Bydgoszcz

Polska

Twin city Mission minded city
Population 324k
City Area 176 km²
City active since September 2025

Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland, located along the Brda and Vistula rivers and known for its waterways, green spaces and industrial heritage. The city has a temperate continental climate, with warm summers, cold winters and increasing exposure to heavy rainfall, heatwaves and flooding risks linked to its river system.

As a regional economic and transport centre, Bydgoszcz faces the challenge of modernising infrastructure and reducing emissions while maintaining sustainable urban growth. Water plays a central role in the city’s identity and climate strategy, shaping both adaptation measures and urban planning priorities.

The municipality is working to improve energy efficiency, expand sustainable mobility and strengthen environmental resilience. Investments in public transport, greener public spaces and water management infrastructure are helping the city respond to climate impacts while improving liveability and air quality. Efforts to protect biodiversity and integrate nature-based solutions are also becoming increasingly important.

Bydgoszcz’s approach combines urban regeneration with climate action, using its rivers and green networks as assets for resilience and quality of life. Through cooperation with local institutions, businesses and residents, the city is building a pathway towards a more climate-neutral and adaptable future.

Bydgoszcz have participated in numerous interregional EU projects. eg. :

  • DUET: Driving Urban Energy Together (funded by EUKI) - The aim of the DUET project is to develop energy management systems in cities through the use of IT-supported tools.
  • MySMARTLife: Smart Transition of EU cities towards a new concept of smart Life and Economy (funded by Horizon 2020) – As a follower city, Bydgoszcz learned from the experiences of leading cities (such as Helsinki, Hamburg and Nantes) in preparing its own plans for the transformation of the city.
  • eNeuron: greEN Energy hUbs for local integRated energy cOmmunities optimizatioN (funded by Horizon 2020) - The aim of the eNeuron project is to develop innovative tools to optimise the design and operation of local energy systems, with a focus on the efficient integration of distributed energy sources.
  • CitiEnGov: Cities for a good energy governance, (Interreg Central Europe)- The project aimed to a better management of sustainable energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) and climate change mitigation amongst public administration through the setting up of energy unit as horizontal service In addition promoted the share of experience and approaches for SEAP monitoring and implementation; developing ICT solutions for the best exploitation of energy data already available but not always used correctly or shared; investigating and testing incentives to strengthen energy policies and strategies
  • Energy@School, Energy Optimization And Behaviuor Change Into Schools Of Central Europe (Interreg Central Europe) The main objective of the project was the efficient energy management of school buildings
  • LIFE-MAPPINGAIR/PL: Do you know what you are breathing - information and education campaign for cleaner air (funded by LIFE) - The aim of the project was to build an educational platform on air quality issues in the project area and, based on this, to conduct an educational campaign on air quality issues in urbanised areas.
  • EMMA: Enhancing freight Mobility and logistics in the BSR by strengthening inland waterway and river sea transport and proMoting new internAtional shipping services (Interreg Baltic Sea Region) - The main objective of the project was to raise awareness among freight market participants and decision-makers about the opportunities and benefits of using inland waterways for freight transport.
  • 2050CliMobCity: 2050 Climate-friendly Mobility in Cities (funded by Interreg Europe) - The project was concerned with climate change mitigation in the area of urban mobility.  
  • and so on: https://www.bydgoszcz.pl/rozwoj-i-srodowisko/projekty-miedzynarodowe/

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