Challenges and Solution Proposals of 2025

The challenge is to capture CO2 directly from seawater by utilizing existing infrastructure such as power plant water pumps. The pilot can serve as a pathway towards carbon neutrality and provide a scalable model for other cities and industrial areas across the EU. This solution should have the potential to significantly reduce emissions, and offer valuable learning and development opportunities.

In cities and peri-urban areas of all types, vehicle transit traffic is particularly intense and is the main contributor to air pollutants. A small proportion of high emitting vehicles representing only 2 to 3 percent of the circulating fleet are responsible for over 40 percent of motorised traffic emissions according to site tests and academic studies. These emissions directly affect human health, contribute to climate change, and undermine the quality of urban life. Barcelona has already deployed a Low Emission Zone (LEZ), but current enforcement tools are insufficient for identifying and acting on high-emitting vehicles in real time. This limitation…

Warsaw is tackling the growing challenge of the urban heat island effect, intensified by dense development and limited green infrastructure. This issue falls within the scope of building a climate resilient city. To respond, we are implementing “The New Centre of Warsaw”, a major revitalization project transforming a fragmented central area into a greener, more inclusive, and adaptive public space. Beyond physical transformation, we recognize that climate resilience requires collaboration across sectors. We’re developing models to engage both public and private stakeholders in co-creating and financing nature-based solutions and other adaptive measures. This approach aims not only to reduce climate…

Rotterdam and its neighboring municipalities are facing a critical challenge: balancing the urgent need for housing development with increasingly strict climate regulations. The permitting process for new housing projects is often delayed due to the lack of integrated tools to assess cumulative environmental impacts — particularly on heat stress, traffic, noise, air pollution, and nitrogen deposition. This challenge is not isolated to Rotterdam alone. It affects the entire urban region, where development in one municipality can have cross-boundary environmental effects. For example, increased traffic or nitrogen deposition from a new project in a neighboring city may impact air quality or…

Ataşehir is a densely populated urban district of Istanbul, with significant emissions arising from building energy use, waste generation, and consumption patterns. Like many metropolitan districts, Ataşehir faces the challenge of reducing its carbon footprint while improving livability and resilience. At present, municipal climate actions are fragmented – covering separate areas such as waste collection, energy efficiency projects, or green area management – but there is no integrated neighborhood-level approach that brings these elements together under a carbon-neutral vision. Ataşehir aims to pilot a Carbon-Neutral Neighborhood by combining building efficiency, renewable energy, waste reduction, circular economy practices, and nature-based solutions…

Tartu faces the challenge of reducing its dependency on private cars, which contribute over 10% of the city’s total CO₂ emissions and continue to grow. Current infrastructure does not sufficiently support sustainable mobility solutions such as autonomous public transport. Without modernization, the city cannot test or scale new modes of mobility that are critical for meeting climate goals and improving quality of life. The existing traffic infrastructure is outdated and does not support key protocols (DSRC, C-V2X) needed for safe autonomous vehicle deployment. Data about mobility patterns is fragmented, often unreliable, and lacks the resolution to support advanced planning or…

Transform the current, outdated, traditional public bicycle system into a modern one, powered by smart, environmentally friendly systems. The municipality of Chia currently has a traditional-manual public system for free bicycle loans, which requires a budget investment through operators in charge of lending the vehicles. The challenge is located in the category of climate resilient city and seeks to transform the current model (manual) into an automatic and environmentally friendly one. The achievement and implementation of this new system would significantly contribute to efforts aimed at reducing the carbon footprint and represent a significant step forward in adapting state actions…

In Harku municipality, as in many others, waste separation remains a significant challenge. Residents are not always aware which item goes into which container, and incorrect sorting generates additional costs while reducing recycling efficiency. The problem is aggravated by population growth in settlements near Tallinn. Since 2024, separate collection of bio-waste has become mandatory, and due to the national waste reform, recycling targets have become much stricter. This means the municipality needs solutions that help residents sort waste conveniently and correctly, raise awareness, and enable compliance with legally binding targets.

