All Things Urban

Streets are the backbones of urban life; when designed with people at their heart, they transform into vibrant social spaces where communities gather, play, rest and move. Streets are also critical infrastructure for climate resilience, for example providing shelter from the heat. Yet, reimagining streets as spaces for people—rather than mere traffic corridors—can face significant backlash.

This policy dialogue brings together a representative of DG MOVE with elected representatives from Brussels-Capital Region, Utrecht, and Zagreb to share the challenges they face and positive steps they are taking in transforming European streets to address today's social and climate challenges.

• Elke Van den Brandt, Minister of Mobility, Public Works and Road Safety and Animal Welfare of the Brussels-Capital Region
• Matthijs Sienot, Deputy Mayor for Housing, Land Use, Mobility, Asylum and Integration, and Digitalisation for the City of Utrecht
• Luka Korlaet , Deputy Mayor of the City of Zagreb
• Keji Alex Adunmo, Policy Coordinator, Sustainable Urban Mobility , DG MOVE, European Commission

The panel discussion will be moderated by Thomas Lymes, Policy Director at Eurocities, and followed by a Q&A with the audience.

This event is co-organised by Eurocities and Cerema as part of the EU-funded project REALLOCATE. It is part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2026.

Please note: the event is in-person only (Brussels, Belgium).

Policymakers, urban planners, city officials

Eurocities is the network of more than 200 cities in 38 countries, representing 130 million people, working together to ensure a good quality of life for all.

You greet your neighbour as you leave home on your way to do work that is meaningful and decently paid. The air is clean and free of honking car horns. Using the free public wifi, you see that today the public square is a local artisans’ and farmers’ market. Your phone polls you on a few quick ideas that the local administration wants to try. You truly feel like you are a part of the city, and, as such, a part of Europe.

This is the future that European cities have been working to build through Eurocities since 1986. We help cities inspire each other. When a crisis hits, the urgency of local coordination and information sharing is starkly obvious – but with longer-burning issues like climate change, social equality and a vibrant economy this ‘glocal’ approach is no less essential.

That’s why we work with over 200 of Europe’s largest cities to improve the lives of over 130 million residents across 38 countries. That’s the ‘cities’ part of ‘Eurocities’. Hundreds of cities have already committed to getting carbon emissions down to zero, welcoming migrants and refugees, and governing through dialogue with their residents.

Local governments work on the ground with citizens and residents, and are essential partners for turning EU policies and ambitions into reality. As such, cities must be included directly in European decision making and should be in direct receipt of European funds. That’s the ‘Euro’ part of ‘Eurocities.’ So Eurocities, Europe plus cities, equals a better future for all.