Europe is one of the most urbanised continents, characterised by a unique polycentric mix of large, mid-sized and small cities. Almost 80% of the European population lives in cities. Still, cities present major challenges including pollution, congestion, urban sprawl, social exclusion, stress and criminality, which hamper the socio-economic well-being of Europeans.

Our event was organised together with the Party of European Socialists (PES) and at the invitation of PES Group members Rudi Vervoort, Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, and Pascal Smet, Secretary of State of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for Urbanism and Heritage, European and International Relations, alongside the Brussels Urban Summit on Wednesday 14 June 2023. It will be co-hosted by the Mayor of the City of Brussels, Philippe Close.

It aimed to provide a European yet local, progressive approach to defining not the city of the future, but the future of our cities. If the EU is to meet its commitment to become carbon-neutral by 2050, building sustainable, fair and inclusive cities needs to be the key priority in the years to come. As Progressives, we want to lead the change in and around our cities. 

Transforming public spaces, promoting green mobility and sustainable and affordable housing, bringing forward climate adaptation, connecting cities with surrounding periurban and rural areas and much more – the time has come to make our cities safer, more resilient and more ecological, and to create a sense of belonging for our citizens and let the people be the protagonists of this shift.

Milan, Budapest, Leuven, Stockholm, Mannheim, Florence, Ptuj and many more – the event presented some of the inspiring local policy measures that have been successfully implemented in progressive cities around Europe, as well as showcasing opportunities for progressive measures yet to be put to the test.

Let's repair the urban fabric to make cities a place where people enjoy living! 

As an outcome of this event, we produced a toolkit that can help cities in the EU and beyond to become fairer, more inclusive, more ecological and more prosperous. Do you have best practices to share? Take part in our survey. 

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© Photo credits: unsplash / Tobias Cornille