Regional Policy Inforegio

Urban Audit

Initiated by Directorate-General for Regional Policy, the European Urban Audit involves 27 National Statistical Offices working together under Eurostat coordination. Data are collected on more than 300 variables describing the quality of life in 300 European cities. Based on this unique data collection, a report has been produced. Complementary information has also been gathered through a survey on how inhabitants perceive quality of life in their city.

The Urban Audit

In June 1999, the Commission conducted a data collection of comparable indicators in European cities. In the course of this "Urban Audit Pilot Project" 450 variables were collected for the 58 largest cities.

The first full-scale European Urban Audit took place in 2003 and 2004, following an evaluation of this pilot project. It led to a more focussed list of variables and a significant expansion of participating cities, covering over 250 cities in the EU27.

A new round of Urban Audit data collection started in May 2006 and will be completed in September 2007. The collection of quantitative information on the quality of life in European cities will take place every three years.

The State of European Cities Report

Based on the first full-scale Urban Audit, a study has been contracted to add value to the data collection. It was started in January 2006 and finalised in April 2007.

The 'State of European Cities Report' has been prepared in this context by ECOTEC Research and Consulting Ltd, in cooperation with NordRegio and Eurofutures, following a call for tenders.

The report builds on a unique collection of urban statistics. It provides in-depth analysis of gathered demographic, economic and social statistics. It exploits other available data, for example on education level, civic involvement and environment. It also provides a typology of European cities, which allows urban audit cities to find other cities with which to compare themselves .

Read the Report

Executive Summary

Perception survey on quality of life in 70 European Cities

A survey was conducted in November 2006 to measure the local perceptions of quality of life in 75 cities. It includes 70 cities in the 27 Member States of the European Union and 5 cities in Croatia and Turkey.

A number of issues such as employment, environment, housing, transport, culture, city services and immigration are addressed by this survey.

Survey - June 2007 - annex

Proceedings of the workshop "Quality of life in European Cities: facts and perceptions" - OPEN DAYS 2007 - October 11 -

"Perceptions of quality of life in 75 European Cities: a European survey", by Corinne Hermant-de-Callataÿ (DG Regional Policy, European Commission)
"Comparison across cities: the example of German cooperation", by Klaus Trutzel (German city network KOSIS)
"The emotional capital and desirability of European cities", by Robert Manchin (Gallup Europe)
"Life and Governance in European Cities", by Jan Marten De Vet and Simon Roy (ECOTEC)
"Urbanisation and its impact on Quality of Place in Europe", by Judith Borsboom (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency)
"Aiming at high-quality statistical information on Urban Europe – Achievements and challenges", by Teodora Brandmüller (Eurostat, European Commission)