Sustainable cities are born not only from plans, but from better decisions, stronger collaborations and engaging communities.
The SUP4SUD project examines how sustainable urban development can be integrated into the daily planning and decision-making processes of European cities and regions. In the project, cities, regions, planning institutions, researchers and policy makers are working together to ensure that environmental, social and economic aspects do not appear in separate documents, but truly guide urban development decisions. As lead partner, WDFRD coordinates the international cooperation and examines how these good practices can also be utilised in Central Transdanubia.
Who is it useful for?
SUP4SUD is for those who not only create urban development plans, but want to build more liveable, sustainable and engaging urban environments.
Details
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- For local authorities
It can provide good practices and a fresh perspective for developing sustainable urban strategies and engaging local communities.
- For local authorities
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- For regional and national policy actors
It helps to understand how sustainability and social objectives can be integrated into policy instruments.
- For regional and national policy actors
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- For urban planning and development institutions
It offers international examples and methods for the development of strategic planning, monitoring and implementation.
- For urban planning and development institutions
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- For civil organisations and local communities
It provides a connection point for participatory planning and the meaningful involvement of local stakeholders.
- For civil organisations and local communities
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- For universities and research institutes
It offers professional knowledge sharing, research connectivity and international cooperation opportunities.
- For universities and research institutes
- For businesses involved in sustainable urban development
It may be relevant for businesses operating in the fields of green infrastructure, digital solutions, sustainable mobility and urban services.
Why is this needed?
Cities today are simultaneously grappling with environmental, social, economic, and community challenges; these cannot be addressed with isolated responses.
Details
Europe’s cities are facing increasingly complex challenges: climate change, air pollution, transport and housing problems, social inequalities, underutilised urban districts, and weak community participation. The challenge is to ensure that sustainability, social inclusion, participatory planning and transparent governance do not appear as separate goals, but are integrated into the everyday operation of urban and regional planning. For Central Transdanubia, this is particularly important because the region's urban structure is diverse: larger cities, industrial hubs, small towns, tourism settlements and agglomeration areas are all present. SUP4SUD provides an opportunity for the region to learn about international good practices in the fields of sustainable urban planning, green urban growth, social engagement and policy planning.
How does the project help?
SUP4SUD does not provide ready-made urban development recipes, but helps you find how to turn sustainability aspects into real decisions.
Details
The aim of SUP4SUD is to improve the local, regional and national policy instruments that support sustainable urban development. The project seeks to find out how to:
- align urban development, environmental and social goals;
- strengthen strategic planning capacities;
- involve local actors and communities;
- transfer good practices into other European urban environments;
- make the outcomes of sustainable urban development more measurable.
Practical application
The project becomes tangible when a city tries to reconcile green spaces, transport, community involvement and local economic aspects in a specific decision-making situation.
Details
Imagine a city that is preparing or updating a sustainable urban development strategy. It must simultaneously take into account green spaces, transport, energy efficiency, citizen engagement, social inequalities and the needs of the local economy. These aspects often appear in separate documents and separate decision-making processes. As a result, urban development can easily become fragmented. SUP4SUD can help the city learn from international examples, find participatory methods, better align its goals, and produce a strategy that functions not just as a document, but as a decision-support tool.
Our role
As the lead partner, KDRIÜ not only participates in the SUP4SUD project, but also coordinates the international learning process and the opportunities for regional utilisation.
Details
As a regional innovation agency, it examines how international urban development good practices and policy experiences can be made applicable to Central Transdanubia. In the project, one of KDRIÜ's key added values is that it acts as a bridge between the knowledge of European partners and the region's urban development, innovation, and policy actors. The aim is not only to communicate the project results, but also to transform them into understandable and usable knowledge for domestic stakeholders.
Partnership
The SUP4SUD partnership connects cities of various sizes, regions, planning institutions and research actors in a joint urban development learning process. The project is implemented by 12 municipal, regional, professional and research institute partners, complemented by an associated policy authority.
Details
Managing partner:
- Central Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency (KDRIÜ) – Hungary
- Northern and Western Regional Assembly – Ireland (Communications Manager)
- City of Mannheim – Germany
- Oslo Municipality – Norway
- Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan Spain
- Chisinau City Hall – Moldova
- Krakow Metropolis Association – Poland
- The Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR Prague) – Czechia
- Pablo de Olavide University – Spain (consulting partner)
- City of Tallinn – Estonia
- Ialoveni City Hall – Moldova (discovery partner)
- Avanhard settlement hromada of Odesa district of Odesa region Ukraine
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda – Spain
Are you interested in the project?
For further information, please visit the official project page or contact the project manager.
Official project page
Programme
- Interreg Europe
Full project title
- SUP4SUD – Strategic Urban Planning for Sustainable Development
Status
- Under implementation
Maturity period
- 1 May 2025 – 31 July 2029.
Project
ID
- 03C0988
Project participants
Ákos Szépvölgyi
managing director
Dr Gabriella Baráth
lead project coordinator
Results and related knowledge base materials
The results of SUP4SUD help to ensure that sustainable urban development is not just a strategic goal, but usable knowledge built on good practices, studies, and decision-maker guidelines. The results of SUP4SUD will continuously expand as the project progresses.
Details
- Collection of good practices
Examples of sustainable urban planning, participatory planning, strategic governance and monitoring. - Baseline Study
Mapping the challenges, policy instruments and learning needs of the participating regions and cities. - Experiences vs Learning Needs Matching Study
Examination of which partners can learn the most from which experiences and good practices. - Policy Improvement Assessment
Recommendations and feedback on policy developments designed by partners. - Guidelines for Policy Makers
A guide for decision-makers on the strategic integration of sustainable urban development. - Newsletters and press materials
Current project news, events, partner experiences and results.
Baseline study – Strategic urban planning for sustainable development
The baseline study of the SUP4SUD Interreg Europe project, which presents the sustainable urban development strategies, practices and learning needs of the 12 partner regions – including WTRDA – laying the foundations for the international exchange of experience.
- 2026
- SUP4SUD partnership
Related communication content
SUP4SUD – Newsletter #2
The second newsletter of the SUP4SUD project (May 2026)
- 2026
- SUP4SUD partnership
SUP4SUD – Newsletter #1
The first newsletter of the SUP4SUD project (November 2025).
- 2024
- SUP4SUD partnership
SUP4SUD project brochure
A brochure presenting the SUP4SUD project.
- 2026
- Northern and Western Regional Assembly (Ireland)