Listening to Cities: Insights from the 2025 City Experiment Fund Cohort 

How do cities understand the needs of their citizens – and turn those insights into meaningful action? 
  
As part of the 2025 cycle of the City Experiment Fund (CEF), ten cities across Europe and Central Asia embarked on a community listening journey to explore how cities can meaningfully engage communities. 
 
The CEF is a UNDP-led initiative that works with cities in the Europe and Central Asia region to tackle complex urban challenges through strategic innovation and experimentation. CEF is made possible with the financial support of the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic. 

Over the course of several weeks, representatives from local authorities in Armenia, Kosovo[1], Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Ukraine took part in a community listening training, followed by a month-long engagement phase. Over four weeks, city teams conducted 300+ conversations with residents, community leaders, public officials, entrepreneurs, and activists to understand how urban challenges are experienced across different groups and what kind of future citizens want to see for their cities. 

This process revealed a wealth of perspectives, concerns, and ideas that will help shape each city’s Twin Transition Portfolio – a set of experiments and initiatives at the intersection of green and digital transformation. 

What Cities Heard 

Despite their diversity, many cities voiced similar concerns. Across the region, people spoke about the need for cleaner air, better waste management, reliable transport systems, and inclusive urban spaces. They highlighted the urgency of addressing youth migration, employment insecurity, and weak infrastructure, while also envisioning cities that are greener, more connected, and full of opportunities. 

Residents consistently expressed pride in their local identity, community spirit, and natural surroundings. From Stepanavan’s “small Switzerland” image in Armenia to the lively rhythm of Pristina, the listening process uncovered how deeply citizens value nature, culture, and safety as foundations for a good life. Gender and inclusion also emerged as cross-cutting themes: in many cities, women remain underrepresented in decision-making, yet are often at the forefront of community life, education, and civic engagement. 

A Shared Aspiration: Greener, More Livable, and Inclusive Cities 

Across the ten participating cities, one vision stood out – to build cleaner, greener, and more inclusive communities where people want to stay and thrive. Whether through circular economy models in North Macedonia, green energy transitions in Montenegro, or digital innovation and governance in Ukraine, each city identified pathways toward sustainable urban transformation. The insights collected through the listening process will now help teams design local portfolios that respond directly to people’s lived realities – turning listening into action. 

“Community listening is more than a data exercise. It’s about empathy, curiosity, and reimagining development from the citizen’s perspective,” said the CEF team. “It helps cities not only identify problems but also uncover opportunities for innovation rooted in people’s daily experiences.” 

The Community Listening Report consolidates key findings and themes emerging across the cohort, serving as a shared resource for cities, partners, and practitioners interested in community-centered approaches to urban innovation. 

Read the full report here.

Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Vid Stimac from the UNDP Serbia Country Office, for supporting the transcription and translation of 300+ interviews with AI tools to enable the synthesis of insights. 

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[1] References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999)