European Dialogue for Sustainable Cities is a brand new dialogue series with a heated debate on European cities’ environmental solutions, innovations, and cooperation models amid an ecological crisis and corona pandemic.
The discussions feature experts from cities, researchers, companies, NGOs, and students. Each episode also represents an EGCN quest of the month – a previous winner of the European Green Capital Award.
Watch LivePANEL DISCUSSION PROGRAMME
Seventh Round: Air Quality | 4.8.2021 at 14:00 – 15:00 (CEST)
Air quality has a significant role in cities because clean air is a prerequisite for a healthy life. During the last decade, air quality has considerably improved in Europe. There are many ways to improve air quality in cities. Is sustainable urban mobility the answer? How do we monitor and predict air quality in cities? How do we protect the most vulnerable groups from air pollution? Tune in to find out!
Our guest city of the month is Oslo, European Green Capital 2019. The guests of the episode include Tobias Wolf, Oslo – European Green Capital 2019, Hannamari Jaakkola, Global Market Manager, Vaisala Oyj, Patrycja Dlugosz-Stroetges, Officer for Natural Resources and Environmental Management at ICLEI Europe and David Smith, Founder of Little Ninja.
Watch Live here.
Sixth round: Waste 7.7.2021
European Union produced more than 2000 million tonnes of waste in 2018. Only 38% of waste in the EU was recycled. The household waste still goes to landfills in some countries. Oh, what a waste! Some of the waste ends up in nature! For example, plastic waste in the oceans is a huge environmental problem globally.
Our guest city of the month is Vitoria-Gasteiz, European Green Capital 2012. The guests of the episode feature Joseba Sanchez, Head of the Waste Management Unit, City of Vitoria Gasteiz, Tuuli Myllymaa, Head of the Waste and circular economy unit, Finnish Environment Institute, Merijn Tinga, Plastic Soup Surfer and Miila Hyökki, Founder of HIUKKA-project.
Watch the episode here
Episode 5: Water protection | 2.6. at 14:00 – 15:00 (CET)
Increased urbanization and climate change pose a threat to water supply, water quality and water ecosystems in cities. What can the cities do to tackle these adverse effects? What is the future of water management?
The guests of the episode featured Jørgen Lund Madsen, Head of Unit, Water and EIA, City of Copenhagen, Patrick Willems, Professor of Urban and River Hydrology and Hydraulics, University of Leuven, Nora Sillanpää, Stormwater specialist and Service Manager, Sitowise Oy and Juhani Järveläinen, Stormwater engineer, City of Lahti.
Watch the episode here.
Episode 4: Noise| 5.5. at 14:00-15:00 (CET)
The 4th European Dialogue for Sustainable Cities episode was about noise, the unpleasant and unwanted sounds in cities. How do we improve acoustics in cities? And how does noise affect human health? Interestingly enough, we will also examine silence – valued part of Finnish culture.
The guests of the episode featured: Anita Lindahl Trosdahl, Chief Adviser, City of Oslo. Trond Maag, Urbanist & founder of urbanID, Outi Ampuja, Researcher/non-fiction writer, University of Helsinki and Jian Kang, Professor of Acoustics, University College London. Watch the episode here.
Episode 3: Biodiversity | 7.4. at 14:00-15:00 (CET)
Hot as biodiversity! Everyone talks about it after ”Super year of biodiversity 2020” and much because of pandemia, but who really understands what increasing biodiversity means on a city-scale.
But in which direction are we going in European cities considering biodiversity in different scales (alpha, beta and gamma diversity)? What the scientific community thinks about the role of cities in species loss now and in the future?
The guests of the third episode featured Ton Verhoeven, Policy Advisor in Water and Climate Adaptation, Municipality Nijmegen, Ville Niinistö, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA), Jussi Nikula, Conservation Advisor, WWF Finland, Ian MacGregor-Fors, Professor, University of Helsinki and Helka Sillfors, Environmental Director, City of Heinola.
Watch the episode here.
Episode 2: Eco-innovation | 3.3.2021 at 14:00-15:00 (CET)
Eco-innovation is a new or significantly improved product, process, or strategic and on the ground change that reduces the use of natural resources and eases economic and social burdens throughout a product’s entire life cycle. But how do these innovations really contribute to “green growth”? What are the ways eco-innovations lead to actual environmental improvements?
The guests of the episode featured Katarina Luhr, the Vice Mayor for Environment and Climate from the city of Stockholm (First European Green Capital in 2010), coordinator Sena Segbedzi from OECD’s Champion of Mayors for Inclusive Growth, senior advisor Timo Mäkelä from the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and Simo Säynevirta, the head of the ecosystem activities in ABB’s Green Electrification 2035 program.
Watch the episode here.
Episode 1: Sustainable Urban Mobility | 3.2. 2021 at 14:00-15:00 (CET)
The guests of the first episode featured Miguel Feliciano Gaspar, Deputy Mayor of Lisbon, the European Green Capital 2020, who discussed the city’s mobility solutions. Finnish MEP Henna Virkkunen talked about how to invest in sustainable development in the EU’s economically challenging situation. Also, we will heard about the personal emissions trading scheme tested by the residents in Lahti, narrated by project manager Anna Huttunen and LUT University’s assistant professor Ville Uusitalo. The first episode also featured Lior Steinberg, an urban planner and co-founder of Humankind, who wants to accelerate the transition towards more humane and kind cities.
Watch the episode here.