The first-ever Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative will equip City of Turku with the capabilities to tackle local challenges, marshal new solutions, and deliver results.
City of Turku has been selected to join the inaugural class of the Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative, the first-ever professional leadership and management program designed specifically for the region’s mayors and municipal officials. Mayor of Turku Piia Elo is one of 30 mayors and 60 city officials total who hail from 17 countries, serving over 21 million residents, selected to participate.
Established and led by Bloomberg Philanthropies together with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative will be delivered by LSE Cities in collaboration with the Hertie School in Berlin. The program will provide cities with pioneering expertise to tackle problems, modernize services, strengthen operations, and improve people’s lives – advancing progress on the issues—from housing to transit to youth outcomes—residents care most about.
In the program, we will address the prevention of segregation and the promotion of inclusion, especially among young people
“It is a success and an honor for Turku to be included in the program. It recognizes the importance of cities in solving complex problems, and its focus areas are well suited to issues that are important to Turku. In the program, we will address the prevention of segregation and the promotion of inclusion, especially among young people, which is directly in line with our Mayor's program,” says Mayor Piia Elo.
“We continue to expand our municipal leadership programs globally, because we've seen how well they work – and we want more cities to benefit,” says Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies and 108th mayor of New York City. “As Europe increasingly looks to local governments to lead, we’re glad to join forces with the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Hertie School on this new initiative. Together, we can bring mayors and senior officials the tools, training, and peer networks they need to take on their biggest challenges – and succeed.”
National and global policies increasingly require local progress – and in recent years, Europe’s municipalities have served as intermediaries for infrastructure, resilience, and more. Still, they face a confluence of challenges. While attending to the fundamentals, they must also mitigate climate shocks, stem building shortages, manage rising costs, and meet growing resident demands alongside navigating complex central government rules and slow bureaucracies with strained budgets and stretched capacity.
The data underscores the need: 86% of mayors surveyed by Eurocities report that their city will have to innovate to overcome a lack of resources to deliver on their priorities—and two thirds rank leadership and commitment from mayors and senior municipal officers as the most important factors to achieve this.
Cities are where our most complex, urgent challenges show up first, and so where real solutions often start.
The Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative will equip the participating cities with the strategies, skills, and networks to meet the moment.
“Cities are where our most complex, urgent challenges show up first, and so where real solutions often start,” says Professor Larry Kramer, President and Vice Chancellor of LSE. “Mayors across Europe are looking to lead—but to address the unique problems they face and deliver on new opportunities that emerge, they need sharp management, strong teams, and the skills to innovate. This is precisely what the Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative will help provide. I am deeply grateful to Mike Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies for their steadfast commitment to strengthening local governments here in the UK and across the globe. This Initiative is a testament to their visionary thinking—and to the enduring partnership between our two organizations to help the continent’s mayors push further and do more.”
Mayor Piia Elo participates in a four-day convening beginning today, October 6, in London. The next meeting of the Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative will be held in Berlin in December 2025. Markus Kalmari, Director of Sports Services, and Pasi Ahola, City Secretary, will participate from Turku. They represent a group of ten Turku City employees who, with the support of the program, are developing new solutions to reduce segregation and increase community spirit in Turku. The aim is to find ways to utilize urban planning, sports services, and other leisure activities to increase social cohesion and vitality.