Rotterdam and its neighboring municipalities face a major challenge in transitioning toward circular construction and energy-efficient buildings. A key barrier is the lack of insight into existing building materials — especially when planning renovations or insulation upgrades. Without accurate data on material types, quantities, and conditions, it’s difficult to assess reuse potential, plan sustainable retrofits, comply with circular economy and energy regulations. This challenge is amplified in older urban areas where documentation is incomplete or outdated.

Vinnytsia City Territorial Community faces the problem of insufficient use of small rivers’ potential for electricity generation. There are numerous small rivers within the community that have significant hydrological potential. However, this potential remains understudied and is practically unused for the placement of small hydroelectric power plants (mini-HPPs, micro-HPPs, small HPPs).

Common reed and the little moving water in the Eteläinen kaupunginselkä (Southern city bay) area of Vaasa have suffered from declining water quality over the years as increasing nutrient loads and expanding reed beds reduce water circulation in the area. This has already impacted Vaasa’s swimming water quality with two EU-beaches (Ahvensaari and Hietasaari) classified as having poor swimming water quality, despite being located in the heart of the city for public use. Combined the affected area of common reed is approximately 3 square kilometres just in one area, with several other large areas in river deltas around the Ostrobothnia.…

Istanbul is facing growing marine pollution in the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, and nearby creeks due to solid waste from land, ships, and floodwaters. This pollution threatens marine life, coastal areas, and public health. Since the Bosphorus is a vital waterway linking Asia and Europe, protecting it is a high priority for the city.

In recent years, climate change has significantly increased the frequency of extreme rainfall, where precipitation rates exceed both the average daily rate and the sewerage system’s capacity. Jelgava is particularly vulnerable: it is a flat city situated between two rivers (6032 hectares in total, of which 293 hectares are open water). As the lowest-lying populated area in Latvia (2.0–4.5 m above sea level), Jelgava faces high groundwater levels, which put additional pressure on its drainage and stormwater systems, especially during spring floods. All this significantly complicates the removal of rainwater, because the relief does not allow water to naturally leave…

A major future challenge for our city and Hundipea is sustainable stormwater management. Traditional “grey” infrastructure cannot keep pace with growing rainfall variability, urbanization, and environmental pressures. Nature-based solutions (NBS) like rain gardens and sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) offer promise but may sometimes underperform due to design flaws, technical uncertainties, and poor maintenance—issues that can also harm public perception. Many of these problems could be solved by selecting the right, locally adapted plant species. Properly chosen plants filter pollutants, improve infiltration, stabilize soil, and support biodiversity in ways engineered solutions alone cannot. Yet not all plants perform equally, and…

Well-functioning sewers are critical to public health, clean water and urban safety — yet they tend to go unnoticed when they work reliably and attract attention only when problems surface. The challenge is to keep these hidden systems running under mounting pressure: ageing pipes, heavier storms and stricter pollution. Sewage overflows and spills are a problem in every city and county. They are causing environmental pollution when sewage overflows reach rivers, lakes and seas. When sewer ruptures are occurring, they cause damage of property, traffic disturbances and are expensive to repair. Better sewer maintenance would make sewer management less costly,…

In urban areas, the implementation of sustainable drainage systems is becoming increasingly common. However, the planning of their maintenance and reconstruction is becoming more and more complex. It is no longer sufficient to rely solely on tabular data or to manage the system only when problems arise. Regular maintenance and timely reconstruction of these systems are essential to ensure the climate resilience of the city. Integrating sustainable drainage systems into the urban stormwater management system is a clear priority for the city, as reflected in various strategic plans and the municipal work agenda developed in recent years. There is a…

As cities face increasing climate pressures—from prolonged droughts to sudden flash floods—urban trees have become essential assets in creating resilient, liveable environments. Yet, existing tree pit designs often fall short of supporting long-term tree health, fail to manage stormwater effectively, and can contribute to costly damage to pavements and infrastructure due to uncontrolled root growth. We seeking innovative design solutions from the industry for a new generation of urban tree pits that can support healthy tree development in increasingly challenging urban conditions. These systems should be capable of accommodating natural root expansion without damaging surrounding infrastructure, while ensuring access to…

Liepāja, as a coastal tourism destination, faces growing visitor numbers with highly seasonal and uneven flows. We lack real-time data about where and when tourists move around the city. This limits our ability to manage crowding, plan mobility solutions, ensure safety, and balance tourism with resident quality of life. The challenge is to develop a real-time, privacy-respecting system for tourist flow measurement and analysis.

