Archive:Urban Europe — statistics on cities, towns and suburbs — introduction

This chapter is part of an online publication that is based on Eurostat’s flagship publication Urban Europe — statistics on cities, towns and suburbs (which also exists as a PDF). It contains a set of contextual and background information that may help readers to assimilate more easily the information presented in the subsequent chapters, including:

background information on urban development policies at a global level;
similar information relating to the European policy context;
methodological information outlining some of the key concepts and territorial typologies applied to European statistics on urban territories;
background information relating to the presentation of data, Eurostat’s online databases and access to other online resources.

Urban developments — a global policy context

Globally, the United Nations (UN) supports urban development initiatives that assist in the planning and building of a better urban future through support for economic growth and social development, while targeting reductions in poverty and social inequalities. UN-Habitat is a programme designed to encourage socially and environmentally sustainable development through the provision of human settlements that provide adequate shelter for all.

In 1976, the UN General Assembly convened the Habitat I conference in the Canadian city of Vancouver, as governments acknowledged a need for sustainable human settlements and the consequences of rapid urbanisation, as endorsed through the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements (1976).

In 1996, the Habitat II conference took place in Istanbul (Turkey), and resulted in the adoption of the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements (otherwise known as the Habitat Agenda), a global plan designed to provide adequate shelter for all, while acknowledging that sustainable human settlements could drive economic development in an urbanising world. The conference recognised that cities were the engines of global growth and that urbanisation was an opportunity, while calling for a stronger role for local authorities in relation to urban development policies and recognising the power of (local) participation.

More recently, UN-Habitat has worked on formulating an urban vision for the future, based on the premise that cities should become inclusive and affordable drivers of economic growth and social development in the face of unprecedented demographic, environmental, economic, social and spatial challenges.

The Habitat III conference will be convened in Quito (Ecuador) later this year (in October 2016). It aims to bring together a full range of actors to rethink appropriate policies that embrace urbanisation, while bridging the physical gap between urban, peri-urban and rural areas. The objective of the conference is to secure a renewed political commitment for sustainable urban development, through the adoption of a New Urban Agenda that seeks to provide a forward-looking, measurable action plan for urban development within the context of the UN’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development. For more information: Habitat III.

Sustainable development goals (SDGs)

On 1 January 2016, a list of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) which form part of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development came into force. These goals apply universally to all countries and the UN hopes that the global community will mobilise its efforts to ensure an end to all forms of poverty, to fight inequalities, and to tackle climate change. However, the implementation and success of the goals depends, to a large degree, on sustainable development policies, plans and programmes in individual countries. The list of 17 SDGs may be summarised as follows: no poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; peace, justice and strong institutions; partnerships for the goals.

There is a specific SDG that concerns sustainable cities and communities, namely, Goal 11, which is ‘to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’; as such, this particular goal is closely aligned with the Europe 2020 growth strategy ‘to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy’. If cities are to deliver such sustainable growth, then the UN suggests that this will need to be done by allowing cities to continue to thrive and grow, while improving resource use and reducing pollution and poverty, thereby creating cities of opportunities, with access for all to a range of basic services, energy, housing and transportation. For more information: UN sustainable-development-goals.

The UN has designated the 31st October as World Cities Day. It is designed to promote the international community’s interest in global urban developments, with a different theme selected each year, to promote success stories linked to urbanisation trends and to address specific challenges that result from urbanisation. The first World Cities Day was celebrated in the Chinese city of Shanghai in October 2014, under the title of ‘Leading urban transformations’, while a year later celebrations took place in the Italian city of Milano, under the title of ‘Designed to live together’. For more information: World Cities Day.

Urban developments — an EU policy context

Within an European Union (EU) policy context, there are a broad range of issues and challenges that face the Union which have a disproportionate impact on urban areas, for example, social exclusion, migration and environmental degradation. Europe’s cities and towns can, potentially, provide solutions to many of these challenges, as they provide meeting points/hubs where people, businesses and resources can cooperate and innovate. Despite the potential of urban areas to stimulate the EU’s economic, social and cultural development, there was, until recently, a lack of political will or policy initiatives in this domain; this may be linked, at least in part, to the fact that there is no legal basis for urban policy in the treaties of the EU.

An EU urban agenda

The European Commission adopted a Communication titled, Towards an urban agenda in the European Union (COM(1997) 197 final)) almost 20 years ago. However, policy discussions relating to urban development have historically been largely confined to informal meetings.

In 2007, agreement was reached on the Leipzig charter which called for the sustainable development of European cities through greater use of urban policy approaches, with the goal of ensuring that cities become healthy and pleasant places to live, while placing a specific focus on deprived urban neighbourhoods (for this purpose, a web-based tool was developed to enable the implementation of the Leipzig charter, the Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities (RFSC)).

This was followed, in 2010, by the Toledo declaration which highlighted the role that may be played by cities for developing a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy through urban regeneration projects, thereby linking the Leipzig charter to the objectives of the EU’s growth strategy, namely, Europe 2020. The Toledo declaration provided further stimulus for change, as city-level and regional stakeholders increasingly stressed that policymaking should: better reflect the reality that almost three quarters of the EU’s population was living in urban areas; take account of the need for more effective coordination in relation to issues that impact urban areas; support the efforts of local, regional, national and EU levels of governance to develop a common framework for urban initiatives, namely, an EU urban agenda.

