The EU Cities Gateway Program connects European cities with their counterparts in the United States and Canada to address shared urban challenges and exchange innovative solutions.

Building on the success of the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) and International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programs, EU Cities Gateway fosters long-term partnerships between local and regional governments as well as other urban practitioners including business stakeholders, civil society organisations and knowledge partners.

Download our general EU Cities Gateway Brochure

Cities across Europe, the United States, and Canada are on the frontline of today’s most pressing challenges – from affordable & attainable housing, innovative living spaces, digital transformation and circular resource use.

In the transatlantic sphere, evolving political priorities and decentralised governance structures in both the USA and Canada mean that much of the action happens at state, provincial, and municipal levels.

The EU Cities Gateway responds to this context by:

Bringing together cities and regions with shared priorities and complementary strengths to exchange practical solutions.

Facilitating peer learning and co-creation through study visits, thematic clusters, and joint pilot projects.

Connecting local action with international expertise to translate innovative ideas into concrete results for communities.

Our Approach

The EU Cities Gateway Program is designed around a multi-pairing methodology, where each European city pairs with multiple cities in Canada and the United States to work on common themes. This approach fosters broader learning opportunities, strengthens partnerships, and allows solutions to be tested across diverse urban contexts.

At the same time, participating cities engage in thematic clusters that bring together practitioners from across Europe, the US, and Canada. These clusters serve as communities of practice, enabling deeper peer-to-peer exchange, joint research, and collective action.

Thematic Clusters

The EU Cities Gateway Program currently focuses on four thematic clusters that capture some of the most urgent challenges and opportunities shared by cities and regions across Europe, the United States, and Canada:

Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) –

integrating green and blue infrastructure to strengthen climate resilience, enhance biodiversity, and improve urban liveability.

Circular Economy –

reducing waste and resource use by promoting sustainable production and consumption models that generate green growth and jobs.

Digitalisation and Urban InnovationInclusive –

harnessing technology and data to improve public services, drive inclusive economic development, and create smarter, more efficient cities.

Attainable & Affordable Housing and Innovative Living Spaces –

responding to rising housing costs and demographic change by developing inclusive, sustainable, and adaptable housing solutions.

These clusters provide the framework for peer-to-peer exchange and collaboration, allowing cities to share experiences, test innovative approaches, and co-develop solutions that can be adapted and scaled across different contexts.

Why it matters

Through these dual pathways – thematic clusters and multi-pairings – EU Cities Gateway enables cities to co-create solutions that respond to pressing challenges such as climate change, housing, and economic transition. By linking local experiences with global agendas, the programme strengthens transatlantic cooperation and contributes to more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous urban futures.

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