The Urban Journalism Network is a collaborative initiative bringing together journalists, urbanists, data specialists, and designers from across Europe to investigate issues affecting cities. Operating across 10 to 15 European media outlets, the network traces its origins to "Cities for Rent," an investigation into corporate landlords in European capitals that won the European Press Prize in 2022. This project's success prompted the team to formalize into a broader network dedicated to urban challenges.
Based in Prague, the network focuses on housing crises as its primary investigation area over the past five years. Beyond this core focus, members publish regular data-driven stories examining demographics, migration, and energy challenges facing European cities. The approach combines quantitative analysis with ground-level reporting, recognizing that 75 percent of Europeans live in urban environments sharing common problems.
The organization distinguishes itself through technical innovation, developing tools for cross-border data collection and visualization across multiple languages. The network also experiments with artificial intelligence to enhance reporting methods and publishing techniques. Its investigations have earned recognition beyond the European Press Prize, receiving multiple award nominations for innovation in journalism.
The network operates a flexible freelance model, offering six-month positions with extension possibilities for data journalists, graphic designers, and investigative reporters. Members work remotely with regular in-person meetings across European cities, emphasizing collaboration between international and local journalists. This structure enables the network to maintain a distributed team while coordinating complex, multinational investigations into urban phenomena that transcend national borders, making findings comparable and actionable across Europe's diverse contexts.