The challenge is related to responsible dog ownership and equal contribution to the city’s well-being. In Liepāja, dog owners are required to pay a dog tax, which should be used to improve dog walking areas by installing waste bins, providing bags, erecting fences, and creating training obstacles. However, only around 3% of dog owners currently pay this fee. This creates inequality between those who contribute and those who do not, and at the same time limits investments in infrastructure.

The fundamental challenge of modern city governance is the “one-size-fits-all” approach. Our municipality offers hundreds of different services, from social assistance to cultural events, and from sports to tax services. However, these services and opportunities often fail to reach the right citizen at the right time. On one hand, an elderly citizen at risk of social isolation may be unaware of the free workshops offered by the municipality; on the other, a young person looking for a new hobby may not know about our sports facilities. Our challenge is the inability to understand the unique needs, interests, and living conditions…

Our city faces a challenge where multiple municipal departments manage separate information systems, including within the Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department. The growing volume of data, if managed effectively, could significantly enhance city planning, development, and investment project design and/or prioritization. Currently, the amount of information exceeds available resources for thorough analysis, limiting the use of existing data in decision-making.

Bursa’s primary urban challenge is the lack of digital wayfinding and independent mobility within the city, particularly for elderly people, persons with disabilities, and citizens with limited mobility. The issue is not limited to physical access; it also directly affects fundamental social objectives such as participation and digital inclusion. For this reason, the challenge is addressed under the “Happy Cities” category and represents a serious barrier to achieving a dignified and accessible urban life. According to the Bursa Transportation Master Plan 2035, approximately 12% of the city’s population—around 130,000 people—experience structural and systemic problems related to independent mobility. This figure…

In recent years, the City of Venice has been enhancing its sustainable mobility infrastructure and services. However, these efforts have not yet resulted in a proportional increase in the number of residents and visitors choosing more sustainable modes of transportation. The primary challenge faced by the City is to overcome operational, social, and cultural barriers to promote behavior change toward more sustainable mobility choices, with a particular emphasis on cycling, while reducing reliance on private cars. This shift aims to reduce land consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, decrease air pollution, and improve the overall quality of life for the local…

Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) are normally prepared for the whole city (e.g., EU cities with a population above 50,000) (European Commission, 2025), yet, they do not address the realities of smaller, high-growth areas such as new districts, campuses, or waterfront redevelopments. These are exactly the places where people make most of their daily trips — living, studying, working, and spending leisure time. Hundipea is Tallinn’s largest upcoming residential and mixed-use waterfront development. Thousands of residents and workplaces will move here in the coming years. If its mobility system is designed well from the start, people will naturally choose walking,…

Istanbul is a city of two continents where millions of people depend daily on buses, metro, trams, and ferries. Transfer hubs are vital for connecting these modes, but many of them remain purely functional spaces with long walking distances, limited accessibility for elderly and disabled citizens, and little cultural or social value. These conditions reduce the attractiveness of public transport compared to private cars. The challenge is to transform transfer hubs into vibrant, accessible, and inclusive micro urban spaces that not only support efficient mobility but also enrich citizens’ daily lives through comfort, safety, and cultural engagement.

Every morning, parents driving their children to school create congestion and safety risks near school entrances. While Cēsis Municipality has already introduced drop-off zones and speed bumps, these measures alone have not solved the issue. The long-term challenge is to change mobility habits and encourage children to reach school independently by walking or cycling. Traditional infrastructure alone cannot solve the issue. What is missing is real-time data, digital incentives, and smart monitoring tools that enable the municipality to actively manage school mobility and create safer, more attractive conditions for children. Smart technologies could play a key role in this transition:…

Coastal areas adjacent to former industrial or harbor sites frequently retain residual pollutants from past activities. Pollution in the marine environment often goes undetected for extended periods, posing significant health risks to the local population. Industrial contaminants can persist in marine sediments and mud for long durations, necessitating active remediation or removal efforts. Such extraction projects tend to be large-scale and prohibitively expensive. When disturbances to the seabed release pollutants from the sediment into the water column and surface, affected coastlines are deemed unsafe for public use, yet comprehensive cleanup measures are rarely implemented . There is a pressing need…

