Themes

Population grows at an unprecedented speed. And so do cities. Resources are increasingly scarce which makes managing them in a sustainable way a top priority. Governments, however, focus too much on individual resource groups instead of…

Until 2020, greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 20% and the share of renewables, as well as the energy efficiency increased by 20%. This is also referred to as the so-called “20/20/20 targets”. By 2050, however, an 80% reduction…

By 2020, about 60% of the population in developing countries is expected to live in cities. Additional, challenges this entails include resource scarcity, unsustainable production and consumption patterns, food loss, waste and climate…

Every day, we make hundreds of decisions, many of them intuitively – from our guts. This lack of rationality can be utilized by outsiders. By proposing indirect suggestions and positive reinforcement, our decision-making process can be…

San francisco is suffocated by ever-rising rent prices. The city with 800 000 inhabitants has been an expensive spot to live in for the longest time, but as prices keep on soaring, it fundamentally threatens its traditional, social makeup.…

Cities embrace more and more smart technologies to modernise the governance and control the public order. However, smart cities can be a two-edge sword: On the one hand, the technologically advanced networks can detect and prevent e.g.…

Although cities cover only 2% of the earth's surface, 50% of the world’s population lives in cities, but they are responsible for three-quarters of the global energy consumption as well as approximately 80% of the global greenhouse gas…

Think of the last time you went into a church building. What is in the centre of attention, where is the whole architecture directed at? Right, the altar. Now think of your city. How is it designed? What is one thing, that can hardly be…

Energy is an invisible commodity in today’s world. As long as everything works out without a hiccup, people will not waste a thought about it. You flip a switch and the light goes on. But in reality, there is a complex system at work that…

Over the past 20 years, the European Commission has focused on supporting developments in rural territories. For this purpose, the LEADER programme was launched in 1991 with the aim of revitalising rural areas and creating jobs. In the…