Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on ‘Future cities: Environmentally and socially sustainable cities’
Date: 2012-07-19
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: access to education, area management, economic development, energy saving, social development, social inequality, sustainable development, town, urbanisation








C_2012277EN.01001801.xml










13.9.2012   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 277/18





Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on ‘Future cities: Environmentally and socially sustainable cities’
2012/C 277/04
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS






—


supports the call for holistic strategies for sustainable urban development and for horizontal and vertical cooperation in a participatory governance system that takes account of the diversity of cities and the importance of social innovation and future-oriented planning;










—


underlines the need to counter the widening economic and social divisions in our society with investment in education for everyone from early childhood onwards, inclusive labour market measures, lifelong learning, an active integration policy and pay that is fair, meets people’s needs and is equal for women and men;










—


highlights the importance of catering to needs that are vital for society – i.e. providing access to housing, crèches, kindergartens, areas where children can play safely and develop – and which can help remove the barriers to people starting or extending a family;










—


emphasises the challenges posed by climate change and the need to cut back energy consumption by means of energy recovery processes and improved energy efficiency, interconnected systems, the expansion of green-field sites and open spaces, new construction methods and resource-neutral, health-promoting and safe forms of transport;










—


highlights the importance of culture and creativity, not only for economic growth, but also for generating a good quality of life, practical democracy, peace and mutual respect;










—


stresses the fundamental importance of public participation in shaping policies;










—


deems the European institutions’ various efforts to support cities to be necessary and calls for a clear signal to be sent out in the next funding period to the effect that cities are to be supported through a strong urban dimension, flexibility in resource deployment and a central role for local authorities in the implementation of cohesion policy;










—


welcomes the further development of sustainable funding instruments in structural policy which constitute creative, stable funding mechanisms.










Rapporteur


Hella DUNGER-LÖPER (DE/PES), Plenipotentiary of the Land of Berlin for Federal and European Affairs




I.   POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

Background and reason for drawing up an opinion







1.


appreciates the fact that the Danish presidency of the EU has referred this subject to the Committee for an opinion and also that the presidency played an active part in the 5th Summit of the Regions and Cities, held in Copenhagen on 22 and 23 March 2012, the topic of which was ‘The European urban fabric in the 21st century’, thus expressing recognition of the contribution that cities and regions make to European integration and their key role in achieving the Europe 2020 strategy goals;










2.


is interested to note the European Commission’s report on Cities of Tomorrow: Challenges, visions, ways forward (October 2011) and shares the view set out therein that the city of tomorrow will be ‘a place of advanced social progress with a high degree of social cohesion, socially balanced housing as well as social, health and “education for all” Services’, ‘a platform for democracy, cultural dialogue and diversity’, ‘a place of green, ecological or environmental regeneration’ and ‘a place of attraction and an engine of economic growth’;










3.


shares the concern expressed in the above-mentioned report about the future of cities, in terms of potential threats from demographic change, negative growth and the weakening links between economic growth, employment and social progress. Further potential threats are to be seen in growing income disparities, increasing social polarisation and segregation and the rising number of ‘dropouts from society’, as well as in urban sprawl and the increasing pressure on urban ecosystems;










4.


stresses that the European Union as a whole can only achieve the Europe 2020 strategy goals if cities, in their capacity as a locus of social and economic innovation, are in a position to contribute fully to smart, inclusive and sustainable growth and to economic, social and territorial cohesion;










5.


therefore welcomes the recommendations of the Cities of tomorrow report that cities be strengthened by promoting sustainable local structures to create a resilient, inclusive economy, by making use of the potential offered by different generations and socio-economic, cultural and ethnic diversity and by combating social exclusion and poverty through: improvements to housing; a holistic approach to environmental and energy policy strategies; the creation and upkeep of attractive open public spaces; support for sustainable, inclusive and health-promoting transport systems; and the promotion of balanced territorial development;










6.


supports the call for holistic strategies for sustainable urban development and for horizontal and vertical cooperation in a participatory governance system that includes all levels of government and policy areas and takes account of the diversity of cities and the importance of social innovation and future-oriented planning;










7.


refers to the Committee of the Regions’ Copenhagen Declaration of 23 March 2012, which called for greener, more socially inclusive and more economically competitive cities, urging the EU institutions to embed the Europe 2020 strategy locally, provide adequate financial resources for a cross-cutting urban policy, give greater priority to territorial cooperation between European cities and give cities and regions a bigger role in shaping European policies, undertake more efforts to promote decentralisation in EU Member States and provide cities and regions with more financial leeway;










8.


