Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

#### `COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES`

**COM(90)** **218** **f i n a l**

**B r u s s e l s,** **27** **June** **1990**

**GREEN PAPER ON THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT**

**Communication from the Commission to the Council and Parliament**

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               TABLE OF CONTPHJS

INTRODUCTION
                                 1

CHAPTER ONE : THE FUTURE OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT 6

  1. City and Urbanization 6

    The spread of urbanization 7
    The city as a project 7
    The essence of a European approach 8
    The role of c 111 es 9

    Creativity 9

  2. The Urban Environment 10

    The comp I ex i ty of the urban env I ronment 11
    Urban pol lution 14

    The bu i 11 env I ronment 22

    Nature in the city 25

  3. The Root Causes of Urban Dégradât Ion 25

    Functional Ism 26

    Production and organisation of work 26
    Distribution and conception 27
    Hote I s, restaurants and hous i ng 28

    Tour I sm 29

    Commun I cat Ion and mob 111 ty 29

CHAPTER TWO:TOWARDS A COMMUNITY STRATEGY FOR THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT...31

  1. Targets for Urban Environmental Improvement 31

  2. Constraints on effective environmental management 32

  3. Guiding Principles for Urban Environmental Improvement 34

  4. Instruments of Community Action 35

  5. Areas of Action 39

     5.1. Urban p I ann ing 40
     5.2. Urban transport 42
     5.3. The protection and enhancement of the historical
       her i tage of European c i t i es 46
     5.4. Protection and enhancement of the natural environment

       within our towns and cities. 47

     5.5. Water management 48
     5.6. Urban Industry 48
     5.7. Urban energy management 49
     5.8. Urban waste 51

     5.9. Comparative information on the state of the urban
                                                           5 2
       env I ronment

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     5.10. Informat ion in It lat Ives 52

     5.11 .Social Initiât Ives 53

     5.12. Interregional co-operat ion 54

  6. Resume of priority suggested lines of action 54

  7. The next steps 57

Appendix 1 : Articles of Treaty covering environment

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                  - 1 
INTRODUCTION

Dealing with the problems of the urban environment requires going

beyond sectoral approaches. However useful and necessary the

setting of targets for air quality, water quality, maximum noise

levels, etc. In Directives and Recommendations, finding lasting

solutions to the environmental problems facing our cities

requires a wider view of their origins. This means addressing

not Just the proximate causes of environmental degradation, but

examining the social and economic choices which are the real root

of the problems.

The problems of the cities are an early warning signal of a more

deep-seated crisis which will force us to rethink current models

of organisation and urban development. Of course, not all

European cities suffer Identical problems, given their different

levels of economic and social development, different economic

functions, and geography. But they have much In common.

This Green paper is Intended as a first step towards debate and
reflection, and attempts to identify possible lines of action.

It may be asked why the Commission of the European Communities is

taking up the problems of the cities and their environment. Why

can these problems not be addressed and solved at the local

level? What contribution can the Community possibly make 7

It is important to recognize that the majority of Community

policies have, directly or indirectly, an influence on urban

areas. Article 130r of the Treaty as amended by the Single Act

makes allowance for Community action for the protection of the

Environment which must Include the potential of such action

within urban areas. The full text of which is Include in

Appendix I of this document.

There are a number of existing Community actions which are

targeted at the urban environment - its air, water, noise and

waste - and hence at the quality of life in the cities

themselves. There are also Community activities helping to

preserve the architectural heritage which constitutes the

cultural and artistic wealth of our cities. Community funded

investments and programmes through both the Regional Development

and Social Funds also have a considerable impact on cities in

 less developed areas and those suffering from industrial decline

and high unemployment

Moreover, many sectoral, industrial and research policies of the

Community in such areas as transport, energy and social affairs

do have a bearing on the development of our cities. There is a

need to make sure that these Influences are fully recognized and

control led.

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                  - 2 
The primary focus for action to Improve the urban environment is
clearly the Individual city. But achieving major Improvements
will require action at national and Community level as well, with
roles and responsibilities assigned to each within a framework of
cooperative partnership. At the Community level, It Is Important
that the various sectoral policies take due account of the
problems of the urban areas and converge into a Community
strategy for Europe's cities.

