On 24 May 2007, the European Commission published their Guide to the Urban Dimension in Community Policies.
This guide identifies initiatives with direct and indirect implications for sustainable development of urban areas and provides an overview of the urban dimension of all Community policies over the current funding period, 2007-2013.
The guide puts each policy in context, and specifies relevant financial resources, exchange mechanisms and information sources available.
The intention is to assist various stakeholders in urban development.
This article provides an overview of the content. We hope that it will help you seeing the European forest through the trees.
Certain parts have a more detailed description which can be accessed by clicking on the hyperlink in the text.
The guide is also available for download at the top right of the screen.
More information on the content, with links to more detailed descriptions of the various EU policies, can be found below.
Page 2 of this article deals with the Cohesion Policy of the EU. Page 3 with the other EU policies affecting the urban area, such as state aid, environment, transport, energy, etc.
For more information, please contact Sander Scheurwater, e sscheurwater@rics.org.
The guide consists of two parts:
Part one presents the cohesion policy for 2007-2013, through its three financial instruments:
Read a general overview of the cohesion policy along with its objectives.
There is a separate article on the territorial cooperation objective, as this contains the highly relevant exchange programme URBACT.
Part two described the urban dimension of Community policies conducted by other Directorates-General, for example:
- Internal market regulation and competition law: Describing state aids and services of general interest.
- Employment and social policy: On job creation and equal treatment.
- Environment: The Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment, relevant legislation and LIFE, the EU's financial instrument for the environment.
- Research and development: About the urban dimension of the 7th Framework Programme and containing a number of interesting European studies available for download.
- Transport: what is the EU doing on urban transport? What are the interesting EU initiatives?
- Energy: The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, EU actions in the field of Energy Efficiency in the built environment and EU initiatives where RICS plays a role.
- Rural development policy: rural policy impact on the urban environment is often indirect. However, rural and urban areas do meet, and can often clash. One such phenomenon is urban sprawl, a topic where RICS is a frontrunner in the debate.
- External policy: As the world is becoming increasingly urban, EU and RICS policy find each other in disaster management and reduction programmes.
- Various policies: This page provides an overview of EU policies having an urban dimension but with a less direct impact on RICS related activities.
These policies are: Enterprise, ICT for transport, ICT for an inclusive society, culture, youth, education and training, active citizenship, freedom and security and public health.
The EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Danuta Hübner, said:
"Cities and metropolitan areas are the engines of economic development.
"They are also the frontline in the battle against obstacles to growth and employment – especially social exclusion and environmental degradation.
"I hope that this guide will concretely support all those who are contributing to the attractiveness and competitiveness of European cities and towns.
"I also hope stakeholders in urban development – both public and private – will get better acquainted with existing provisions at EU level."
