached between May 2025 and April 2026.
- Rennes Rennes completes Plaisance district with 360 homes beside the River Ille Rennes has completed the 5-hectare Plaisance district beside the River Ille, with 360 homes including 82 social rental units run by Espacil Habitat, after a 15 million euro project fully funded by the city as its own developer.
- Ghent Ghent and Ghent University extend their fossil-free city partnership Ghent and Ghent University have extended their Gent Fossielvrij partnership for three years, with a possible three-year extension, to keep testing solutions for a fossil-free Ghent by 2050, starting with heat pump noise and apartment heating.
- Malmö Malmö to buy Västra Hamnen property for electricity and energy skills centre Malmö's city council decided on 24 September to buy the Jungmannen 1 property in Västra Hamnen, which will become a skills centre for electricity and energy offering upper secondary, adult, higher vocational and in-work training designed with the energy sector.
- Nacka Nacka and partners call for close scrutiny of new metro cost forecast Region Stockholm reported a sharp rise in Stockholm metro extension costs; Nacka, Järfälla, Solna, the City of Stockholm and the state say the increase exceeds the agreed budget and needs thorough scrutiny, while the Nacka line now expects to open in 2032.
- Eindhoven Eindhoven opens the Energiehuis, a walk-in centre for home energy advice On 24 September the City of Eindhoven and its partners officially opened the Energiehuis in the WoensXL shopping centre, where residents can walk in without an appointment for independent advice on saving energy and making their homes more sustainable.
- Malmö Malmö approves building permit for 175 rental flats at Norra Ellstorp Malmö's urban planning committee has granted a building permit for 175 rental flats in the Körsbärsträdet block at Norra Ellstorp, in two buildings of up to 12 storeys, with mostly smaller flats and solar panels planned on the roofs.
- Malmö Malmö plans around 600 homes and a 1.3-hectare park in southern Hyllie Malmö's urban planning committee has sent a detailed plan for southern Hyllie out for consultation, allowing about 580 flats, around twenty terraced houses, a preschool for 140 children, a home for older people and a 1.3-hectare park.
- Marseille Marseille sets out support for its 60,000 students, including 600 new residence places Marseille has set out its support for more than 60,000 students at the start of the 2026 academic year, including co-financing new residences at Saint-Charles and Château-Gombert that will add 600 places and over 500 free psychological consultations a year.
- Rennes Rennes to build second central kitchen for 9,500 daily meals by 2029 Rennes will build a second central kitchen in the south of the city for 9,500 meals, a 26 million euro project fully funded by the city and due in the third quarter of 2029, ending disposable plastic containers in collective catering.
- Cluj-Napoca EU URBREATH project brings a revitalised riverside green space to a Cluj-Napoca estate Cluj-Napoca opened a revitalised green space on the Someș bank on Strada Nădășel on 19 September 2026, one of the URBREATH project sites, with new trees, recyclable street furniture and a children's show attended by more than 100 children.
- Copenhagen Copenhagen revives its expert group on air pollution Copenhagen is re-establishing an expert group on air pollution, with DKK 4.6 million set aside in the city budget for 2027 to 2030 and up to 13 members advising on how to cut residents' exposure.
- Oulu Oulu joins launch of EU-funded BRIDGE network of Arctic towns and cities The European Commission has launched BRIDGE, an EU-funded network of 21 Arctic towns and cities led by the Arctic Mayors' Forum, with Oulu's City Board chair and head of international affairs attending the launch at the EU Arctic Forum 2026 in Brussels.
- Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca starts building a new Garibaldi bridge over the Someș Cluj-Napoca is starting construction of a new four-lane Garibaldi bridge over the Someșul Mic, closing the old bridge to cars from 14 September 2026 while a temporary bridge, opened on 12 August, keeps Grigorescu connected.
- Copenhagen Copenhagen consults residents on whether Langebro bridge should keep opening Copenhagen has opened a six-week public consultation on whether Langebro should keep opening for ships, with renovation estimated at more than DKK 400 million for an opening bridge and more than DKK 200 million for a fixed one.
- Nacka Nacka's AI pilot cuts school energy costs by more than expected Nacka's AI pilot in three large schools has, after nine months, delivered savings close to twice the hoped-for 10–15% a year, cutting running costs by nearly 600,000 kronor annually with a payback time of just over a year.
- Nacka Fisksätra report shows rising safety, falling crime and more residents in work Nacka's 2026 progress report for the Framgång Fisksätra programme shows rising safety, falling crime and more residents in work, which the municipality links to new services for children and adults and to a programme made permanent in 2025.
