Urban Sustainability in Europe - EEA reports published

EEA reports on urban sustainability in Europe, co-authored by CEP, are now published.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published today two assessments on urban environmental change. These explore how European cities have the potential to lead the way towards a green, sustainable future.

CEP has been supporting the EEA’s work on urban sustainability in Europe since 2017. This has been undertaken as part of the CEP-led framework contract which provides assistance on forward-looking analysis, sustainability assessments and systemic transitions. The two reports that the EEA has published today were co-authored by CEP with our partners LSE Cities:

• Urban Sustainability in Europe – Opportunities for challenging times  – While the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is still being assessed, it is already clear that cities currently face a triple challenge of tackling the health impacts of the pandemic, dealing with the climate and ecological emergency, and addressing social and economic inequalities. This EEA briefing focussing on the huge challenges cities have faced trying to shift to a greener future in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Urban sustainability in Europe – What is driving cities’ environmental change? – This EEA report explores work on what could make up a benchmark on how cities evaluate key drivers of and barriers to urban sustainability transitions. It is based on a survey and interviews with selected European cities.

Conceptual framework for urban environmental sustainability:

The EEA has developed an overarching conceptual framework for urban environmental sustainability to provide the basis for future assessments. The conceptual framework is based on four main components: lenses; context; enabling factors; and building blocks.

The briefing and report are part of a series of products the EEA will publish over the coming months on urban environmental sustainability authored by CEP. Future work will include a flagship report on urban environmental sustainability setting out the EEA’s conceptual framework and summary of analysis or urban nexuses focusing on climate resilience, quality of life, accessibility, healthy environment, food security, circularity, clean energy and sustainable buildings at urban level.

Upcoming report and outputs:

• Urban sustainability in Europe – A stakeholder-led assessment process

• Urban sustainability in Europe – Avenues for change

• Urban Sustainability in Europe – Learning from nexus analysis

• Urban sustainability in Europe – Glossary of key terms and concepts

For further information please contact Ric Eales (Managing Director)

CEP running EEA workshop on urban sustainability

CEP DELIVERING WORKSHOP IN COPENHAGEN TO SUPPORT EEA’S ASSESSMENT OF URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

For the first time, the European Environment Agency (EEA) will be explicitly addressing urban sustainability in the European Environment State and Outlook Report for 2020 (SOER 2020). As part of CEP's current framework contract with the EEA on forward-looking analysis, sustainability assessments and systemic transitions CEP, in partnership with LSE Cities, cChange and University of Utrecht, is undertaking a third contract to support urban sustainability assessments, building on previous contracts.

Specifically the project will deliver nexus analysis for urban sustainability assessments and  prepare a first draft of the 2020 Environmental Sustainability in Cities (ESIC) Report. Another important aim of this project is to develop an urban sustainability meta-analysis exercise of the drivers of urban sustainability transitions.

On Wednesday 26th June, CEP's Ric Eales and Rolands Sadauskis together with partners from LSE Cities are running a one-day workshop in Copenhagen involving experts form EEA and European Topic Centres to facilitate their input to the ongoing work.

For more information please contact Rolands Sadauskis (Senior Consultant).

CEP delivering EEA workshop on urban sustainability

CEP delivering workshop to support the EEA develop their thinking on urban sustainability as an input to SOER2020.

For the first time, the European Environment Agency (EEA) will be explicitly addressing urban sustainability in the European Environment State and Outlook Report for 2020 (SOER2020). As part of CEP's current framework contract with the EEA on forward-looking analysis, sustainability assessments and systemic transitions, CEP in partnership with LSE Cities is currently undertaking a specific contract on urban sustainability to support this aspect of SOER2020. Specifically, the project is reviewing the EEA knowledge base on urban sustainability and developing a conceptual framework to guide the EEA's work in this area, including for SOER2020.

On Thursday 26th October, CEP's Dr Peter Phillips and Rolands Sadauskis are running a one-day workshop with EEA experts in Copenhagen to go over the results of the knowledge review and critically appraise, refine and validate the proposed conceptual framework for urban sustainability. 

CEP to develop EEA's urban sustainability knowledge base

CEP commissioned to develop integrated knowledge base for EEA urban sustainability assessments

CEP has been commissioned to lead the first Specific Contract let under the CEP-led framework service contract for the European Environment Agency (EEA) on the provision of expert assistance on forward looking analysis, sustainability assessments and systemic transitions (EEA/IEA/16/003). The project will provide support to the EEA's urban sustainability assessments by developing the integrated knowledge base for urban sustainability issues. CEP is working with consortium partners LSE Cities and various other experts from the CEP-led consortium. 

The project will review existing EEA data products, reports, and research programmes to assess the current state of knowledge "in-house" and any key gaps. Drawing on this, a conceptual framework and vision for urban sustainability related activities within the EEA will be developed and tested with EEA internal and external stakeholders, via participatory meetings to be held at EEA offices in Copenhagen during October and November 2017. 

For more information on this project please contact the CEP Project Manager Dr Peter Phillips.  

CEP's Owen White is the overall Framework Contract Manager and can provide general information on the framework.  CEP's Dr Bill Sheate is the Framework Contract Director.