points out that its opinion on The role of urban regeneration in the future of urban development in Europe of 10 June 2010 advocated strengthening the urban dimension of all European Union policy areas;





Comments







9.


notes that cities have always reflected the social conditions of the time. The shape of the cities of the future and the quality of life they provide will be hallmarked by economic and social decisions and developments at all levels of political and economic responsibility;










10.


points out that the importance of cities for the European Union goes far beyond economic and demographic aspects. Beautiful, smart, energy- and resource-efficient, green and inclusive cities provide a basis for people in our society to live together in harmony with mutual support;










11.


highlights that cities are closely and inextricably linked with their surrounding areas through social and economic ties, and for this reason too have an important role to play in balanced territorial development;










12.


stresses in this connection that the rigid distinction hitherto drawn between cities and their surrounding areas will no longer be suitable for dealing with the issues that will crop up in the future and must give way to an approach to interaction based on functionality and interdependence;










13.


underlines the fact that European cities, in comparison to other cities across the world, are hallmarked by democratic self-determination, strong civil society, social integration, effective interaction between what is private and what is public, an assurance of freedom and emancipation and a highly developed urban planning culture;










14.


has noticed that de-industrialisation and globalisation have meant that key foundations for social and economic integration have disappeared. In both prosperous and poorer areas, new strategies are being deployed to reinforce social cohesion, which until now, at least, have barely managed to stem the trend towards increasing segmentation of society. Instead, social divisions and segregation are on the increase in many places, despite the afore-mentioned efforts to the contrary, and they pose a major challenge for people living together in urban areas;










15.


points out that it is urgent that we counter the widening economic and social divisions in our society with investment in education for everyone from early childhood onwards, inclusive labour market measures, lifelong learning, an active integration policy and pay that is fair, meets people’s needs and is equal for women and men; points out that economic development and the creation of more jobs in cities are crucial in this respect;










16.


is concerned to note that these problems have been exacerbated in some big cities, resulting in violent protests. They also express many people’s distrust of the political establishment;










17.


points out the local impact of demographic change and an ageing population, which is creating new demands on social infrastructures and public areas. The growing phenomenon of poverty in old age is creating a need for sustainable social security systems and services which are accessible, sensitive to cultural differences and affordable;










18.


stresses in this connection that Europe, despite today’s drastically high levels of youth unemployment, will in the coming decades depend on young immigrants to generate economic growth and to cushion the impact of the aging population on social security and health systems. Open, attractive cities are necessary to encourage immigration. Nevertheless, in cities immigrants and ethnic minorities have until now often suffered significant discrimination in access to education, employment, housing and medical care. Effective local integration strategies are therefore a necessary integral part of any forward-looking migration policy;










19.


highlights the importance of catering to needs that are vital for society – i.e. providing access to housing, crèches, kindergartens, areas where children can play safely and develop – and which can help remove the barriers to people starting or extending a family. That is why any measures that contribute to a positive population growth should be supported;










20.


emphasises the challenges posed by climate change and the need to cut back energy consumption by means of energy recovery processes and improved energy efficiency, interconnected systems, the expansion of green-field sites and open spaces, new construction methods and resource-neutral, health-promoting and safe forms of transport;










21.


highlights the importance of culture and creativity, not only for economic growth, but also for generating a good quality of life, practical democracy, peace and mutual respect. Urban culture also covers the preservation of urban architecture and planning concepts, good quality public spaces accessible to everyone and consideration of local and regional features;










22.


stresses the fundamental importance of public participation in shaping policies, so as to win people’s trust and strengthen social cohesion; this participation of citizens is only possible if cities’ administrations are open and transparent about the principles underlying their decisions and policies;










23.


deems the European institutions’ various efforts to support cities through programmes and initiatives to be necessary, since local authorities which do not have adequate financial resources of their own are dependent on such support;










24.


is concerned to note that despite the declarations of intent contained in the Leipzig Charter, and the associated political process, Member States’ commitment to urban policy in the last few years has waned rather than waxed. This is illustrated by the fact that to date it has scarcely been possible to give priority to urban policy issues in relevant policy areas such as employment, the environment, education and science, and housing. This problem is also reflected in reduced budgets for urban policy programmes. EU level resources should be identified and deployed as quickly as possible to allow cities to respond flexibly to these different problems;










25.


is concerned at the fact that local authorities’ budget allocations are catastrophically low in most Member States and that, given national budgetary priorities, this is not going to improve unless the Member States change tack on this issue;










26.


