Cities are catalysts for change in the EU
Cities are at the heart of the EU’s policy agenda. More than 70% of European citizens live in urban areas and this is set to increase in the future.
Every day, cities across Europe set the direction of their urban development to address the most pressing challenges, such as a growing population, climate change and digital transformation.
By developing comprehensive strategies and defining long-term policy goals, cities undertake actions to support affordable housing, promote projects in energy efficiency, revitalise city areas and improve public transport. Strategic plans can be successfully implemented only if cities have access to financing. Without the strong involvement of public and private capital, it remains difficult to transform a city’s vision into reality.
The MRA-RICE partner cities have been successful in establishing city funds that boost investments in targeted sectors.
As a result, they have developed a blueprint of the City Fund – a flexible
framework that can be adopted by cities across the EU as the basis for a financial instrument for urban development.
The proposed model is designed to be simple, replicable and adaptable to all areas of investment.
Please download the full Multi-Region Assistance Project-Revolving Investment for Cities in Europe (MRA-RICE) document here which highlights LEEF and MEEF as example funds.