- Barcelona TMB puts Barcelona's first fully electric neighbourhood minibus into service TMB has put Barcelona's first fully electric neighbourhood minibus into service on line 185 between Canyelles and Vall d'Hebron, the first of 5 Yutong minibuses in a 23-bus tender with a base budget of €19,239,000 including VAT.
- Tampere Tampere co-hosts UN forum on AI and the citiverse with ITU and UN-Habitat Tampere will co-host the UN Forum on AI and Citiverse with ITU and UN-Habitat at Tampere Hall on 9–10 September 2026, followed on 10–11 September by the first meeting of a new ITU-T focus group on AI for smart sustainable cities.
- Ghent Six private developers answer the first call of Ghent's affordable housing pact Six private partners answered the first call of Ghent's Woonpact, which closed on 1 September 2026, with proposals for 400 to 500 homes, of which 160 to 200 would be social or budget rentals.
- Lahti EU co-funded International Work Lahti project reaches nearly 200 job placements The EU co-funded International Work Lahti project had achieved nearly 200 job placements for foreign-language job seekers by the end of August 2026, and an evaluation estimates 3.93 euros of social value per euro invested.
- Bucharest Bucharest launches tender for 100 trolleybuses and prepares one for 79 trams Bucharest City Hall has launched a tender for 100 articulated trolleybuses with at least 20 km of battery range, estimated at 492,787,450 lei excluding VAT, and is preparing a second tender for 79 trams worth 1,699,919,059 lei.
- Cluj-Napoca First section of Cluj-Napoca's metropolitan ring road completed with bus and bike lanes Cluj-Napoca has completed section I of its metropolitan ring road towards Florești, widening it from four to six lanes and adding 3.5 km of bus and bike lanes in a €23 million investment, 85% EU-funded.
- Oulu Oulu signs cooperation agreement with ABO Energy on a hydrogen plant Oulu and ABO Energy Suomi have signed a cooperation agreement for a hydrogen project in the Pyyryväinen green transition zone, where electrolysis capacity could reach up to 600 MW in two to three phases on up to 41 hectares.
- Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca completes the high school and sports hall of the Borhanci education hub Cluj-Napoca City Hall has finished the high school and sports hall of the Borhanci education hub, an €8.4 million investment of which €6.45 million came from EU funds through Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
- Paris Paris bathing sites welcome 216,000 swimmers in summer 2026 Paris recorded 216,000 swimmers at its public bathing sites in summer 2026, its second season, with the three free Seine sites drawing 120,000 bathers, 20% more than in 2025, and a new season announced for 2027.
- Bucharest Bucharest approves over €520 million of water and sewer investment with Apa Nova Bucharest's local councillors voted on 28 August for a water and sewer investment plan worth more than €520 million over 11 years, with €300 million brought by operator Apa Nova, including rehabilitation of collectors over 80 years old.
- Bucharest Bucharest General Council adopts the city's Integrated Urban Development Strategy Bucharest's General Council adopted the city's Integrated Urban Development Strategy (SIDU) on 28 August, setting investment priorities, project lists and regeneration guides, and providing the basis on which the capital can access non-reimbursable European funding.
- Tampere Tampere completes renovation of the Tullikamari Cultural Centre Tampere has completed the extensive renovation of the Tullikamari Cultural Centre, with more than 500 professionals involved; the building passes to its users on 1 September 2026 and reopens with the 45th Tampere Jazz Happening from 29 October.
- Bucharest Bucharest prepares an international design competition for the Magheru boulevard Bucharest City Hall is preparing an international design competition, organised with the Romanian Order of Architects, to redesign the Bălcescu–Magheru–Piața Romană axis, starting with a historical study that will set the design brief and its general principles.
- Lahti Lahti's downtown bus stop pilot gets real-time displays after a smooth start Lahti has installed a shared departure display by Trio's main entrance and stop-specific screens on Vesijärvenkatu for its downtown bus stop pilot, which began on 10 August and has run smoothly, with no significant congestion reported.
- Nacka Nacka adopts a plan for boating, waterfront access and commuter boats Nacka's nature and traffic committee has adopted a plan for boating and coastal life, with proposals in three areas, boating, public transport by water and access to the water, including more berths, bathing places and commuter-boat traffic.
- Solna Solna fourth in Kommunvelometern cycling review, first among mid-sized municipalities Solna ranked fourth overall in Cykelfrämjandet's Kommunvelometern review and first among mid-sized municipalities, its best result in seven entries, while cycling's share of trips, about 13%, remains below the city's 20% target for 2030.
