Europe is the fastest-warming continent. Since the 1980s, temperatures have increased at roughly twice the global rate. As home to over 75% of the EU’s population, European cities face significant climate risks. It is therefore no surprise that in 2025 climate action remained the top priority for European mayors for the third year in a row.
Against this background, and building on their long-standing collaboration, CIDOB and Eurocities have partnered to gather evidence as to the status, needs and challenges of adaptation planning and financing in cities. The CIDOB Monograph “Urban Climate Resilience in Europe” aims to fill key data gaps by providing a comparative assessment on the state of urban climate adaptation. In the context of the upcoming EU Climate Resilience Framework, it provides policy analysis and recommendations, by examining the main barriers to improved urban resilience and identifying how cities can be supported through regulatory and fiscal programmes at the local, national and EU levels.
The CIDOB Monograph draws on an analysis of city data collected through a survey designed and carried out by Eurocities in collaboration with CIDOB in 2025. The survey received 54 responses from cities across 17 countries and featured 101 questions. The chapters are authored by six experts in urban climate adaptation in Europe, who also contributed to the design of the survey. Together they provide an overview of policies and actions taken by cities, identify gaps and barriers, highlight emerging patterns, and distil key messages across the following topics: institutional capacities and climate risks, financing, data and monitoring, partnerships and community engagement, building codes and capacity building.
Go to resource