Local Voices for Sustainability

ICLEI Europe

How are cities creating more sustainable urban environments? In Local Voices for Sustainability, we sit down with advocates and officials from ICLEI Europe member cities to discuss their sometimes rocky, but always interesting, journey towards a more sustainable future. Learn more at www.iclei-europe.org

  1. How do you build a city everyone can access?

    May 27

    How do you build a city everyone can access?

    What does the concept of “Mobility As A Right” (MAAR) look like in practice? In this episode, we head to Mannheim, Germany, to explore how the city is rethinking transport through the UPPER project. Mobility Coordinator and Policy Advisor to the Mayor Tim Neugebauer from the City of Mannheim leads us through the city’s multimodal transport system, which serves both its industrial needs and its aim to make mobility more accessible, affordable and inclusive – all while balancing local and global climate goals.

    24 min
  2. How Grenoble is using street design to reshape everyday life

    May 7

    How Grenoble is using street design to reshape everyday life

    What if the journey to school could make cities healthier, safer and more social? In this episode, we head to Grenoble to explore how rethinking streets around schools can transform everyday urban life. Edwin Hatton, Project Manager for Grenoble City Council, and Lysa Sérot, intern with the city’s Public Space Planning team, take us inside the 'Breath of School' project — winner of ICLEI Europe's Local Sustainability Award in 2025. Together, they reveal how child-friendly urban planning can strengthen climate resilience, improve quality of life and inspire cities far beyond Grenoble.

    26 min
  3. How Athens is using AI to detect and fight forest fires

    Apr 13

    How Athens is using AI to detect and fight forest fires

    As heatwaves intensify and wildfire risks grow, cities on the urban-forest edge face mounting climate pressure. In this episode, we head to Athens to explore how data, AI and collaboration help the city detect wildfire threats before flames appear. Vangelis Marinakis from the National Technical University of Athens and Lina Magoula from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens take us inside the DRYADS project, where environmental data, smart monitoring and research partnerships come together to strengthen forest resilience and protect nearby neighbourhoods.

    24 min
  4. How Nantes is planting a sustainable future in its soil

    Mar 24

    How Nantes is planting a sustainable future in its soil

    Is soil just dirt – or one of a city’s most critical assets? In this episode, we head to Nantes to uncover how soil underpins climate resilience, biodiversity, and urban growth. Director of Territorial Strategy, Clément Le Bras-Thomas, reveals why putting soil at the heart of planning could transform Europe’s cities. Learn more about the SPADES project and the impact it is having in cities like Nantes and Gothenburg, and regions like Transylvania and Lombardy.

    24 min
  5. How a historic Portuguese city is reinventing itself for a changing climate

    Feb 5

    How a historic Portuguese city is reinventing itself for a changing climate

    When climate risk meets cultural heritage, cities have to make choices. In this episode, we head to Guimarães to find out how one of Europe’s oldest cities is rewriting its relationship with nature. Carlos Ribeiro, President of the Landscape Lab, takes us behind the scenes of fire prevention, riverbed restoration, and a green strategy that connects city, landscape, and community — just as Guimarães steps into the spotlight as European Green Capital and host of the European Urban Resilience Forum. Check out Guimarães' Mapa Verde (Green Map) here.

    27 min
  6. How Paris is growing into a garden city

    11/12/2025

    How Paris is growing into a garden city

    Paris is transforming into a greener, more liveable city—one street and biodiversity corridor at a time. In this episode, we sit down with Celeste Rouberol from the City of Paris about how the French capital is reimagining urban life through nature, from its ambitious Biodiversity Plan to new community-led green spaces.Learn about Paris' role as a Lighthouse City in the UNP+ project, here. Learn about the EU's Nature Restoration Regulation, here.

    25 min
  7. How Do You Protect a Disappearing Island in a Changing Climate?

    09/08/2025

    How Do You Protect a Disappearing Island in a Changing Climate?

    What does it mean to live on an island that may one day vanish? How can communities adapt to climate change, and what does staying – or leaving – really mean? In this episode, ICLEI Europe speaks with Dr. Catharina Greve about Neuwerk, a tiny island in northern Germany where climate change is no abstraction – storm surges, rising seas, and shifting tides define daily life. Greve introduces the RescueME project, which explores how cultural landscapes like Neuwerk can (or cannot) be preserved, and how residents are shaping their own future. From horse-drawn carts crossing tidal flats to “serious games” – where locals and policymakers test out future scenarios – this conversation dives deep into resilience, wilderness, and the tough choices communities face when home itself is at risk. Explore the work being done by ICLEI Europe's Resilience and Climate Adaptation team here.

    29 min
  8. Buying with Impact: The Oslo Way to Ethical City Procurement

    06/30/2025

    Buying with Impact: The Oslo Way to Ethical City Procurement

    Public procurement isn’t just about getting the best price – it’s about shaping the greener and fairer cities of tomorrow. In this episode, we visit ICLEI Member City Oslo to learn how the Oslo Model is tackling social dumping, raising labour standards, and making public purchasing a tool for social and environmental change. 🎙️ Hear from Kjersti Koffeld and Espen Nicolaysen on how Oslo is applying socially responsible procurement in practice – and why tracking, supplier dialogue, and political will matter. Oslo also shares its experience in the Big Buyers Working Together initiative, where cities across Europe join forces to move markets in a greener, fairer direction. 🔗 Learn more: https://public-buyers-community.ec.europa.eu/about/big-buyers-working-together

    25 min
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How are cities creating more sustainable urban environments? In Local Voices for Sustainability, we sit down with advocates and officials from ICLEI Europe member cities to discuss their sometimes rocky, but always interesting, journey towards a more sustainable future. Learn more at www.iclei-europe.org

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