European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
urban development
How can European cities become smart and sustainable?
Written by Mihalis Kritikos Urban stakeholders, urban policy-makers and representatives from the European institutions and beyond joined the STOA workshop ‘Transition towards Sustainable and Liveable Urban Futures’ on 29 September in Brussels. The event was chaired by Paul Rübig MEP, STOA Chair, and moderated by Jan Olbrycht MEP, President of the European Parliament’s URBAN Intergroup. … Continue reading
The EU Urban Agenda
Written by Sorina Silvia Ionescu Cities play a central role in the development and competitiveness of European regions. More than 70% of Europeans live in urban areas, and cities are the focal point of economic growth, innovation and entrepreneurship. Recognising the importance of urban issues and the challenges cities increasingly face, a debate on an urban … Continue reading
Developing an EU urban agenda
Written by Christiaan van Lierop Our towns and cities are home to nearly three quarters of the EU’s population and most EU policies concern them, be it directly or indirectly. Within the EU, a shared vision of urban development has gradually taken shape at inter-governmental level. At the same time there have been increasing calls … Continue reading
Me and my urbanity
The global population is forecast to increase to 9.1 billion by 2050. Urban population will grow from 50% to 70% of that total. Global CO2 emissions from inland passenger and freight transport is also predicted to grow around 100% by 2050 – by 500% in China and India. Unsurprisingly, such population expansion will put pressure … Continue reading
Urban mobility: Shifting towards sustainable transport systems
Written by Ariane Debyser Urban mobility is confronted by many challenges, the key one being traffic congestion: urbanisation and a high dependence on cars having led to congestion in urban areas. Traffic congestion adversely impacts the urban environment itself in a direct way, leading to poor air quality, noise emissions, high levels of CO2 and … Continue reading
Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture
Urban and peri-urban agriculture has been defined as the cultivation of crops and rearing of animals for food and other uses within and surrounding the boundaries of cities, including fisheries and forestry. It comprehends a multifunctional of food production activities, as well as herbs, medicinal and ornamental plants for both home consumption and for the … Continue reading
Sustainable Urban Development
Smart growth, green growth and inclusive growth are the three pillars of sustainability. An urban integrated approach rather than a sectorial one is needed to ensure the success of the policy. Urban policy has to provide cities in Europe with instruments to achieve the right balance between the social, economic and environmental dimensions. This Keysource … Continue reading
What is a city? In focus on urban areas
What has anything from around 700 people to more than 17,000,000 and can cover from 0,44 square metres to more than 2,500 square kilometers? Cities: whether a huge metropolis, a national capital or a historic town or port – cities have much in common. The typologies proposed for Europe’s cities by various organisations all have their … Continue reading
Cities and demography
Demographic changes, population migration, urban shrinkage, integration of migrants, adaptation of infrastructure to population’s growth are challenges Europe’s cities will have to tackle in the future. This Keysource includes selected reports, studies and analyses as well as statistical data on demographic change in EU’s cities. Overviews Demographic Challenges for European Regions: The Role of the … Continue reading
Urban mobility
European cities and their populations are facing everyday problems related to transport and mobility: congestion, air and noise pollution, inefficient public transport services, accidents… The European Union is aware of the issues and has proposed initiatives to tackle it from different aspects since the mid 90’s. But the organization of urban mobility is primarily a … Continue reading
From urban-rural linkages to urban-rural relationships in the EU
Urban and rural areas are increasingly integrated. In OECD countries, 80% of the rural population lives close to cities. Current and common challenges such as climate change, efficient use of natural resources (water, land), equal access to public services or demographic changes just to name a few, can be tackled more easily if cooperation exists … Continue reading
Protection des sols et urbanisation
Au sein de l’Union européenne, la superficie totale occupée par les villes a connu une croissance significative depuis plusieurs décennies. Si l’expansion des villes, moteurs de la croissance économique, a longtemps été liée aux évolutions démographiques, on assiste depuis quelques années à un découplage entre démographie et artificialisation des terres. Les aspirations des populations en … Continue reading
Growth and sustainable urban development
6 language versions available in PDF format Wachstum und nachhaltige Stadtentwicklung Crecimiento y desarrollo urbano sostenible Croissance et développement urbain durable Crescita e sviluppo urbano sostenibile Wzrost oraz zrównoważony rozwój obszarów miejskich Growth and sustainable urban development Two-thirds of the EU population live in urban areas where environmental, economic, demographic and social challenges are amplified. … Continue reading
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