- Bonn Bonn student residence with 115 subsidised places gets €12.71 million in state housing aid Studierendenwerk Bonn lays the foundation stone on 26 August 2026 for an eight-storey timber-concrete hybrid student residence at Pariser Straße, creating 115 publicly subsidised places on a former car park deck with €12.71 million in state housing funding.
- Lahti Lahti plans a second large data centre in the Kujala industrial area Lahti says a new data centre designed by ecogrid.energy Oy is planned on a Peab-owned site in the Kujala industrial area, with construction scheduled from the first half of 2027, completion in 2028 and more than 3,000 person-years of construction work.
- Budapest Budapest wins USD 50,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies for youth-led climate projects Budapest has secured USD 50 thousand, about HUF 15.5 million, from Bloomberg Philanthropies for a Youth Climate Action Fund that will support at least eight climate micro-projects led by people aged 18 to 24.
- Solna Solna and Peab sign framework agreement to restart Nya Ulriksdal Solna and Peab have signed a framework agreement to restart the stalled Nya Ulriksdal district, allowing land sales for 140,000 square metres of residential building rights worth at least SEK 2 billion to the city at today's land values.
- Valongo Valongo opens Praça da Democracia, a new public square in the town centre Valongo inaugurated the Praça da Democracia, a new public square in its town centre near schools, shops and services, on 6 August 2026, presenting it as a new urban centre designed for meeting and staying rather than passing through.
- Barcelona Barcelona's World Capital of Architecture year reaches over 100,000 people in five months Barcelona's year as World Capital of Architecture held 910 activities in 295 venues between February and June, with 80,000 participants and, counting the UIA World Congress, more than 100,000 people reached; Barcelona hands the title to Beijing on 13 December.
- Budapest Budapest relaunches its MOL Bubi public bike system with e-bikes and a new operator Budapest relaunched its MOL Bubi public bike system on 3 August with operator Inurba Mobility, a new app and e-bikes; BKK plans 3,300 bikes after the start-up phase, rising to about 5,000 by 2027.
- Budapest Budapest City Hall Park wins heritage permits, opening the way to detailed design Budapest's City Hall Park and Open City Hall plans have received heritage permits, so detailed construction plans can be prepared by early next year for a sponge-city park with 7,730 m² of planned green space.
- Valongo Valongo hosts second meeting of the URBACT PARKS network on urban green spaces Valongo hosted the second transnational meeting of the URBACT-funded PARKS network on 25 and 26 June, showing partners from Perugia, Sofia, Veszprém, Arteixo, Chernivtsi and County Monaghan its community gardens, street-tree and urban micro-forest projects.
- Barcelona Barcelona and the ATM agree terms to join the city's two tram networks along the Diagonal Barcelona City Council and the ATM approved the agreement for the 2.2 km Diagonal tram link between Verdaguer and Francesc Macià, the last step before tendering after the summer; the city will invest €99 million excluding VAT over 40 months of works.
- Tampere Tampere's Pirkkala–Linnainmaa tram extension passes the halfway mark Phase 1 of Tampere's Pirkkala–Linnainmaa tram extension passed the halfway mark at the end of June, with over 50% of design and construction done, 2.7 of 7.1 track-kilometres installed and passenger service due in August 2028.
- Lyon Lyon picks operator for ecological transition hub in former fine-arts school Lyon has designated the Pali Pali group, working with partners including Greenpeace, to run an ecological transition venue in the former École des Beaux-Arts, a building of nearly 6,000 m² under a €15 million rehabilitation, with works planned for 2027.
- Solna First detailed plan for northern Hagastaden goes on public review in Solna Solna has put the first detailed plan for northern Hagastaden out for public review from 22 June to 14 August 2026; the plan provides for about 1,200 homes, a preschool with about 140 places and a new district park.
- Marseille Marseille opens 2026 call for projects against gender inequality in sport Marseille has opened a 2026 call for projects to reduce gender inequality in sport, with applications accepted from 18 June to 27 July 2026, after the City supported 18 projects under the scheme in 2025.
- Lyon Record 17,517 responses to Lyon consultation on car-free rue Grenette Lyon's month-long online consultation on rue Grenette drew a record 17,517 respondents, and 72.3% of them favour keeping the Presqu'île street, a public-transport lane used by nearly 90,000 people a day, free of car traffic.
