Who we are and what drives our work
The Clean City Initiative is a Brussels-based NGO founded in 2019 by a group of urban planners, environmental scientists, and climate policy researchers. We work with European municipalities to implement evidence-based sustainability projects — from planting trees to deploying air quality sensors to redesigning transport infrastructure.
Our approach is simple: we do the research, build the tools, and help cities use them. Everything we produce is open-source, freely licensed, and designed for real-world implementation by municipal teams with limited budgets.
To make European cities greener, healthier, and more equitable through practical, scalable urban sustainability projects backed by rigorous research.
We don't parachute in with solutions. Every project starts with a 3–6 month assessment phase where we work alongside local planning teams, understand their constraints, and co-design interventions that fit their budget, climate, and political context. Our toolkits are templates, not prescriptions.
Executive Director
Urban planning PhD (TU Delft). Former adviser to the City of Freiburg. Founded Clean City after 15 years in municipal sustainability policy.
Head of Research
Environmental scientist, specialising in urban heat islands and green infrastructure. Previously at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies.
Technical Lead
Sensor networks and data platforms. Built the AirWatch monitoring system. Background in IoT engineering and environmental monitoring.
Project Manager — Southern Europe
Coordinates Porto and Barcelona partnerships. Water systems specialist with experience in WASH projects across the Mediterranean.
Policy Analyst
Transport policy and low-emission zone expertise. Co-authored the LEZ Implementation Toolkit. Former policy officer at the European Environment Agency.
Communications
Stakeholder engagement and citizen outreach. Designs public communication campaigns for our partner cities. Journalism background.
Clean City is funded through a combination of EU Horizon grants, national research council funding, and philanthropic support. We do not accept funding from fossil fuel companies, automobile manufacturers, or their affiliated foundations.
Current funders: EU Horizon Europe, Belgian National Science Foundation (FNRS), Dutch Research Council (NWO), European Climate Foundation.