As Europe faces the growing challenges of climate change, the urgency to address rising urban temperatures is clear. Cities, home to most Europeans, are at the forefront, grappling with the urban heat island effect, extreme heatwaves, and increasing related energy consumption. To create resilient, equitable, and climate-neutral cities, we must adopt a transformative approach. This document builds on the Aalborg Conditions which is the strategic vision put out by ICLEI Europe during the 10th European Sustainable Cities and Towns Conference to highlight enabling conditions that cities and regions need in order to guarantee
a climate neutral, equitable, competitive and resilient Europe.
It outlines strategies to “cool” EU cities, drawing from the Aalborg Conditions to establish guiding principles for sustainable energy systems to contribute to climate resilience and social equity. The following Core Principles steer this transition, emphasising local and shared governance, innovative cooling solutions, inclusive participation, and data-driven accountability.