Creativity and creative districts drive both cultural and economic development. The question is, which spatial and social strategies allow campuses to become inclusive urban commons that foster encounters, learning and innovation? How do contemporary campuses enable and support the emergence of creative communities, the core of the so-called creative economy? Cities could utilise the information produced by the research in urban development, urban planning and business activities on stronger social ties, improved well-being, accessible cultural programming and better business.

Mazara del Vallo is facing intertwined social and environmental challenges that shape its future as a liveable, socially inclusive, and resilient city. Public participation is very weak, many citizens feel detached from civic life, and shared spaces such as streets and squares are mostly underused, offering few opportunities for encounters, dialogue, or cultural and business activities. Younger generations are more active in digital environments than in their local community, deepening disconnection. This lack of engagement erodes trust in institutions, limits collective care, and leaves residents isolated. At the same time, Mazara’s dense historic fabric lacks shaded areas and green refuges.…

Pärnu is a coastal city by the Baltic Sea that frequently experiences flooding. Extreme weather events, storms and rising sea levels often disrupt transportation inside the city and with surrounding areas. The main challenge is to know which roads remain open and accessible during floods to secure safety, emergency response and the continuity of vital services.

The main challenge is the transformation of the territory from an area with high hydrogeological risk to a fully resilient and safe urban and peri-urban ecosystem, capable of coexisting with increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events. Castenaso directly borders the metropolitan city of Bologna (in addition to the cities of San Lazzaro di Savena, Granarolo dell’Emilia, Ozzano dell’Emilia, and Budrio). The specific challenge, shared with the Bolognese territory, is the mitigation of the flooding risk of the Idice torrent and its smaller tributaries, which cross and define the territory. The collapse of the Pedagna Bridge and the numerous levee…

Riverbank erosion and flooding threaten infrastructure and cultural heritage in Pärnu. A specific case is the Sauga River, where a cemetery is located on the riverbank. Rising water levels and erosion undermine the stability of the bank, putting the cemetery and surrounding areas at risk. The future challenge is to secure the riverbank while respecting environmental values and cultural sensitivities.

Our core challenge lies in the lack of resilience to natural hazards, specifically the escalating risk of flooding in Porto Alegre, Brazil. This threat was dramatically highlighted by the over 5-meter flood in May-June 2024, which overwhelmed the city and impacted 46 out of 96 neighbourhoods, affecting roughly 157,000 people, which corresponds to 11% of residents. Porto Alegre is the capital and the largest city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city was isolated for days due to transportation infrastructure collapse, causing risks of shortages of potable water, food, and medication for hospitals. The central problem is…

Burgas is a coastal city that faces growing exposure to extreme rainfall, flash floods, and seasonal forest fires. The municipality already operates a flood-monitoring system and is in the process of developing a complementary fire-monitoring network, which includes strategically placed smoke detectors in high-risk zones. However, as detection capacity expands, a critical gap persists in the “last mile” of communication. Citizens still lack fast, reliable, and inclusive access to information on current conditions, potential risks, and appropriate responses in different situations. Without continuous and preventive communication, monitoring data cannot help residents prepare in advance or reduce their vulnerability. The problem…

Saaremaa is increasingly facing challenges related to natural disasters – such as storms, severe winter conditions, flooding -as well as power outages, cyber attacks, and occasional social unrest. These events can disrupt essential systems, including electricity, heating, and communication, thereby disrupting the daily life and essential services for residents as well as visitors.