In 2012, additional recognition was given to the role that may be played by urban areas, as the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional Policy changed its name to the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, with the goal of ensuring cities play their full part in EU economic, social and territorial developments. One of its key tasks is to oversee European territorial programmes (development, cohesion, social and solidarity funds). At least 50 % of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), some EUR 80–90 billion, will be invested in urban areas through mainstream operational programmes during the period 2014–20, while at least 5 % of national allocations from the ERDF are earmarked for integrated sustainable urban development to ensure that it is a priority in each of the EU Member States. This increased prominence given to urban areas has also led to an increasing number of sectoral EU policies explicitly targeting urban areas, for example: education, transport, energy, the information society, the environment and climate change. At the same time, the profile of cities in the EU has been raised through a number of other initiatives, including: the European capital of culture, the European capital of innovation, or the European green capital.

In February 2014, the European Commission organised a forum for stakeholders, CITIES — Cities of tomorrow: investing in Europe. Its aim was to encourage dialogue and to discuss how the urban dimension of EU policymaking could be strengthened, in particular, through an EU urban agenda. The forum concluded that any future urban agenda should aim to provide:

a framework to guide urban actions, bringing coherence to the diverse range of initiatives and policies;
an instrument to involve cities and their political leaders in EU policymaking and implementation;
a methodology tool for developing and integrating the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy with cities’ own strategies.

The results of the forum, coupled with the support of EU Member States, the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, city and regional representative associations, and cities themselves, indicated a readiness to move forward with the process. In the summer of 2014, the European Commission presented a Communication titled, The urban dimension of EU policies — Key features of an EU urban agenda (COM(2014) 490 final), which was designed to widen the debate through a consultation phase regarding the objectives and functioning of any future urban agenda.

After a period of consultation/negotiation, the EU’s urban agenda was officially launched at the end of May 2016, as part of the Pact of Amsterdam. To coincide with the launch, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency released a publication on Cities in Europe.

The EU’s urban agenda focuses on better regulation, better funding and better knowledge-exchange and provides: an updated understanding of urban development (the so-called urban acquis); a list of priority areas upon which to focus cooperation; and a working method defining what is to be done, the role of key actors and the governance of the process. It is designed to ensure that EU legislation better reflects urban needs, practices and responsibilities without the creation of any new EU legislation, organisations or funds. Its key delivery mechanism is urban partnerships, which will eventually be set up for 12 different themes, covering: jobs and skills in the local economy, urban poverty, housing, the inclusion of migrants and refugees, sustainable use of land and nature-based solutions, the circular economy, climate adaptation, energy transition, urban mobility, air quality, digital transition, and innovative and responsible public procurement. The first four pilot partnerships have already been launched, covering: air quality, housing, urban poverty and the inclusion of migrants and refugees; these will run for a three-year period.

The agenda also foresees that the complexity of urban challenges requires the integration of a range of transversal issues across different policy aspects in order to avoid contradictory consequences, for example, in relation to: governance across administrative boundaries; societal change; urban regeneration; or international dimensions. Finally, the agenda also calls upon the European Commission to establish a ‘one-stop shop’ for all matters regarding the urban agenda, gathering information on EU programmes, policies and initiatives that affect urban areas. For more information: Pact of Amsterdam

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is committed to the implementation of the EU’s urban agenda. Indeed, the EU’s urban agenda aims to create a more integrated approach to the policymaking and legislation that affects towns, cities and all sizes of urban areas in order to eliminate existing overlaps and inconsistencies, and involve towns and cities and local and regional authorities more closely in the decision-making process. This includes working closely with respect to the better regulation agenda, using the experience of the CoR on urban and territorial impact assessments exercises, more tailor-made and place-sensitive EU funds and includes opportunities to exchange knowledge and best practices, research and cooperation. For more information: Committee of the Regions (CoR) — urban agenda

Sustainable European cities

As set out in the Treaty on European Union, sustainable development is an overarching long-term goal of the EU. Such development should be ‘based on balanced economic growth and price stability, a highly competitive social market economy, aiming at full employment and social progress, and a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment’. Urban areas have the potential to play an important role in the EU’s renewed sustainable development strategy (SDS), which underlines how to deliver sustainable development commitments, while reaffirming the need for global solidarity, in order to achieve smarter, more sustainable and socially inclusive urban development; indeed, this integrated approach is recognised as a key element in the Pact of Amsterdam.

The sustainable development indicators (SDIs) framework covers ten thematic areas belonging to the economic, social, environmental, global and institutional dimensions, covering: socioeconomic developments; sustainable consumption and production; social inclusion; demographic changes; public health; climate change and energy; sustainable transport; natural resources; global partnership; good governance. Many of these areas are recurring themes that appear across Urban Europe — statistics on cities, towns and suburbs.

