Urban Development
Policies

European cities face a variety of challenges: ranging from ageing populations, through migration and urban sprawl, to counteracting climate change. On the contrary, Europe’s dynamic cities attract investment, people, and services, thereby stimulating creativity and innovation.

Cities are places of great paradoxes: some of the most thriving cities in the EU have some of the highest levels of social exclusion and income disparities; living and working in the same city is less polluting, while city dwellers are generally exposed to more pollution; some cities offer the greatest concentration of employment opportunities, while others have some of the highest levels of unemployment.

What do we do/want?

Providing high-quality and affordable homes in areas where jobs, services, greenery, and basic goods are accessible is the mission of the public, cooperative, and social housing sector we represent.

The New European Bauhaus must become the intersection where “beautiful, sustainable, together” aligns with housing affordability. To create fair and liveable cities, policymakers must also address the impact of short-term rental platforms on the availability and affordability of housing through European legislation.

The growing city within Brussels

From renewing run-down industrial buildings into bustling communities to investing in spaces that aim to encourage new businesses, this partnership between citydev.brussels and SLRB is all about regeneration for the future. Bringing life back to these community spaces is the goal for this collaboration focused on a circular economy, sustainability, and achieving a sense of belonging for the gathering tenants.

Funding opportunities for Urban Development

Remember to check the funding opportunities in the other 3 policy sections.

News and articles

UNLOCKING POTENTIAL – A Comparative Analysis of Approved Housing Body Models in the European Union
15 September 2025 Research

UNLOCKING POTENTIAL - A Comparative Analysis of Approved Housing Body Models in the European Union

This report looks at the way different independent, not-for-profit organisations - Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) - operate in...
11 June 2025 Urban

Meet the winners of the 5th edition of the European Responsible Housing Awards

On the 5th of June 2025, we celebrated the European Responsible Housing Awards (ERHA) ceremony, awarding...
rrf report website visual
02 June 2025 Housing Systems in Transition

Implementation of the Recovery and Resilience facility: Challenges and success factors of public, cooperative, and social housing providers.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) is a key EU initiative providing funding to Member States...
HIAH2
30 May 2025 Economy

Summary of the April 2025 Prague Local Workshop of the European Responsible Housing Finance Working Group

The 2025 Prague Local Workshop, organized by Housing Europe and the Czech Housing Fund, addressed Europe's...
syn.ikia final event article cover
30 May 2025 Urban

Strengthening Social and Public Housing through Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods

On March 24th, 2025, the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels hosted the concluding event...
jorgensen meeting may 2025 6
23 May 2025 Economy

Public, cooperative, and social housing is the key to solving Europe’s housing crisis. Our meeting with EU Housing Commissioner Jørgensen

Thanks to EU Housing Commissioner Jørgensen for our productive discussion this week on how to solve Europe’s housing...

Downloads

2024-02-29 New rules for a more responsible and transparent short-term rental sector...
102 KB Download