The global geopolitical situation and increasing security risks have shown the need for cities to develop stronger civil protection systems. Jelgava currently lacks accessible and modern temporary shelter infrastructure for its residents. In the event of sudden threats citizens have no easily accessible, designated places to stay safe for several hours until danger has passed. The challenge is to provide short-term, safe, and distributed shelters across the city, which would be close to people in their everyday life and not require large-scale relocation. The idea is to create dual-use infrastructure – for example, strengthened bus stops or other public spaces…

Ataşehir is a densely populated district of Istanbul, located in one of the world’s most seismically active zones. The imminent earthquake risk presents a significant threat to public safety, urban infrastructure, and social cohesion. While the scientific community has produced risk maps and scenario studies, there is a lack of localized, citizen-engaged risk mapping and preparedness planning. This gap prevents residents from fully understanding the vulnerabilities of their neighborhoods, and hinders proactive measures by both local authorities and citizens.

Istanbul is highly vulnerable to a major earthquake due to its dense urban structure and large population, which makes the city particularly fragile. In the first phase of the Disaster-Focused Digital Twin Project, the goal is to identify collapsed or damaged buildings using satellite imagery. This will provide a real-time map of areas most in need of urgent intervention. In the second phase, the challenge is to ensure the most effective deployment of search and rescue teams and vehicles to these areas. This is a highly dynamic problem because teams vary in size, capacity, skills, location, and available equipment. After…

Cēsis Municipality has accumulated large datasets from traffic counts (cycling, pedestrian, car traffic in several spots in the city) and public transport ticket validations. These could provide critical evidence for infrastructure planning, identifying safety hotspots, and optimizing bus routes. However, due to limited analytical capacity, the municipality is currently unable to use these data effectively. As a result, decisions about new infrastructure or public transport improvements risk being made without solid data support.

The future urban challenge we aim to address is the advancement of sustainable and safe mobility in cities, with a particular focus on cycling infrastructure. The city of Barcelona already features nearly 2,000km of cycling routes and 264km of dedicated bike lanes. As part of its strategy to promote active mobility, the Barcelona City Council plans to increase the modal share of bicycles from the current 3.8% to 5.7% in the coming years, as outlined in the Barcelona Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP). This approach aims to provide a systematic and data-driven framework for improving urban cycling infrastructure, ultimately promoting…

From 1 July 2025, Estonia’s amended traffic law repeals the clause that allowed stopping on pavements for loading/unloading; stopping on the pavement is only allowed where explicitly permitted by traffic control devices. In Tallinn’s dense centre, where curb space is scarce and many businesses currently depend on short stops right by entrances, this creates an immediate operational gap for urban freight and service vehicles.

The problem lies in the lack of a stable, decentralised electricity and heat supply system that could ensure a reliable and sustainable energy supply in crisis situations (power cuts, emergencies) while reducing CO₂ emissions through the use of renewable energy sources.

Harku municipality has several small settlements and sparsely populated areas where street lighting is insufficient or entirely absent. This makes evening and early-morning mobility unsafe for residents, especially along the routes between bus stops and homes. As the municipality is located next to Tallinn, it is important to ensure accessible and safe living conditions also outside dense urban areas. In addition, Harku has both national roads and local municipal roads, and harmonizing safety across these is a key challenge so that all residents can enjoy equally safe mobility. According to Estonia 2035 strategy, one of the goals of a safe…

Safety in public spaces is essential for everyone. However, women and girls feel significantly less safe in cities and continue to face harassment, abuse, and acts of in some cases deadly violence. Recently, a 17-year-old girl was killed while cycling home on the outskirts of Amsterdam. This devastating incident has underscored the urgent need for action. This incident gained widespread attention in the Netherlands, receiving broad coverage in national media. Lisa’s death sparked strong public reaction, including protest across the country under the slogan “Wij eisen de nacht op” (“We reclaim the night”), and renewed discussions about women’s safety in…

The Hague is a city by the sea, where many residents, (water) sports enthusiasts, and tourists enjoy the beach and the water. On busy summer days, parents and children sometimes become separated unintentionally. This causes significant concern for parents. At the same time, reuniting lost children with their parents requires significant resources from emergency services. Our challenge: How can we quickly reunite lost children on the beach with their parents/guardians, saving time for emergency services and beach businesses?

The Hague is a city by the sea, where many residents, water sports enthusiasts, and tourists enjoy the beach and the water. Unfortunately, people still drown every year, for example due to strong currents and a lack of knowledge about the meaning of the flags or the beach and the dangers of the sea. Our challenge: How can we prevent people from drowning in open water?