- Barcelona Barcelona hands over 64 public rental homes in Trinitat Nova Barcelona has handed over 64 public rental homes in Trinitat Nova, Nou Barris: 20 social and 44 affordable rentals. The city says this brings public homes delivered during the current term to 2,201.
- Lahti Evaluation of Lahti's participatory budgeting asks for a stronger link to decisions An evaluation of Lahti's participatory budgeting model OSBU for 2020–2025 finds it has become an established form of participation but remains weakly linked to wider decisions and strategic planning; the City Council has decided it will continue every two years.
- Oulu Oulu wins Eurocities Award 2026 for its sustainability education model Oulu won the gold award in the Eurocities Awards 2026 for its Sustainable Future Learning Stream, a sustainability education model launched in 2019 and adapted by seven partner municipalities, ahead of Paris, Istanbul, Rotterdam and Manchester.
- Tampere Tampere's regional emissions fell 9% in 2024, with transport now the largest source Tampere's regional greenhouse gas emissions fell to 590.2 kilotons of CO2e in 2024, a 9 percent drop excluding industry driven mainly by electric district heating, while road transport became the largest source at 36 percent.
- Eindhoven Eindhoven signs development agreement for the 700-home Schellenskwartier Eindhoven has signed a development agreement with Woonbedrijf, B-Right, RMJ Vastgoed and PPHE Hotel Group for the Schellenskwartier, where about 700 homes and related facilities are expected to be built step by step between 2027 and 2035.
- Oulu Oulu approves a city centre vision to guide development until 2040 Oulu's Urban and Environmental Committee approved the Oulu City Centre Vision 2026–2040 on 2 June 2026 as an advisory plan, based on a final report and six annex reports, with a progress report due by the end of the council term in 2028.
- Valongo Serras do Porto Natura 2030 brings €1.7 million for nature restoration around Valongo Serras do Porto Natura 2030, a nature restoration and climate adaptation project worth more than €1.7 million, was presented in Paredes and covers about six thousand hectares in Gondomar, Paredes and Valongo, with NORTE 2030 funding above €1.5 million.
- Valongo Valongo hosts the closing meeting of the EU GreenMove mobility project Valongo hosted the final meeting of GreenMove, a CERV-funded European project with 17 partners from 16 countries that began in 2024, focusing on sustainable and inclusive mobility and the empowerment of women in mountain regions.
- Bonn North Rhine-Westphalia commits €113 million to University of Bonn physics buildings North Rhine-Westphalia has committed €113 million from its infrastructure plan to modernise and renew the University of Bonn's Physics Institute, covering around 4,100 m² of usable space, with completion of the buildings currently planned for 2033.
- Lyon Lyon is the only French city to reach the top "4 vélos" cycling label Lyon has received the top "4 vélos" level of the "Ville à vélo du Tour de France" label, the only French city at that level among the 25 cities recognised this year, with 81 points in the assessment.
- Marseille Marseille records 12,444 observations in the 2026 City Nature Challenge Marseille recorded 12,444 observations in the 2026 City Nature Challenge, held from 24 to 27 April, beating its target of 10,000 and ranking 52nd of 754 territories, its first time in the global top 100.
- Solna Solna approves the detailed plan for the four-track Mälarbanan railway Solna's building committee has approved the detailed plan for widening the Mälarbanan railway from two to four tracks between Huvudsta and Duvbo, with about 1,400 new homes and a new commuter rail station in Huvudsta.
- Solna Solna's greenhouse gas emissions fell 3.1% in 2024 as national emissions rose Solna's emissions fell by 3.1 percent in 2024, according to SMHI's national emissions database, while emissions rose by an average of 7.9 percent across Swedish municipalities and by 7.5 percent in Stockholm County.
- Budapest Budapest completes a stormwater strategy to keep rainwater in the city The Municipality of Budapest has completed a stormwater management strategy to retain, store and reuse rainwater where it falls, aiming for a more liveable, resilient and climate-adaptive city by 2035, with a review every three years.
- Tampere Tampere publishes draft plan for the centre of the new Hiedanranta district Tampere has opened the draft local detailed plan for Hiedanranta centre I to public viewing until 28 May 2026, proposing seven large blocks with about 155,000 m² of housing for more than 3,000 residents and two parking facilities with around 600 spaces.
- Lyon Lyon starts €3.15 million renovation of the Villa Gillet literary centre Lyon has begun a €3.15 million renovation of the Villa Gillet literary centre in the Parc de la Cerisaie, with works started in spring 2026 and delivery planned for the end of 2027, including writers' residences in the converted attic.