City of Kyiv made honorary member of METREX
METREX, the network of European metropolitan regions and areas, has made the City of Kyiv an honorary member. The Ukrainian capital is being recognised for its extraordinary resilience during the ongoing conflict waged by Russia. Kyiv will join metropolitan regions and areas from across Europe in sharing knowledge and solutions on issues such as climate…
Members Braga and Metropolia GZM win European urban mobility awards
METREX Members Braga (Portugal) and Metropolia GZM (Poland) were revealed as the winners of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK award 2022 and the first-ever MOBILITYACTION award, respectively. The awards were presented at a ceremony hosted by the European Commission at the Castle of the Counts in Ghent. Braga (Portugal) – winner of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2022 The city…
Welcoming CIM Cávado to the network
METREX welcomes CIM Cávado from northern Portugal to the network of European metropolitan regions and areas. Comunidade Intermunicipal do Cávado – the Intermunicipal Community of Cávado – has become the latest member to join the METREX network. Based in Braga, north east of Porto, CIM Cávado represents a large total area of 1246km2 and 170…
Wrocław: a lesson in emerging from crisis
In advance of the METREX Spring Conference, taking place 23-26 April in Wrocław, the deputy director of the city’s Strategy and City Development Department, Łukasz Medeksza, looks back at Wrocław’s impressive form in overcoming crises – and how this informs current and future strategies. This article follows one published last week which explored Europe’s current…
METREX supports campaign to recognise World Metropolitan Day
METREX supports campaign to make World Metropolitan Day official in the United Nations calendar. Prompted by the the 2015 Montreal Declaration on metropolitan areas, October 7th has informally become World Metropolitan Day. Led by Metropolis and UN-Habitat, World Metropolitan Day is held to promote a better urban future by bringing together mayors and metropolitan leaders…
METREX supports the Next Generation Podium
Students, young researchers and professionals invited to bring fresh perspectives to the future of the Eurodelta through the Next Generation Podium. After the success of the first two editions in 2021 and 2022, the SURE network is organising a third edition of the Next Generation Podium. The SURE network is a sub-network group within METREX…
Europe in polycrisis
In advance of the METREX Spring Conference, taking place 23-26 April in Wrocław, we summarise some of the issues that have shaped the agenda and our aspirations for the conference. TIME magazine dubbed “polycrisis” as the buzzword of this year’s Davos event, which it said “describes the simultaneous and overlapping crises facing the world today:…
METREX joins the European Urban Research Association (EURA)
METREX is pleased to announce that is has become a member of the European Urban Research Association (EURA). EURA has for over 25 years promoted innovative research design, exchange of knowledge and knowledge transfer, and aims to offer a bridge between research and policy. The membership is in recognition of the need for practitioners within…
Members surveyed for the Bernd Steinacher Fellowship
The 2022-2023 METREX Bernard Steinacher Fellowship will research “European Metropolises in Response to COVID-19 (Post)Pandemic Crisis – Recovery, Renewal and Resilience”. On behalf of Dr Kamil Glinka – the current METREX Bernard Steinacher Fellow – we would like to invite Members to participate in the research project. The main objective of the project is to…
2022: a year of collaboration and resilience
President Jakub Mazur and Secretary General Henk Bouwman summarise a productive year for METREX. The year has been framed by the ongoing development of a Metropolitan Vision for Europe 2050. It has so far been an enlightening experience. There is a tendency to be too cautious and limit ideas based on past experiences. But look…
Welcome to the metropolitan areas of Bucharest and Iasi
METREX welcomes two new members from Romania to the network of European metropolitan regions and areas. Bucharest Metropolitan Area, which covers Bucharest and Ilfov County areas, and Intercommunity Development Iasi Metropolitan Area Association (IDIMAA), have simultaneously joined METREX in what continues recent growth in central and eastern Europe. METREX secretary general Henk Bouwman said: “We’re…
Helsinki launches Guide for the Preparation of an Emissions Reduction Action Plan
The City of Helsinki has launched a guide with instructions for the preparation of an effective emissions reduction action plan. This comes following the Helsinki Energy Challenge – a €1m competition for ideas how to decarbonise the city’s heating – which prompted net zero targets to be brought forward from 2035 to 2030. The guide…
War prompts update on Wrocław 2050 strategy
In March this year, the City of Wrocław shared its 2050 foresight strategy which predicts social, economic and spatial development over the next 30 years. Wrocław explains below why, in light of the war in Ukraine, they have revised this strategy and issued a supplement to the report, analysing the potential long-term impact. The Russian…
Annual Report 2021
That said, we saw two excellent and highly engaging online Conferences, both focused on contemporary European challenges. In Spring, Nuremberg Metropolitan Region brought Farm-to-Fork initiatives to our attention, and in Autumn, Riga Metropolitan Area explored the implementation of regional strategies. Both conferences were a huge success in bringing forth ideas, best practice and analysis on…
What have we learnt during the first five months of the Metropolitan Climate Challenge Expert Group?
The METREX Metropolitan Climate Challenge Expert Group was launched at the METREX Spring Conference in Turin in May 2022. The group reflects on five months’ work, asking “what have we done and what have we learnt so far?” Activities May 2022: Launching workshop to identify key topics for the group’s cooperation June 2022: Webinar to…
Governments set to work to ensure sustainable mobility in the Eurodelta
METREX Network Group SURE (Strategic Urban Region Eurodelta) presents a study on the future of sustainable mobility in the Amsterdam-Brussels-Cologne-Lille area. On 13 October the results of the first SURE study on sustainable mobility in the Eurodelta area were presented in the house of the Benelux Unie in Brussel. Substantial growth in mobility is expected…
Towards a Metropolitan Vision for Europe 2050 – October update
Europe is confronted by unprecedented social and physical change. From climate adaptation to energy production, productivity to inequality, the challenges we face seem insurmountable. Prompted by an invitation from EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform Elisa Ferreira to rethink our approaches to these issues, METREX, is developing a uniquely metropolitan-level solution to a prosperous, safe…
METREX and EMA to support Ukraine with technical expertise
European networks will offer expertise on tactical and long-term challenges facing colleagues in Ukraine. METREX and EMA have together pledged to explore ways to offer immediate and long-term help in the reconstruction of cities, towns and villages in Ukraine. The pledge comes as vital infrastructures such as drinking water installations, power stations, public transport, have…