Europe's urban transition stalls between ambition and delivery. The Sustainable Cities Lab works in that gap - helping cities turn policy, pilots and funding into projects that people can support, finance and deliver.
In 2026, the green transition is no longer politically central. Security concerns, industrial competitiveness and the cost-of-living crisis now dominate the agenda. Yet we should recognise a hard truth: there is no secure and competitive Europe without sustainability.
European cities are the centre of this transition. They are the primary markets for clean industry and the places where high-level European Union targets must be reconciled with the daily reality of housing, energy and mobility. While 70% of European Union legislation is implemented at the local level, a significant gap remains between climate ambition and actual delivery.
The Sustainable Cities Lab is an initiative of the Lisbon Council, designed as a practical, carefully curated capacity-building instrument to bridge the gap between European policy design and local implementation. Rather than creating a parallel network, the Lab operates as an embedded delivery and learning mechanism within Europe's existing innovation ecosystem.
Drawing on research insights and on-the-ground experience from a diverse portfolio of Horizon Europe projects - including URBREATH, BLOSSOM and URBAN‑FLOW - the Lab connects lived reality in neighbourhoods with the policy-making drawing boards in Brussels.
The Lab focuses on the missing in-between layer of urban transformation. It addresses the social, financial and institutional friction that causes even the best-funded pilots to stall.
Three dimensions that together close the gap between European climate ambition and local delivery - people, capital and institutions.
From service provider to enabling platform.
Cities cannot solve climate challenges alone. They need to create the conditions for residents, communities and local organisations to act safely, predictably and together.
From funding projects to preparing deals.
Valuable projects stall because city priorities do not translate into investable opportunities. Cities need to become credible deal partners - moving from one-off pilots to repeatable deal structures and early-stage preparation.
From silo-busting heroes to symbiotic systems.
Projects lose momentum when responsibility fragments across departments, budgets and political cycles. The Lab helps move from fragmented delivery toward a symbiotic value chain where design, approvals, construction, operations and maintenance connect from the start.
The Lab acts as a bridge between practitioners, innovators and policy-makers through convenings, honest learning and strategic matchmaking.
Connecting lived experience from cities directly to the community of European policy-makers through convenings - to share best practice and connect strategy and execution.
Moving beyond success stories to document what worked, what failed and why - ensuring failures are legible and lessons are learned for all cities.
Connecting city challenges with start-ups, research groups and proven finance models to accelerate the human grid.
Unlocking social backing and financial pathways to scale nature-based solutions.
The Lab's first report serves as a guide for planners and decision-makers. It outlines how cities can build support, unlock investment and deliver change at scale - in the face of social resistance and evolving economic pressures.
Jeff is an leading urban thinker and former Chief Innovation Officer at Gehl, where he spent more than 20 years helping cities translate ambitious ideas into practical action. His work has focused on how cities can better connect public goals, private investment and community support to deliver more liveable, inclusive and climate-resilient places. Jeff has led major interdisciplinary transformation projects in more than 30 cities, including Times Square in New York City, Market Street in San Francisco, and urban regeneration initiatives across North and South America, Europe and the Gulf.
The Lab synthesises insights from a live portfolio of Horizon Europe projects representing over €48 million in funding and more than 115 partners across Europe.
A €15M, 37-partner project coordinated by the Lisbon Council, deploying nature-based solutions through community engagement and digital tools to make European cities climate-neutral and resilient. Tested in four frontrunner cities - Cluj-Napoca, Leuven, Madrid, Tallinn - and five follower cities (Pilsen, Aarhus, Athens, Parma, Kajaani).
urbreath.eu Bankable climate adaptationA €10M, 28-partner project coordinated by the Lisbon Council, bridging public authorities and private capital to turn climate adaptation and mitigation into bankable investments through living labs and innovative financing schemes. Piloted in Birmingham, Lisbon and Kielce, and replicated in Aarhus, London Borough of Newham, Parma and the Region of Alentejo.
blossom-project.eu Public space & mobilityA €17M, 32-partner project coordinated by the Lisbon Council, rebalancing urban public space and mobility for climate neutrality through local digital twins. Lead cities - Valencia, Florence and Tampere - with Brussels, Edinburgh and Pilsen as replicant cities.
urban-flow.eu Positive Energy DistrictsA €6M, 18-partner project in which the Lisbon Council plays a guiding role in the deployment and evaluation of the Positive Energy District (PED). The project creates and deploys a novel Digital Twin (DT) for real-time monitoring, visualization, and management of district-level energy flows. The DT is applied to a district in Riga.
expedite-project.eu
Whether you represent a city, a Horizon Europe project, a finance partner, a research institution, or simply want to follow our work - we'd like to hear from you. The Lab is an open bridge between practitioners, innovators and policy-makers across Europe's urban transition.
About
The Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal is a Brussels-based think tank and policy network. Established in 2003 as a non-profit, non-partisan association, it provides research and practical advice on the most pressing economic and social challenges facing Europe - convening policymakers, business leaders and experts to design reforms that deliver prosperity, sustainability and inclusion.
lisboncouncil.net