Belfast

Emerging from over thirty turbulent years of political difficulties, Belfast’s dynamic skyline is proof of the success of government-backed projects. Bringing private and public money to the capital, it has turned the area into one of affluence and progress.

At the forefront of these projects is the rejuvenation of the waterfront, which incorporated the building of a £14m (€18m) weir to tackle the problem of exposed, malodorous mud-flats at low tide. With the amelioration of both the water quality and air around the River Lagan, tourists and residents alike can explore the facilities of the area without any unwanted olfactory experiences! The historic Cathedral Quarter is a hub for culture and the arts; the Odyssey (a £91m (€115m) leisure complex), with its bars, clubs, cinema and indoor arena, is popular amongst the young; even the Gasworks are now unrecognisable, having been transformed from a once contaminated inner-city location into a centre for national and multi-national companies. The regeneration of the area around the River Lagan has created 14,000 new jobs and attracted £900m (€1.1b) of investment.

Other note-worthy projects include the rejuvenation of Victoria Square (a retail, residential and leisure complex which is expected to welcome 17 million visitors a year, placing it amongst the top ten shopping centres in the UK) and the Titanic Quarter. The site which once hosted the construction of the infamous ship is to be turned into a 185 acre development of apartments, offices, hotels and the £44m (€56m) new campus of the Belfast Institute for Further and Higher Education by 2009.

Copenhagen and Malmö

Owing to an exciting collaboration between the Swedish and Danish governments, the Øresund region of Scandinavia now boasts one of the most pioneering life sciences centres in the world. Helped by the opening of the Øresund Bridge (which links Sweden’s Malmö with Denmark’s Copenhagen) in 2000, Øresund’s leading pharmaceutical companies, universities and hospitals have come together to create Medicon Valley, with the aim of sharing knowledge and technology, whilst bringing capital into the area.

Investment and workforce resources are available to aid start-up companies, but it’s not just businesses that are attracted to the area: around 10,000 researchers have made Medicon Valley their home, whilst 40,000 people in total have found employment in the region.

Emilia-Romagna

Freiburg

Blessed with sunshine, Freiburg’s environmentally-friendly developments have gained admiration across Europe. With solar panels adorning the roofs of both public and private buildings, Freiburg is the birthplace of Germany’s eco-revolution and a shining example of how to best make use of renewable energy sources.

Germany generates 14% of its power from renewable sources, putting the UK’s rate of 0.5% to shame. Financial benefits for both individuals and companies encourage the population to invest in energy from solar- or wind-powered sources. Known as the ‘feed-in law’, the producers of renewable energy are legally entitled to be connected to the national grid and have the guarantee of a highly subsidised, fixed rate for any surplus power which is produced.

Low energy efficiency standards must be met on all new houses built and public establishments such as the train station and even the premier league football club are solar powered. Local people have been known to join forces in order to become shareholders in wind turbines and free public transport encourages the population of the ground-breaking Vauban urban development to leave their cars behind.

Tallinn

Since the population sang its way to independence in 1991, Estonia has escaped its Eastern bloc shackles to become the European champion of the digital era. Tallinn is at the peak of this revolution with free internet access as standard and cell phone-enabled e-commerce made possible by digital ID cards. It’s not just lottery tickets, travel passes, drinks and countless other items that are purchased via SMS; the majority of bank transactions are carried out digitally. The customers of some banks can even transfer money to each other using their phones. 

The use of technology goes all the way to the top: government documents are reviewed on internet terminals and laptops in parliament and laws are filed electronically, putting an end to the paperwork and bureaucracy one would expect of governments. During the parliamentary election of 2007, Estonia became the first nation to allow electronic voting, a previous trial of the system having proved successful.

The best and brightest young IT professionals have congregated in Estonia’s capital to launch e-businesses. Both Kazaa (a file sharing programme) and Skype (the most popular way of making internet-based calls) have made Tallinn their home.