The European Hub for sustainable urban development

The Cities Forum 2025, jointly organised by the European Commission (DG REGIO) and the European Urban Initiative (EUI), is now open for registration! Register for this flagship event, which will bring together city leaders, policy-makers and practitioners from across Europe to explore the most pressing challenges facing cities today.

Europe is trying to propose an alternative way in how we use technology: both regulations and incentives seek to steer companies and users towards a more ethical, transparent and participatory use of digital tools. Innovative Action projects, funded by the Urban Innovative Actions (UIA), predecessor of the European Urban Initiative, are leading the way to a more just and inclusive digital transition in cities. What are the innovative aspects, tools and methods of these initiatives? This article explores a set of UIA projects that deploy new technologies for the greater public good in cities, under Cohesion policy.

In the past decades, European cities have been seeking for a balance between competition and collaboration. While global competition combined with public funding has accelerated innovation in science and technology, EU programmes such as the European Urban Initiative focus on supporting innovation with a collaborative logic, through sharing knowledge and experiences. City-to-City Exchange and Peer Review programmes are part of the EUI’s capacity building programmes; this article looks at how they can support cities in their digital transition path.