Ahead of the Eurocities Environment Forum, taking place this week in Malmo; Eurocities sat down with Sofia Hedén Deputy Mayor of Malmo to start the conversation on how European cities are translating climate resilience strategies into action, the key barriers they face, and what support they most need from national and EU levels to strengthen their adaptation efforts.
Cities across Europe are increasingly at the forefront of climate impacts, from heatwaves to flooding. From your perspective, what does true urban climate resilience look like in practice, and how far are we from achieving it?
It means every resident is and feels protected – through greener neighbourhoods, strong social systems, and infrastructure built for more frequent extreme weather. We are moving in the right direction, with more stakeholders understanding the risks we are facing – and more importantly, the risks of not acting – but we need faster and fairer investments to go all the way.
From your perspective, what are the top challenges and needs of cities when it comes to climate resilience?
Predictable and long-term funding is one of the most crucial issues for cities. To reach true climate resilience, cities must have the opportunity to work with these matters in the bigger picture. Stable funding is a key for us to do so. Cities know what do to; we just need the resources and tools to match that responsibility.
The event emphasises that cities cannot build resilience alone. In your view, what kinds of partnerships or governance models are proving most effective in aligning local action with national and European priorities?
Multilevel governance – where local governments get the chance to sit at the table where the decisions get made – is the most efficient and fair way to reach our goals. At the end of the day, it is us cities that are expected to carry through most of the decision that national and EU institutions make. By giving cities a seat at the table, we can use our different experiences and knowledge to form the best policies possible, instead of having to adjust policies that fail in the implementation phase. Resilience succeeds when the decisions are made with cities, not for them.
We’ll hear many examples of tools and innovative approaches for assessing climate risks and financing adaptation. Can you share an initiative from Malmo that you think exemplifies forward-thinking resilience planning, and what others can learn from it?
The City of Malmo has, during the last couple of years, worked very hard to improve our understanding of how extreme weather affects our city districts and residents in different ways. The ability to handle heat waves is one example. Once we mapped what parts of our city will be most affected when extreme heat waves hit, we could see that there was a clear correlation between low-income districts and vulnerability to extreme heat events.
This understanding has led us to prioritise where and how we increase heat resilience; for example, by greening areas that today lack access to green areas. This is something that increases resilience, and, at the same time we create more pleasant living environments.
The most important lesson, that I think decision makers on all levels need to carry with them, is that resilience is strongest when climate action and social justice move together.
With the European Commission preparing its new Communication on an EU Climate Resilience and Risk Management framework, what role do you see cities playing in shaping and delivering this agenda, and what support do they most need from the EU institutions?
Cities are frontline implementors and innovation hubs. We are the ones who will deliver real change on the ground. We need direct access to EU funding, capacity support, and a formal role in shaping implementation. If the EU empowers its cities, we can build a climate-resilient union.
Lastly, what can participants look forward to at the Eurocities Environment Forum, and in Malmo? And, what do you look forward to?
Practical ideas, new solutions to shared problems, and honest discussions on how to deliver a resilient transition that is not just sustainable, but also fair. In Malmo you’ll get the chance to see a city that truly lives its values – green, inclusive, and forward-looking.
I’m looking most forward to learn from my peers and colleagues – and building the partnerships that we need to turn ambition into real impact.
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The Eurocities Environment Forum starts tomorrow, and will focus on ‘Building resilient cities for all: supporting data-driven decision making.’
