City Comparisons
Visualising urban challenges across Europe
Which European cities provide the most affordable daycare for children? Where are young people moving, and which cities, on the contrary, are aging? Where is it most difficult for people to pay their housing bills and heat their flats?
Our data visualizations designed by the Tagesspiegel Innovation Lab show how European cities are dealing with the most pressing urban challenges of our time. Explore the interactive graphics and local insights from reporters all over Europe in the articles below.
Analysing drug consumption through wastewater data
The corona pandemic is over, and the consumption of cocaine is skyrocketing. This conclusion is drawn from wastewater analysis data, which estimates illicit drug consumption in European cities. The study conducted by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is the largest of its kind. Which drugs are trending the most across 94 European cities?
- Unprecented cocaine consumption by Tagesspiegel, Germany
- Rotterdam is European leader in cannabis use. Many Dutch cities in top 5 also with cocaine use by NRC, Netherlands
- More cocaine, but less meth in Vienna by ORF, Austria
- Czech cities continue to lead in meth consumption by Deník Referendum, Czechia
- Drugs in the wastewater. “After the pandemic we are seeing more and more people with a drug problem” by Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland
Construction business in crisis
Europe’s residential construction business is in a major slump. The reason for this is surging construction prices and high interest rates. In many European Cities it means that building new flats is becoming increasingly difficult. Our comparison of the data on construction costs and building permits reveals where the building sector is hit the most.
- The exploding construction costs are making housing construction increasingly unfeasible by Tagesspiegel
- Construction crisis: Carpenter Carl Holmén saved nine jobs – but has to leave by Göteborgs-Posten, Sweden
- Developer Teddy demolishes villa and builds terraced house despite high costs by iTromsø, Norway
Tourism after covid through data from Airbnb
How has the pandemic changed tourism in Europe? Our analysis of Eurostat’s data collected from bookings on travel and hotel platforms reveals that tourism reached pre-pandemic levels already in 2022 all over Europe. However, some cities have not yet recovered. Why is that, and what new challenges are cities facing after the pandemic?
- Tourism across Europe is above pre-Corona levels – but not in the cities by Tagesspiegel, Germany
- Tourism in Europe is returning to pre-pandemic levels. But not here by Denik Referendum, Czechia
- Tourism picks up after pandemic. Poland can count on a bonus for solidarity with Ukrainian refugees by Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland
The unequal access to childcare in European capitals
In which cities do parents pay the most for kindergartens? And how many places are available for small children? We have mapped the availability of kindergartens and different regulations concerning childcare across seven European capitals. The result is: the access to daycare varies immensely.
- Childcare in European capitals compared: How differently children are cared for by Tagesspiegel, Germany
- Pre-school childcare: how does it vary across European cities? by Denik Referendum, Czechia
- More than half of Brussels toddlers find no place in childcare by Apache, Belgium
Ageing cities: where the young are missing
Europe is not getting any younger. But why does Copenhagen have the largest share of people under 35? And what challenges has the exodus of young skilled people brought to Eastern European regions? We have analyzed the populations of young and elderly people to determine which cities are getting younger and which are ageing.
- Demographic change: These capitals are getting younger, these are ageing by Tagesspiegel
- All roads no longer lead to Rome. Which capital cities attract the young? by Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland
- Demographic data show ugly trends, with some parts of the country heading towards depopulation by Telex, Hungary
- Young population mitigates Brussels urban exodus by Apache, Belgium
- In Darndale, Locals Point to Ways to Make Village Centre More Accessible for Older People by Dublin Inquirer, Ireland
The double-crisis of energy and housing costs
Even before the Russian invasion, many people were already paying too much of their income for housing. Our analysis shows which countries are most endangered by energy poverty, using data on housing overburden rates and the inability to keep houses warm.
- The gas crisis could further exacerbate the housing shortage in many cities by Tagesspiegel, Germany
- Some European cities have seen gas prices rise by 268 percent in a year by Telex, Hungary
- The energy crisis: which European countries are most vulnerable? by Denik Referendum, Czechia
- Spiking gas price stings across Europe by Apache, Belgium
Shrinking countryside, booming cities
Nearly 75 percent of Europeans live in urban areas, a number expected to reach nearly 85 percent by 2050. In a global comparison, cities in Europe are still growing only slowly. Nevertheless, growing cities are bringing many challenges, particularly regarding housing and traffic. Where is the population in Europe still growing, and where will it decline?
- Where Europe’s population is growing and where it is shrinking by Tagesspiegel, Germany
- Small old Europe in a crowded young world by Reporters United, Greece
- How Europe’s population is evolving by ORF, Austria
- Where in Europe will the human population grow and which countries will continue to depopulate? by Aktuality, Slovakia