EU Cities Gateway Knowledge Library

This EU Cities Gateway webinar explores how storytelling can make city cooperation more visible, relatable and impactful.

With practical input on urban storytelling and examples from Hamburg, Atlanta and St. John’s, the session shows how cities can communicate shared challenges, lessons learned and the value of international cooperation more effectively

Available resources:

• Presentation Storytelling
• Presentation Hamburg
• Presentation Atlanta
• Recording Webinar

The EU Cities Gateway Community extends the cooperation created through the EU Cities Gateway programme by providing an open space for cities, regions and stakeholders in Europe, the United States, Canada and beyond to stay connected, exchange practical knowledge and explore new opportunities for collaboration. The brochure explains how the Community works, who can take part, and the benefits of joining — from peer exchanges, knowledge sharing and networking to showcasing city initiatives, identifying potential partners and exploring future cooperation or pilot activities. It also highlights the flexible nature of participation and the Community’s role in connecting EU Cities Gateway cities, alumni, institutions, experts, academia and private-sector actors around shared urban priorities.

Available in English and French.

The EU Cities Gateway Program 2025–2028 connects cities and regions from the European Union, the United States and Canada to exchange knowledge, build partnerships and develop practical responses to shared urban challenges. The brochure introduces the programme’s approach, participating network and four thematic clusters: Circular Economy, Nature-Based Solutions, Digitalization and Innovation, and Affordable and Attainable Housing and Innovative Living Spaces. It also presents the main opportunities for cities and regions, including study visits, webinars, peer learning, thematic exchanges and joint pilot activities, as well as the wider EU Cities Gateway Community.

Available in English and French.

On April 14-15, 2025, 19 cities from Europe, Canada, and the USA gathered in Montreal for the Circular Economy thematic visit, part of the EU-funded IURC-NA programme. The event combined local site visits, workshops, and participation in the Canadian Circular Economy Summit, offering city leaders a unique opportunity to exchange experiences, explore successful solutions, discuss challenges and connect with leading innovators. Through two days of intensive collaboration, participants gained knowledge and inspiration to advance circular practices in their cities.

 Circular innovations in the built environment 

The future of urban transportation is evolving rapidly, and shared mobility is at the forefront of this transformation. Experts from the Sustainable Urban Mobility and Transport (SUMT) IURC-NA network gathered for an insightful webinar to explore the latest strategies for integrating shared mobility into urban policies.

The recent Urban Planning Cluster visit to Barcelona on November 4-5, part of the EU-funded IURC-NA programme, brought together 14 cities from Europe, Canada, and the USA for a focused, thematic event. Over two days of intensive collaboration through field visits, discussions, and participation in the Smart City Expo, participants addressed two critical urban challenges: affordable housing and urban data management. They explored innovative solutions and shared best practices summarized in key takeaways.

• Circular Flanders: Aims to reduce its material footprint by 30% by 2030. This strategy emphasizes cross-organizational integration, effective policy research, and building partnerships with local governments, businesses, and research sectors. The result? Enhanced guidance tools, monitored contracts, and a marketplace engaged for continuous improvement.
• Richmond, Canada: Leverages strategic data analysis to uncover opportunities, close value loops, and drive circular solutions across city projects, from infrastructure to office assets. Community engagement is critical to co-owning the process and fostering innovation.

The latest IURC NA Best Practice on Public Procurement for Circular Cities lets cities and regions discover actionable strategies, so their spending power can drive sustainable change! By embracing circular procurement, cities can create new local jobs, reduce waste, and boost social integration. Some key features include:

• Start simple and scale up
• Engage suppliers early to foster innovation
• Use life-cycle costs to guide decisions
• Join buyers’ networks and share best practices

Cities increasingly adopt systemic and integrated planning approaches to enhance their resilience and address challenges like climate change, population growth, and food security. The circular economy has gained traction because its principles can be applied at various scales and offer broad benefits. Effective planning is crucial to harnessing the circular economy’s potential for environmental benefits, job creation, support for local businesses, and social cohesion. Leading examples of municipal innovation demonstrate that cities are key to driving this transformation.

