What is the Charter?
The Charter for Designing Liveable Cities lies at the heart of the Liveability Project. It expresses our shared vision of what a liveable city looks and feels like — and offers practical guidance for everyone working in public administration.
The Charter helps us reflect on how we can collaborate with citizens, businesses, and civil society organisations to make our cities more liveable. It serves as a starting point for conversations about what liveability means — both within our administrations and across our communities.
Rooted in Public Interest Design (PID) and guided by the Liveability DesignApproach (LDA)., the Charter combines design principles such as curiosity and empathy with democratic values like trust, transparency, and collaboration.
Our aim is to strengthen key qualities of liveable cities — from emotional well-being and creativity to healthy green and blue infrastructure and active participation — so that cities and their inhabitants can truly thrive.
Introduction to The Charter for Designing Liveable Cities
In this video, Change Agent Anna Emil from our partner city Kiel (Germany) introduces the Charter for Designing Liveable Cities and explains how it supports the journey towards more liveable communities.
The 6 Liveability Principles
We have developed six guiding principles to support public administrations on their journey towards greater liveability.
These principles offer orientation and inspiration for integrating liveability into everyday work.
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Design for the Public Good – Focus on solutions that benefit society as a whole.
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Integrated and Holistic Planning – Connect different policy areas to achieve coherent, sustainable outcomes.
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Sustainable Strategic City Management – Plan long-term with social, ecological, and economic balance in mind.
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Strengthen Trust, Transparency, Communication, and Collaboration – Build open, cooperative relationships within and beyond city administrations.
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Co-design with Citizens – Involve residents directly in shaping their city’s future.
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Become a Learning City or Municipality – Foster innovation, reflection, and continuous improvement.
These principles guide our daily actions and help steer our cities toward becoming more liveable, inclusive, and resilient.
They are explained in greater detail in the Charter for Designing Liveable Cities.
The 8 Characteristics of a Liveable City
Inspired by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Leipzig Charter, and the OECD Better Life Index, we have identified eight key characteristics that describe what makes a city truly liveable.
Each city will express these qualities differently, depending on local priorities and context — but together, they reflect the needs and aspirations of the people who live there.
Together Towards Liveable Cities
The Charter is both a framework and an invitation — to reflect, collaborate, and act. By applying these principles and characteristics, we can create cities that are more humane, sustainable, and inspiring places to live.
1. Safety and security
Safe city, low crime rates, quiet/little noise, reliable infrastructure and regulated traffic, no military tensions or unrest, all conflicts are settled with arguments, affordable medical care of high quality etc.
2. Availability, accessibility, and reachability
Accessible routes, well-developed public transport, safe roads as well as foot and cycle paths, close municipality services, affordable housing, human-centered city planning and design – for all needs.
3. Green, blue, and healthy infrastructure
Lots of greenery and water, close to nature, sustainable, climate-neutral, and resilient, Clean, enough places of recreation for everyone, keep benefits from a functioning ecosystem, outdoor sports on offer.
4. Emotional wellbeing
Being part of welcoming, pluralistic and democratic community with shared values and respect
5. Diversity and Unity
A diverse society where everybody can reach their full potential, a society free from discrimination,integrated and interdisciplinary, public spaces where both the elderly and youth are welcome.
6. Attractiveness
Good education and job opportunities, possibilities for entrepreneurship, lively places for all age groups, tidiness and aesthetics, positive communication and image, openminded and welcoming for all people, public spaces as platforms for artistic expression, cultural events and the exchange of ideas, spectrum of shopping facilities, wide variety of restaurants and cafés.
7. Creativity and participation
Bottom-up governance, use innovative and creative methods for participation and co-creation of places, foster a culture of experimentation, promote creative networks.
8. Care and trust
Create places that are oriented towards the common good and free of charge, resilient communities where people care for and trust each other, people can trust each other to treat common goods with respect and care for everyone’s good.