In fact, the need for an Integrated approach to the urban
environment is already stressed In the Fourth Environmental
Action Programme (1987-1992), which states that "One priority
will be to consider to what extend the Community's existing
structural funds (and notably the European Regional Fund) could
be directed to comprehensive environmental programmes In inner
city areas. It will therefore be of special importance to ensure
that an adequate level of funding is available to enable the
Community to participate adequately, along with public
authorities and local industry, in urban renewal schemes which
take full account of both environmental and regional policy
requirements". This may require a special financial facility.

The Programme also commits the Commission to present a report to
the Council "which will examine how the public and private sector
and other interests can work together towards the rehabilitation
of certain urban areas...".

Moreover, solving the problems of the city would make a major
contribution to solving the most pressing global environmental
problems, notably the greenhouse effect and acid rain. For it is
In the cities that we find the greatest concentration of
population and economic activity - and hence of emissions. And
it Is the cities which make the crucial, long-term and often
Irreversible decisions on infra-structure investments in energy
supply, waste and water treatment, and transport.

A Community role in urban environment would also meet the growing
demand by the cities themselves for greater opportunities for an
exchange of Information and practical experience. The Commission
recognizes that other organisations, particularly the Council of
Europe, have for some time been encouraging interregional
cooperation on urban issues. In the development of Community
policies and programmes, the Commission will take note of the
work already achieved, such as initiatives on urban renovation
and protection of historic buildings, or planned by the Council
of Europe to ensure that Initiatives are complementary and not
duplicative.

The Commission can play a crucial role in facilitating such
exchanges. However diverse in detail, Europe's major cities face
common problems. But frequently they know little of each other's
experiences and projects. The preparation of this Green Paper
showed clearly that the cities look to the Community to remedy
this situât ion.

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                   3 
Methodology

This Green Paper was conceived as an instrument for identifying
the full range of difficulties confronting Europe's conurbations,
so as to devise adequate solutions to real problems. We have
thus organized a wide consultation with those responsible for
managing urban problems, with technical experts, and with
academics and professionals concerned with urban Issues.

For this purpose, six International conferences were organized
around the following priority themes :

(1) Disused Industrial Areas

   Derelict industrial sites in cities with an industrial past
   can provide a strategic opportunity to establish services
   and infrastructure linked to the centre. Examples are
   Milan's PlrelIi-Blcocca, Turin's Lingotto, the new projects
   for the Industrial zones of Bilbao, Rotterdam, Birmingham,
   Barcelona and others.

   RededIeating such sites often involves projecting a new role
   and image for the city to make it attractive for productive
   and residential investment - an opportunity for new ideas
   and a stimulus for innovation. Where some industrial

   activities remain, old and new functions of the city need to
   be harmonized.

   Two conference were dedicated to this theme, one In Brussels
   (June 1989) and one In Terni (December 1989) concerned
   specifically with the problems of steel towns.

(2) The Urban Periphery

   Urban growth has spawned vast built-up areas which lack
   essential qualities we associate with cities history,
   functional differentiation, cultural and other forms of
   infrastructure - in short, a recognizable and unique
   individuality with which the citizen can Identify.

   These monotonous areas lay siege to the more structured
   parts of the city. They often harbour poverty, crime and
   drug abuse, problems of our modern society subject to
   increasing attention from authorities at all levels.

   The conference of Louvain (October 1989) dealt with this
   theme of urban "fragmentation" and provided examples of
   projects which revitalized such areas and established
   functional and formal links with the centre, transforming
   them from faceless dormitories to organic parts of the city.

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In the coming years, a great deal of planning and financial
resources will be devoted to these two great challenges :
derelict land and urban sprawl. More broadly, the city Inherited
from the 19th century offers great opportunities for renewal: Its
barracks, hospitals, railway stations, abattoirs and other 19th
century relics can be replaced or put to new uses to Improve the
qua IIty of our cities.

(3) The Quality of the Urban Environment, Public Spaces and
   Green Areas.

