What this mission area deals with

The importance of climate-neutral and smart cities

More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. This is expected to reach 80% by 2050. Cities and metropolitan areas are centres of economic activity, knowledge generation, innovation and new technologies.

Cities influence the quality of life of citizens who live or work in them and they are major contributors to global challenges.

Aims of missions in this area

A mission in this area will help us meet the goals and targets set out by international policy frameworks such as the COP21 Paris Agreement, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (notably SDG11), the Urban Agenda for the EU and the Habitat III New Urban Agenda as cities play a key role in all of them.

Report of the Mission Board

“Reaching 100 climate-neutral cities by 2030 is the objective identified by the Mission Board for climate-neutral and smart cities. A Mission in this area would support, promote and showcase 100 European cities in their systemic transformation towards climate neutrality by 2030 and make these cities into experimentation and innovation hubs for all cities.

Cities are the place where decarbonisation strategies for energy, transport, buildings and even industry and agriculture coexist and intersect. The climate emergency must be tackled within cities and by engaging citizens who are not only political actors in a governance structure, but also users, producers, consumers and owners. Through a multi-level and co-creative process formalised in a Climate City Contract, adjusted to the realities of each city, the Mission is fully anchored on the European Green Deal Strategy to make Europe climate neutral by 2050.”

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