Affordable housing is a critical aspect of urban planning due to its profound impact on social equity, economic stability, and community well-being. The AMB, through IMPSOL, and the City of Toronto are transforming social housing by shifting the current model, using sustainable materials and technologies, incorporating innovative designs with a gender perspective, and creating spaces for community participation and support. This new paradigm is changing the image of social housing as a tool to transform neighborhoods.

On the 18th-20th of September, a cohort of 14 IURC cities gathered in Mannheim, Germany, to create professional connections and networks while facilitating knowledge for a green, sustainable urban transformation on topics such as:

• Challenges and Opportunities of the Green Deal
• Integrated Sustainable Urban Redevelopment
• Nature-based solutions
• Brownfield remediation
• Energy efficient communities

The event was co-hosted with Mannheim and included presentations and site visits to learn and experience how urban planning can be done with a climate lens.

The Canalejas Mobility Hub is a driver of sustainable urban mobility in Madrid, and the city of San Diego is eager to replicate it. By transforming underutilized parking structures into mobility hubs, both are becoming sustainable, accessible, and healthier cities.

IURC NA, in partnership with the Baltimore Development Corporation, held on May 10th to 12th, 2023, the Urban Regeneration and Economic Development for Social Inclusion event in Baltimore, USA. Twenty-one cities from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Mexico, the US, and Canada gathered to work on key urban regeneration & economic development challenges, economic inclusion & community impact, public-private partnerships, sustainable waterfront development, adaptive reuse & neighborhood regeneration, and innovation economy & social inclusion. These are the takeaways.

The EVENTSOST system is transforming the tourism and events sector in Zaragoza, while Ottawa is analysing its adoption as another step to ensure that economic growth is accompanied by sustainability, a smaller carbon footprint, and a positive social impact.

A Canadian model of urban farming sparks a strategy for the prevention of fires and the generation of incentives for repopulation in Galicia and the Northern region of Portugal.

The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona’s quest for civic innovation across 36 municipalities leads them to explore replicating Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Urban Mechanics, the City’s pioneering civic research & design team.

On February 2023, Miguel Ángel Ania’s presentation provided an overview of the evolution of Zaragoza’s public transport strategy to reduce emissions significantly. He spoke about the economic feasibility of the tram and the city’s move towards electric and hydrogen-fueled buses.The keynote presentation was followed by short interventions by representative from Madrid, Metropolis GZM, Ottawa, San Diego, Santa Monica, and Umea who talked about challenges, successes, and strategies related to public transport and low emission delivery zones.

IURC NA, in partnership with the City of Ottawa and the EU-funded project Reducing Plastic Waste in Canada, held on June 2nd and 3rd, 2022, the Waste Management & Circular Economy Networking Event in Ottawa, Canada. Approximately 50 representatives from Spain, Poland, Italy, the USA, and Canada gathered to work on managing plastic at various levels of government level, developing strategies to enhance recycling, and generating energy from multiple sources of waste. These are the takeaways.

IURC NA, in partnership with Climate Action KC and GCoM USA, held on April 7th and 8th, 2022, the Renovation Wave Networking Event in Kansas City, USA. Approximately 40 representatives from Portugal, Dortmund, Poland, Belgium, the US, and Canada gathered to work on making buildings more energy-efficient, tackling energy poverty, and creating green jobs. These are the takeaways.

The fourth IURC-NA Thematic Networking event, Sustainable Urban Mobility & Transport (SUMT), took place in Zaragoza on the 10th – 11th of November 2022, in coordination with the host city of Zaragoza, Spain. Participating cities created professional connections and networks while sharing knowledge to advance public transport for zero emissions, shared & micro-mobility strategies, and reducing the use of single occupancy private vehicles. The following insights were shared by a cohort of 13 cities from Europe, Canada, and the US.