News for topic Urban-planning

The Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region is the main event for the stakeholders of our area to meet, exchange, network, and plan further activities. This year’s 15th Forum took place in Visby on 29-31 October 2024 and attracted 650 participants at the venue – not to mention the online audience of the livestreams!

This seminar was titled “Sustainable transformation for resilient coastal city”, focusing on three areas of the hosting city of Gdańsk: two parts of the harbour zone and the area next to the football arena built for UEFA Euro 2012. The aim of the seminar was to provide new functional visions for these areas, prepared by the teams of international experts from UBC member cities in line with the hosting city’s strategic objectives. The event attracted ca.

In the Baltic Sea region, many cities have the goal of becoming carbon neutral. This requires a harmonized approach to strategic urban planning: climate, energy, urban development and mobility plans need to be in line, striving towards the same vision to reach goals. Traditional transport planning needs to be replaced by sustainable urban mobility planning aiming at accessibility and integrated development of all modes.

Our Sustainable Cities Commission co-created the spring 2024 edition of the Baltic Cities Bulletin under the topic "Towards green and just transition"!

There's significant potential in incorporating the regular use of temporary experiments into mobility planning.

Mid-September is the perfect time to visit Turku, an ambitiously smart and sustainable city in Finland, working towards reaching carbon neutrality already in 2029. Turku is built around the river Aura – but what’s more important (at least where the international cooperation is concerned), it also stands on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Like in many other cities, for a long time Turku citizens have had a limited access to the sea due to different industries and port activities.

Welcome to the Commission meeting “Revitalizing urban space connected to the Sea”! We will explore how Turku is working toward climate neutrality in 2029, with an ambitious roadmap which calls for a comprehensive strategy, including, among others, revitalization of urban spaces.

The Linnaniemi area, around Turku Castle and the harbour, will undergo major changes: the former passenger port will open for new developments, which include services and housing areas that bring vitality to the area. New parks and plazas will create an enjoyable maritime atmosphere and connect Linnanniemi to the riverside.

The first smart traffic light in Latvia has been installed in Liepāja. Read how the city encourages safe and liveable urban communities with neighbourhoods designed to promote walking and cycling!

The webinar was opened by Tero Haahtela and Teemu Surakka from Aalto University, lead partner of the project, who briefly explained HUPMOBILE in a nutshell. The project, which started in 2019 and ended last year, aimed to provide holistic solutions to sustainable mobility in the Baltic Sea Region. It focused on sharing knowledge, developing existing solutions and processes, and improving stakeholder engagement.

Forest in the middle of the Valmiera city is a green, safe and accessible destination for outdoor activities. Equipped with stormwater solutions and offering a drinking water tap, the forest area is not only a multifunctional outdoor space for citizens, but also an example of taking sustainability into account when planning the area development.

City of Turku is well on its path to achieving carbon neutrality by 2029. Last year, the city became the Lighthouse city in the project RESPONSE, where it implements a complex set of activities including the development of Positive Energy Districts.