On 27 October, over 120 large cities in 34 European countries committed themselves to fight climate change by signing up to the Eurocities Declaration on Climate Change, aiming e.g. to limit urban sprawl, create “eco-quarters”, construct energy-efficient buildings and support the adapation of existing ones, reduce energy consumption and re-think mobility. 

As, according to the Declaration, many of the actions required to combat climate change fall within the scope of many ambitious, coherent urban policies, the local level is pivotal in fighting global warming. 

Member States, although necessary, must delegate to the cities the authority to act on a local level to reduce emissions, and undertake with the European Union to provide funding for initiatives supporting public transportation, housing, and energy. 

The Declaration is not binding but is meant to provide guidelines for implementing local policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by involving all local actors. 

Actions proposed included the below

Working on urban planning and the quality of cities by:

• Limiting urban sprawl and developing compact cities;
• Creating new “eco-quarters”;
• Constructing energy-efficient buildings;
• Supporting the adaptation of existing buildings;
• Ensuring the preservation and development of a true, high-quality urban canopy by planting trees;

Working on transport and urban mobility by:

• Developing public transportation, soft modes (walking and cycling) and new forms of mobility;
• Linking together territories and interconnecting public transport networks;
• Encouraging technological innovation for vehicles ad the use of new forms of energy in any travel;

Working on renewable energy and diversifying energy production by:

• Developing the production of renewable energy
• Reducing the energy consumption of urban systems;
• Reducing waste at the source, through sorting and recycling;
• Working together with national and European authorities in order to guarantee the reliability of the energy supply. 

The Declaration is available for download at the right-hand side of the screen. For more information please contact Sander Scheurwater at sscheurwater@rics.org.