Climate change does not stop at national borders, and neither should the solutions. Through Streets2030, the European Union supports six local authorities across five countries in North-West Europe in their efforts to make walking and cycling infrastructure safer, more attractive and more resilient to extreme weather. By funding transnational cooperation and encouraging partners to share expertise, the EU helps turn a common European challenge into an opportunity for collective action.
A shared European challenge
Across North-West Europe, cities and regions are investing in walking and cycling to promote healthier, more sustainable mobility. Yet climate change is putting this infrastructure under increasing pressure. Heatwaves, heavy rainfall, flooding and strong winds can alter the safety, accessibility and comfort of streets, potentially discouraging people from choosing active modes of transport, which are eco-friendly.
These challenges are not confined to one country or one type of territory. They require local solutions, but also the exchange of knowledge, experience and expertise across borders.
This is where European cooperation can make a difference. By bringing together public authorities and technical organisations from different countries, Streets2030 creates a framework for addressing a shared challenge collectively, learning from different local contexts and developing approaches that can benefit a wider range of territories.
The European Union: Supporting cooperation and innovation
Streets2030 is supported by the European Union through the Interreg North-West Europe programme, which promotes cooperation between organisations across national borders to support a greener, more resilient and more sustainable North-West Europe.
The project has a total budget of €4.68 million, including approximately €2.81 million in EU funding. This European support helps the project partners work together during 4 years (2026-2029), combining their expertise and resources to improve the resilience of their infrastructure dedicated to walking and cycling.
Beyond financial support, the European dimension of Streets2030 lies in its collaborative approach. Climate adaptation challenges may vary from one territory to another, but the knowledge gained in one place can inform decisions elsewhere. Thus, European cooperation offers a way to share experiences, compare approaches and develop practical methods that individual organisations might find more difficult to build in isolation.
Through programmes such as Interreg North-West Europe, the European Union helps turn cooperation between regions into a practical tool for addressing common environmental and territorial challenges.
Six local authorities, five countries, one shared ambition
Streets2030 brings together six local authorities from Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands:
Bremen, Germany
Galway, Ireland
Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Nantes Métropole, France
The Haute-Saône Department, France
Each territory brings its own geographical, climatic and mobility context. Their participation allows the project to consider a variety of urban and regional challenges, from cycling and walking infrastructure in larger urban areas to active mobility needs in smaller towns and less densely populated territories.
The partnership also includes three technical organisations: Cerema, which coordinates the project, the Belgian Road Research Centre, alongside Polis, the European network of cities and regions working on transport innovation.
By connecting local authorities with technical expertise and a European network, Streets2030 aims to develop knowledge that can be adapted to different territorial contexts rather than relying on a single, one-size-fits-all solution.
From European cooperation to practical local action
The work of Streets2030 is therefore structured around three complementary stages: Asses, Test and Build.
First, partners will assess the climate resilience of existing infrastructure for walking and cycling and identify opportunities for adaptation (Work Package 1). They will then explore and test green and grey infrastructure solutions on pilot sites of each partner city. Taking an integrated approach, the goal will be to improve the climate resilience of their active travel (walking, cycling) infrastructure (Work Package 2). Finally, the project will develop capacity-building through training resources, technical guidance and knowledge-sharing materials to help practitioners apply the lessons learned (Work Package 3).
This approach uses European cooperation to meet the needs of local communities. The aim is not simply to exchange ideas, but to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to plan, design and manage streets that remain safe, accessible, green and attractive under changing climate conditions.
The project's findings and resources are intended to support wider knowledge transfer across North-West Europe, extending the potential benefits beyond the participating territories.
Working together for a more resilient Europe
Streets2030 illustrates how European cooperation can help local authorities respond to challenges that cross borders. By combining EU support, local experience and technical expertise, the project seeks to contribute to a more climate-resilient approach to active mobility infrastructure.
Ultimately, making streets more resilient is about more than protecting roads and cycle paths. It is about supporting reliable everyday journeys, maintaining accessible public spaces and helping green modes of transport like walking and cycling remain viable choices as the climate changes.
Together, European regions can learn from one another and build streets that are better prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.
Streets2030 is supported by the Interreg North-West Europe programme and the European Union.