From social inclusion to economic productivity and climate action: we support cities and municipalities in creating liveable, resilient and sustainable environments.
We support people and institutions in creating resilient and sustainable places to live. Our focus is on the following priorities:
We help citizens, civil society organizations and citizens' initiatives represent their interests. This particularly applies to disadvantaged sections of the population.
To achieve this, we work together with administrative bodies, civil society initiatives, local media, academic institutions and international partners.
We support administrations in making public services efficient, citizen-oriented and inclusive.
In these ways, we help cities and regions improve what they offer their citizens – from water supplies to digital public services.
We advise cities and other local authorities on how to improve revenue collection and the management and control of their finances.
We promote environmentally and climate-friendly urban and regional development that combines infrastructure, environmental protection and social participation. Planning processes in different specialist fields are spatially integrated and the relevant partners brought together, whether for extensive metropolitan regions with millions of inhabitants or for individual cities or districts.
Cities are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, such as natural disasters, air pollution or uncontrolled growth. We help cities around the world to identify risks at an early stage, strengthen their resilience and reduce environmental impacts. We promote strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation, preservation of biodiversity and sustainable land use, helping to reconcile environmental, social and economic goals.
Many municipalities face challenges when it comes to implementing sustainable infrastructure projects. We support cities in developing investment-ready, bankable infrastructure projects: from feasibility studies to advice on legal and regulatory issues, the use of suitable funding instruments and the development of financing models.
To raise funds for our partners, we draw on international alliances, including with development banks, the United Nations, the EU and private investors.
Sustainable and affordable mobility ensures access to jobs, healthcare and education. Walking, cycling and public transport reduce emissions, noise and accidents. We therefore advise cities around the world on the introduction of sustainable transport systems with a focus on local public transport, cycling and walking routes, and electric vehicles. Our aim is safe, affordable and climate-friendly mobility for everyone, especially disadvantaged groups.
Growing cities have to provide more and more citizens with services and infrastructure. Smart city approaches help to make targeted use of technologies and data to improve services and more closely align urban development with the needs of the population.
It is important to us that we include disadvantaged groups and design digital solutions that are secure, inclusive and sustainable.
Cities and municipalities are drivers of economic development. But in many places, formal and informal economic structures exist side by side, with unequal opportunities and precarious working conditions.
We support municipalities in making local economies sustainable, inclusive and fit for the future.
This is how we strengthen economic participation and social stability, including in disadvantaged districts and regions.
Urbanisation does not automatically bring benefits for everyone. It often leads to social segregation and informal settlements with inadequate infrastructure. Inequalities jeopardise social cohesion and fuel conflict.
We support national actors and cities in shaping inclusive urban development policies that promote safety, participation and social justice. The aim is to improve access to public goods, reduce social tensions and strengthen the dialog between policy-makers, business and civil society.