Buildings & TransportBuildings & Transport
The Eurocities Pulse Mayors Survey 2024 identifies climate action as the foremost concern for European mayors, with over 50% ranking it as their top priority. They recognize the necessity to undertake actions towards sustainability by decarbonizing their cities and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, viewing this green transition as a chance to better the quality of life and economic opportunities within their jurisdictions. Nonetheless, the survey also conveys that financial and technical limitations hinder effective climate action, leading to calls for more accessible EU funding and capacity-building support. Social inclusion and affordable housing have emerged as critical issues due to the cost-of-living crisis, with mayors acknowledging trade-offs across quality, affordability, energy efficiency, and supply. They advocate for EU-level prioritization of housing and solutions for regulatory barriers impeding provision for residents. The survey depicts multiple interlinked challenges such as global conflicts, local inequalities, and the enduring impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Mayors stress the necessity for holistic approaches and seek support from the EU and national governments to address these challenges. The mayors envision a stronger partnership with the EU, suggesting a dedicated Urban Envoy position within the European Commission to facilitate urban-focused initiatives and a more participatory role for cities in policy formation. They underscore the importance of multi-level governance to tackle the intricacies of urban development effectively. Lastly, innovation is championed as pivotal for urban transformation, with mayors acknowledging its role in improving public services through digital technologies and engaging communities in governance processes. They present diverse innovative strategies being implemented across Europe as instrumental in driving progress and resilience in urban areas.
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Overview of main actors in the e-mobility ecosystem
The paper addresses the EU's transition to electric vehicles (EVs) as key in decarbonizing transport sector emissions, crucial to achieving 2040 climate targets. The EV ecosystem involves various stakeholders, including OEMs, CPOs, and DSOs, working together towards electrification. Policies like RED, AFIR, EPBD, and the Sustainable Battery Regulation support this shift, while investment in EV infrastructure is projected to significantly increase. Data sharing is emphasized as essential for ecosystem efficiency.
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Revolutionizing Urban Living: Insights from the STARDUST Project
The STARDUST project exemplifies sustainable urban transformation through smart integration in energy, mobility, and ICT in "lighthouse" and "follower" cities, focusing on renewable infrastructure, innovative technologies, regulatory adaptability, stakeholder engagement, and novel business models to foster replicable sustainable city initiatives.
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Transforming the Grid: Electric Vehicles as Key Players in the Energy Landscape
The "Solution Booklet: Electric Vehicles and the Grid" discusses the increase of EVs in Europe, the necessity for robust charging infrastructures, strategic city planning for EV integration, technical, societal, and governance aspects of smart charging and V2G technologies, as well as innovative solutions and economic considerations for successful EV and energy grid synergy.
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Revolutionizing Transit: Europe's Top Smart Mobility Solutions
Europe advances smart mobility, driven by sustainability and urbanization challenges. EU policies promote electric and autonomous transport, integrating innovations like IoT, MaaS, and AI. Case studies from Barcelona, Stockholm, and Amsterdam highlight smart solutions reshaping urban travel, setting global benchmarks.
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Innovative financial solutions to fight energy poverty
How social housing associations and EU projects are using innovative financial and solidarity mechanisms to combat energy poverty, emphasizing the dual benefit of social welfare and environmental sustainability through the refurbishment of buildings for energy efficiency.
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Research and Development Funding: IT services to help municipalities transition towards Circular Economy
European cities, regional and national organisations have to transition towards Circular Economy. Only 10% of the cities have advanced on circular transition, as it is particularly complex. Municipalities and local businesses across Europe are facing four interlinked challenges.
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Transforming Europe’s Social Housing: Survey on Energy Efficient Refurbishment Strategies
SUPER-i survey is an online survey aimed at collecting insights on the current state of the energy-efficient refurbishment of social housing stocks in Europe. Results will identify areas for improvement, enable benchmarking of energy efficiency performance, and inform decision-making processes at various levels.
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5 Things you need to know about 5G Heat (Fifth Generation Heat!)
In my blog ‘How will energy look in 2030? I have made 10 predictions for the next 10 years! I predicted that by 2030 all city centres will have some form of fifth generation heat network - taking heat networks share of heating beyond the 18% currently forecast.
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The smart city puzzle: cities, platforms and service provider
Working in smart city projects requires to bring together different players in this very diverse eco-system, from IT to product suppliers, service providers, finance, social innovators and of course the cities with their various departments. A good way to start is looking at top notch smart city projects as well as knowledge, matchmaking and IT platforms.
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