European cities of the future should be greener, smarter and more inclusive, according to young Poles who shared their vision during the EU Youth Policy Dialogue in Warsaw.
By Eleni Dragona
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “city”? For most of us, it is crowds, busy roads and noise. But a group of young Poles who spoke with visiting EU officials in Warsaw offered a more upbeat and constructive vision.
On 10 March 2025, they gathered at the prestigious Jasna Centre in the heart of Warsaw, home to the European Commission’s Representation in Poland. They were invited to share their vision for the European cities of tomorrow with the European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva.
At the start of the event, they were asked the same question: what does “city” mean for you? They replied “possibility”, “community”, “connection”, “high-quality education”, “opportunities and business”, “society” and “culture”.
These small sparks of inspiration were enough to ignite a conversation about what European cities should be like and to foster the changes to make them so.
“We want to hear from you, the future of Europe, how to shape our policies,” Commissioner Zaharieva said in her welcome speech. “Are we on the right track? Are we achieving what you expect from us?”
The perspectives and ideas shared in the dialogue will help Commissioner Zaharieva develop the right policies, particularly for the EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities – an initiative that is helping more than a 100 cities, including five in Poland, achieve climate neutrality.
Jakub Romański, 23, a student at the Warsaw University of Technology, felt there were many things the EU is doing right. Health and safety, for example. He believes EU citizens can trust that the quality of their food or tap water is rigorously tested.
Martyna Rawa, a 17-year-old student at the Warsaw School of Economics, mentioned the funding provided for small businesses as another welcome EU initiative.
Public transport, accessibility, jobs
The event was moderated by Julia Kelsz, Tomasz Racławski and Mikołaj Samborski. All three are co-founders and leaders of the Important Issues Foundation, which is actively involved in many European youth conferences.
A common theme that emerged in the dialogue with the Commissioner was the need to improve public transport, which would make it easier to get around the city and help mitigate climate change.
Martyna emphasised the need to speed up construction work on transport infrastructure.
“The metro, for example, is taking a lot more time to complete than initially expected,” she said. Accelerating the construction work would lead to reduced congestion in the cities and, consequently, reduced pollution.
Another participant with similar views was Dorota Guzik, 27, a project assistant at the Association of Municipalities Polish Network Energie-Cités. It is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation that cooperates with local governments to support efficient, low-carbon energy use and environmental education.
She also highlighted transport. “We should provide public transport incentives to make more people use it,” she proposed.
Dorota also stressed the need to make environmentally friendly solutions more affordable so that more people adopt them.
Another issue that came up was the need to make cities more accessible for people with disabilities.
Jakub Romański’s girlfriend is visually impaired, so he understands how hard it can be for people with disabilities to get around the city.
“National mobility cards aren’t accepted across Europe. Provisions for people with disabilities should be streamlined across EU countries,” he said.
As it happens, the EU is currently working on this, with the introduction of two EU-wide cards: the European Disability Card and the European Parking Card for Persons with Disabilities.
These cards will ensure that the bearers can access the same services under the same conditions as residents of the host country when attending cultural, sporting and leisure events, or using public transport and parking facilities.
Moderator Tomasz Racławski, who comes from Jasło, a small town in southeast Poland, was asked about the challenges facing small towns there and was quick to note the lack of educational opportunities and jobs.
“We had to move to the bigger cities to find quality universities and quality work. This is true for almost all of my high school friends,” he said.
His foundation educates young people about societal and economic issues and is regularly represented at European youth conferences.
Reimagining tomorrow
After the group discussions, the young participants came to the Commissioner armed with concrete proposals on how to make cities better, based around three pillars: environment and sustainability; technology and innovation; and inclusivity and accessibility.
On environment, they agreed on the need to improve transport and energy efficiency, reduce pollution and increase green spaces. More specific proposals included making cities more bike-friendly and establishing green corridors around cities to safeguard biodiversity.
To future-proof cities against extreme climate conditions, it was suggested that older buildings be retrofitted. More specific solutions included photovoltaic blinds that regulate climate conditions in houses and systems to aid heat diffusion indoors.
They also highlighted the need to digitalise city services in one platform and pour more investment into innovation and tech startups. Artificial intelligence could also be used to put in place better safety measures for transport.
Finally, housing and public transport should be cheaper for everyone and made more accessible for people with disabilities through more inclusive urban design.
The ideas exchanged in Warsaw will help to shape action plans that will be implemented through the Cities Mission and the New European Bauhaus, a Commission initiative that connects the European Green Deal with living spaces.
Polish cities fully onboard
The Cities Mission supports 112 EU cities in their commitment to become climate-neutral by 2030 through green, digital and inclusive transformation. Five Polish cities have already embarked on the Mission: Łódz, Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków and Rzeszów.
These cities have been making great strides towards net zero via several projects supported by EU funding.
One pilot project involving all five cities, named NEEST, focuses on tackling energy-inefficient buildings. Polish cities still mainly depend on the national coal-based power system, but NEEST aims to modernise residential and service buildings and reduce their energy consumption.
Another project, ATELIER, centres on generating energy by integrating smart mobility and technologies into buildings in Kraków.
Katowice, in a southern Polish region known for coal and heavy industry, is one of the hubs involved in the CLIMABOROUGH initiative. It provides 14 cities in 12 European countries with the tools and methodology to achieve their climate goals.
Commissioner Zaharieva made it clear she understands the importance of having young people’s views at the table and will consider the opinions of those who will be inheriting the future.
The views of the interviewees don’t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.
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This article was originally published in Horizon the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.
