Eurocities has recently published Culture for sustainable and inclusive cities, a new catalogue bringing together 100+ initiatives from cities across Europe that are already putting the Eurocities Lille Call to Action for low carbon and more inclusive culture into practice.
The publication shows how local cultural policies, institutions and events can help deliver two priorities at once: reducing the environmental footprint of cultural life and widening access, participation and belonging. It features examples ranging from mobility solutions that encourage low-carbon travel to cultural venues, to initiatives that link cultural participation with wellbeing and inclusion, including for vulnerable groups.
The catalogue supports the wider ambition of the Lille Call to Action, launched at the Eurocities Culture Forum in 2022 and now signed by 60 European local authorities. The Call offers a shared framework for cities that want culture to be part of the solution to the climate emergency and to growing inequalities.
As André Sobczak, Eurocities Secretary General, underlines: “Cities are at the forefront of the fight against climate change, the push for more inclusive societies and towards systemic change. These challenges converge in cities, and it is at the local level that innovative and practical solutions emerge, close to people’s everyday lives.”
Two pillars, 16 priorities, one shared direction
The Lille Call to Action is structured around two pillars and 16 priorities. Under the first pillar, cities commit to accelerating the ecological transition of local cultural policies and events — including through procurement, production methods, energy use, mobility and resource management. Under the second, they commit to strengthening inclusion in culture and through culture, addressing barriers to participation, improving accessibility and supporting cultural diversity.
Signatories commit to implementing at least one priority from each pillar, recognising that climate responsibility and social justice must move forward together. As Arnaud Deslandes, Mayor of Lille, explains: “This manifesto, as of now signed by 60 European local authorities, highlights the essential role of territories as drivers of the ecological and social transitions.”
Explore the catalogue
The catalogue is designed as a practical resource: a way to learn from peers, adapt ideas locally and accelerate progress through shared experience.
Read and download the catalogue here.
If your city would like to join the growing community of signatories, or if you have questions about the process and next steps, we would love to hear from you.
Get in touch via the Contact page to express your interest in signing the Eurocities Lille Call to Action.
