Building the Green, Resilient Cities of Tomorrow

The Urban Crisis

European cities are increasingly affected by the consequences of climate change, facing more frequent hazards such as extreme temperatures, flash floods, droughts, fires, and air pollution, which are already jeopardising the lives of many people across the continent. The climate justice movement has unequivocally highlighted the unequal distribution of these negative effects, with more vulnerable populations being at higher risk of losing their source of income, falling ill, or even dying.

Youth is one of these at-risk populations, primarily because young people will live longer with the unexpected consequences of climate change. Moreover, in many cases, they do not yet have the right to participate in political decisions and, even when they do, they often feel that their voices are not heard or taken seriously by the responsible authorities.

A Blueprint for Action

Urban Climate Resilience has been put forward as a potential framework to address these challenges, combining climate action with social justice and ensuring that efforts are designed to reach especially those at highest risk.

Preparing for these events and especially preventing them from happening in the future requires the coordination of all layers of the urban society. This means both an organised civil society with clear, actionable priorities, and political authorities and businesses that take the challenge seriously and collaborate with the population.

Empowering the Next Generation

Y-RESCUE is a project that empowers young people to lead transformative climate action in urban areas increasingly threatened by environmental challenges. Launched in 2025, the project will mobilise 300 young participants (aged 18–30) and youth organisations across several European partner countries to co-create local resilience solutions and strengthen youth entrepreneurship in the climate field.

More specifically, throughout Y-RESCUE, partners and young participants together will attend workshops, identify challenges, and come up with innovative solutions. By making the most of peer learning, mentorship, and shared resources, the project will build its participants’ skills in leadership and project management, while ensuring valuable action is carried out to fight environmental challenges.