sees that, given the current acute social, economic and environmental threats, efforts to date have been woefully inadequate for shaping European cities in such a way as to put them in good stead for future, so that they are competitive, beautiful, smart, energy- and resource-efficient, green, inclusive places where social innovation flourishes, thus able to make a full contribution to strengthening the social, economic and territorial cohesion of the European Union and to implementing the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy;





Policy Challenges


General







27.


assumes, given the social challenges faced today, that there is general interest at all political levels in cities being robust and underpinned by democratic self-determination, providing a solid foundation for European society. Strong, responsive and effective local democracy can make a decisive contribution to restoring people’s confidence in the institutions of representative democracy at all levels;










28.


reiterates its call for an approach to social development which does more than measure gross domestic product (GDP), but takes public concerns and needs seriously and does more to involve the public in the planning of programmes and measures;










29.


expects elected representatives to be confident and bold in taking the lead at all political levels, working to ensure that people can live together in peace and solidarity. Smart, inclusive and sustainable growth can only develop out of peace and real solidarity which stretches across borders. This means having a culture which actively welcomes immigrants, entailing measures to promote intercultural responsibility in public administrations and institutions. It also means ensuring that a clear commitment is made to the protection of refugees and others who, because of their origins, beliefs, sexual orientation, membership of a certain social group or political persuasion, suffer political persecution and discrimination;










30.


stresses the importance of integrated local strategies for a coordinated, efficient use of resources and calls for all relevant sectoral policies to be brought into play here. Constructive, self-evident cooperation between all political levels and departments is important for showing the public that institutions know how to handle the trust placed in them responsibly and are sensitive to local needs;










31.


calls on decision-makers at all levels to strive to secure healthy, sustainable mobility within and between cities. Public transport should be encouraged, making it accessible to the whole population; also calls on them to continue to develop cities in line with the traditional European urban model by integrating different uses, density and (urban and architectural) quality;










32.


advocates renewed efforts to consolidate knowledge about technical, social, economic and environmental aspects of urban development. This has to explicitly include the importance of virtual forums for life and work in cities and the regions;










33.


underlines the significance of partnerships between cities, European city networks such as EUROCITIES, and transnational inter-municipal cooperation projects under the URBACT, INTERREG and EGTC programmes, designed to improve urban development policy know-how and approaches; it also stresses the need to ensure that this exchange of knowledge bears fruit and helps shape policies, especially on the Structural Funds, but also in other relevant areas such as services of general interest, transport and environmental protection;





To the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament







34.


calls for cities and regions to be involved in the European Union’s multi-level structures as a matter of course in all policy areas where decisions made at EU level affect sub-national authorities’ power to act;










35.


urges the European institutions to make a clear commitment to making cities stronger, reflected in the priorities of the upcoming EU budget;










36.


underlines its call for structural support policies which continue to allow local authorities enough leeway to adopt a multi-fund, integrated approach geared to local priorities, which is based on investment and social initiatives and meets local needs. So that it is also actually possible for local authorities to implement Structural Fund policy, expenditure on administration and monitoring activities should be pruned;










37.


emphasises the importance of cohesion policy as a key instrument for consolidating social, economic and territorial cohesion, and calls for a clear signal to be sent out in the next funding period to the effect that cities are to be supported through a strong urban dimension, flexibility in resource deployment and a central role for local authorities in implementation. Given the major importance of cities for social, economic and territorial cohesion, such support must go far beyond the minimum quota of 5 % proposed to date;










38.


stresses the calls made by the Committee of the Regions in its opinion on the Commission proposal on the ERDF, particularly as regards the possibility of resource deployment being ‘flexible and used without giving preference to certain types of area or discriminating against them’, so that rural and peri-urban regions are not prevented from benefiting from the ERDF. The various types of priority area into which ERDF resources will be channelled should be determined as part of a partnership-based planning process, and not be determined beforehand. The delegation of tasks to cities under the ‘integrated territorial investment’ instrument defined in Article 99 of the Common Provisions Regulation should be viewed as optional and not made mandatory;










39.


welcomes the further development of sustainable funding instruments in structural policy which, over and above public subsidies, constitute creative, stable funding mechanisms;










40.


calls for cities and regions to play a major role in further developing the EU’s immigration and integration policy, taking account of the key importance of local administration for integration;





To the Member States







41.


urges Member States to impart new dynamism to their urban policy endeavours and also to incorporate policy areas other than spatial planning into these initiatives. Sustainable urban development depends on supportive framework conditions, especially in employment, social, educational and environmental policy;










42.


urges a livelier debate on actions to be taken in and with cities. Cooperation between cities and urban agglomerations is vital for ensuring cohesion and sustainable development.





Brussels, 19 July 2012.


The President of the Committee of the Regions

Mercedes BRESSO