EU Green Capital Valencia will host 2024 edition of European Urban Resilience Forum
Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
Municipal workers even went on strike earlier this week over slow progress in implementing the envisioned reforms
Earlier this week municipal workers from several Cypriot cities, including the capital of Nicosia, went on strike over delays to the implementation of the government’s long-promised municipal reform. The reform, which would see the merger of many of the island’s municipalities has been held up due to the inability of the government and a minority of local administrations to reach a compromise on a range of proposed unification plans.
A majority of Cypriot municipalities remain in favour of the reform – their only complaint now is that it is taking far too much time. The government’s plan previews the merger of the country’s 30 municipal units, reducing their number to a total of 17. This way, over 83% of Cyprus’s population will be located in a municipality which would allow for them to more easily benefit from the many services that their administrations and structures offer.
Furthermore, the reduction of the number of municipalities will allow for the streamlining of funding and for better planning of municipal priorities. In forging a more straightforward power structure, the Cypriot government sees a good way to achieve long-term progress.
During this week’s protests by municipal workers, Nicosia mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis voiced his support for their demands, stating that he shares their concerns about the prolonged delay and that "this stagnation prolongs life in a model that everyone agrees does not allow municipalities to effectively manage issues that affect the quality of life in cities and affect the service of citizens”.
He further pointed to the many advantages and benefits that the mergers and streamlining would entail, claiming that “Specifically for Nicosia, the creation of a Municipality will create the conditions for a single administration, a single urban plan (putting a brake on the horizontal spread of the city), a single traffic plan and a singular enforcement of the legislation. All of the above contribute to increasing the density of the urban centre, making it sustainable.”
This, however, is likely to change soon
Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
The island is dead set on doing something about the problem of overtourism
This is city twinning for the 21st century
You can find it in the capital Sofia, where it was installed upon the initiative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
People in both cities got to sit together both in person and virtually
The aim is to have the public be able to admire the architectural design without distractions
It’s an urban space that has undergone several large-scale transformations throughout its existence
An illegal landfill will turn into a parking lot for cars confiscated by the police
The installation has been thought out with the concept of letting people “talk” to their dearly departed
It’s an urban space that has undergone several large-scale transformations throughout its existence
A US geologist claims to have solved the centuries-old mystery
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team