Copenhagen's climate resilience and tourism models inspire European cities

Copenhagen has been recognized as the world's most livable city in 2025 by the Economist Intelligence Unit Global Liveability Index. This ranking follows the city's implementation of the Cloudburst Management Plan, a collaborative strategy developed after massive flooding in 2011. The plan integrates nature-based and technical solutions, transforming streets, parks, and squares into multifunctional spaces that manage heavy rainfall while providing recreational areas for citizens.

Inspired by Copenhagen's CopenPay concept, which rewards guests for sustainable behavior, the German city of Rostock is exploring a similar model called ‘RostockPay’. Managed by a task force including sustainability manager Mila Zarkh, the initiative aims to incentivize eco-friendly travel. A potential pilot project could offer rewards, such as upcycled bags, to tourists who arrive by train. Similar models have already been tested in Bremen through ‘BremenPay’, which provided discounts and city tours to promote sustainable arrival methods.