Challenges and Solution Proposals of 2025

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…

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 The existing traffic infrastructure is outdated and does not support key protocols (DSRC, C-V2X) needed for safe autonomous vehicle deployment.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Transform the current, outdated, traditional public bicycle system into a modern one, powered by smart, environmentally friendly systems.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.…

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…

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.

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…

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:…

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.

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.

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.

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…