A resource-efficient Europe is one of the flagship initiatives included within the Europe 2020 strategy. One of its main building blocks is a roadmap for 2050, which seeks to provide a path for transforming the EU into a low-carbon, sustainable economy that is characterised by a decoupling of economic growth from resource use. Resource-efficient cities are characterised by their potential to combine higher levels of productivity and innovation with lower costs and reduced environmental impacts.

Although city and regional administrations may be best-placed to tackle and resolve many of these issues at a local level, there are global challenges which require an international response. The EU seeks to play a key role in efforts to promote sustainable urban development, for example, by trying to ensure that air and water resources are kept clean, that ecosystems and habitats are maintained, and that climate change is kept to manageable levels. Indeed, the EU has some of the most stringent environmental standards in the world. The most recent EU policy developments within the environmental domain are based on the 7th Environment Action Programme, which has three key objectives, to:

protect, conserve and enhance nature — Europe is working to safeguard its natural resources, endangered habitats and species, for example, the Natura 2000 network is composed of 26 thousand protected natural areas that cover almost 20 % of the EU’s land mass;
turn the EU into a resource-efficient, green and low-carbon economy — ‘green growth’ entails integrated policies that promote sustainable development;
safeguard the quality of life and well-being of its inhabitants — for example, EU policies aim to guarantee safe drinking and bathing water, improve air quality, and eliminate the effects of harmful chemicals.

The protection and improvement of the quality of the environment has been a long-standing issue for many cities, for example, air or water quality. Those living in cities are often exposed to high levels of pollution that may impact upon their health, for example, fine particles, ozone, or nitrogen oxide in the air as a result of vehicle emissions. Furthermore, the inefficient expansion of cities through urban sprawl and the development of related infrastructure cause a decline in biodiversity (through direct destruction, but also the fragmentation of habitats). By contrast, green areas and nature in an urban environment have the potential to provide a range of benefits, such as improving air quality, providing opportunities for recreation, or increasing overall well-being. It is possible to promote measures within cities to increase biodiversity, for example, by eliminating the use of pesticides in an attempt to provide a refuge for flora and fauna (such as bees) when surrounding agricultural areas are exploited intensively.

European Union initiatives concerning cities

IMAGE CIVITAS — an acronym for cities, vitality, and sustainability — is an initiative co-funded by the EU’s framework programme for research. Its goal is to support cities in their efforts to develop urban transport policies that promote more sustainable urban mobility and currently more than 200 cities across 31 different European countries participate.

The CIVITAS 2020 framework programme covers innovation in resource-efficient and competitive urban mobility and transport, with cities working together to ensure the transferability of tested mobility and transport solutions in the areas of smart, green and integrated transport. For more information: [ http://www.civitas-initiative.eu/ Civitas website]

IMAGE The Covenant of Mayors initiative was launched by the European Commission in 2008 with the objective of bringing together local and regional authorities voluntarily promising to implement EU climate and energy objectives in their territory. The initiative counts with more than 6 000 signatory cities who have committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 % by 2020 through the implementation and monitoring of sustainable energy action plans.

In 2015, the Covenant of Mayors for climate and energy was launched, bringing together three pillars — mitigation; adaptation; secure, sustainable and affordable energy, while introducing the EU climate and energy framework for 2030, namely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 across signatory cities. For more information: Covenant of Mayors website

IMAGE The European week of regions and cities is an annual event which allows regions and cities to showcase their capacity to encourage growth and job creation. It was created in 2003 by the European Committee of the Regions, which joined forces with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy one year later. It has become a networking platform for regional and local development and is viewed as a key event for policy practitioners. The next European week of regions and cities will be held under the title, ’Regions and cities for sustainable and inclusive growth’, with three principal themes:

sustained and sustainable economic growth;
inclusive economic growth;
making European structural and investment funds simpler.

As such, it is designed to be aligned with political priorities for 2016, namely the promotion of a stronger territorial dimension in shaping and implementing the Europe 2020 strategy. For more information: European week of regions and cities website

IMAGE

Further Eurostat information

Data visualisation

Regional Statistics Illustrated - select statistical domain 'xxx' (= Agriculture, Economy, Education, Health, Information society, Labour market, Population, Science and technology, Tourism or Transport) (top right)

Publications

Title of the publication

Publications in Statistics Explained (either online publications or Statistics in focus) should be in 'See also' above

Main tables

Title of top Main tables folder, see:

Title(s) of second level folder (if any)

Title(s) of third level folder (if any)

Database

Title of top Database folder, see:

Title(s) of second level folder (if any)

Title(s) of third level folder (if any)

Other information

Regulation (EC) No 1737/2005 (generating url [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32005R1737:EN:NOT Regulation (EC) No 1737/2005]) of DD Month YYYY on ...
Directive 2003/86/EC (generating url [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003L0086:EN:NOT Directive 2003/86/EC]) of DD Month YYYY on ...
Commission Decision 2003/86/EC (generating url [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32003D0086:EN:NOT Commission Decision 2003/86/EC]) of DD Month YYYY on ...

External links

Name of organisation/web site/deep link

Notes

[[Category:<Subtheme category name(s)>|Name of the statistical article]] [[Category:<Statistical article>|Name of the statistical article]]

Delete [[Category:Model|]] below (and this line as well) before saving!