   The "empty" spaces - the squares, parks and similar areas
   which lend character to our cities - are being assailed by
   the motorcar and bill boards, while in the periphery these
   urban features may be lacking altogether. Creating a
   quality environment requires more than putting out few
   benches, potted plants and waste baskets in pedestrian
   areas. It calls for a comprehensive approach.

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The [conference ] [held ] in Rome
series of ongoing exper iments
and [Rotterdam. ]

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(December 1989) examined a
in Britain, Barcelona, Rome

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(4) Urban Pollution in Northern and Southern Europe

   Two conferences, one in Avignon (December 1989) and the
   other In Bremen (January 1990), looked at the practical and
   Immediately pressing problems of the urban environment and
   possible Community help in addressing these;

   With one of the conferences dealing with the problems of the
   southern cities, and the other with those of the North, a
   comparison became possible, taking into account differences
   which went beyond climate to include those of history,
   culture and society. Both conferences dealt with air and
   noise pollution, urban waste disposal, water, and
   contaminated soils.

These six conferences have been extremely useful in preparing the
Green Paper. They combined firsthand observation, information
about ongoing projects and the collection of recent data.

Finally, it is Important to stress the horizontal approach which
has guided the preparation of this Green Paper. Treating each of
the factors threatening the city environment in isolation leads
to short-term solutions - mere palliatives or simple delaying
action. Thus, it is not enough to worry about air quality only
when, as happens every winter, inversion renders the air of many
cities unbreathabie. This leads to "emergency" measures which

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                  - 5 
fall to address basic causes. What is needed is a critical

analysis of urban structures, their functioning and mode of
development : It Is here that the remedies to improve the urban
environment need to be sought.

What Is clear, however, Is that the cities will continue to be
crucial to the further economic and social development of Europe.
Technological change may seem to Indicate otherwise. The old
steel or shipbuilding towns like Liverpool. Sheffield, Lille, the
Ruhr, and Genoa do Indeed suffer the effects of structural
change. Non-urban areas of economic activity, linked to
electronics, are emerging, for example In Flanders, southern
France or the Tiber region near Rome. Moreover, global
communication in the global village allows decentralized
activities ranging from financial services, to research and
Integrated production directed by a distant computer.

But, paradoxically, the ease of long-distance information
Increases the need for face-to-face contacts. The cities provide
this through their density and through their role as transport
"hubs". The creative development of modern products and services
requires the presence of a large variety of specialized inputs
which the cities most easily provide. "Culture" Is now
recognized as a factor which extends beyond private life to
playing a crucial part in economic creativity.

Most European cities have stopped growing and - like an
individual in mid-life - have begun to reflect on their purpose,

their assets and their choices for the future. There are

exceptions to this In the South, where rural migration continues
to swell the population of some cities; and in cities like
Berlin, which are coping with new migrants of a different sort.
But even, and perhaps especially, in these cities under stress,
basic questions concerning the quality of the environment are
being posed.

In general, however, population growth has stabilized. Attention
Is shifting from creating new districts to Improving and renewing
existing ones. This process Involves more than ecology in the
strict sense, but architecture itself. The historical centres of
our cities have been savaged by the Intrusion of anonymous boxes
In the International style. Re-creating harmony with the old
means more than mimicking superficial stylistic elements. It
requires respect for fundamental traditions In the choice of
materials, diversity of buildings and multiplicity of purposes.
Mere zoning must be replaced by developing the city as a project
which assure a new quality of social and economic life.

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                  - 6 
CHAPTER ONE : THE FUTURE OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

1. City and Urbanization

From the Middle Ages to modern times, Europe's social, cultural
and economic development has been based on the city .- the power
of the Italian city-state, the prosperity of the Hanse towns and
Europe's great port cities, the sway of the capitals of
principalities and kingdoms, the creativity of university towns
such as Bologna, Prague, Paris or Colmbra. European cities show
the traces of struggles between city and country, rulers and
ruled, rich and poor - testimony to their role In social and
political development which, as Leipzig proved in 1989,
cont inues.

Their common history has given European cities a common face :
the small streets and alleys of Mediaeval centres; the grand
works of 18th century princes; the great transformations of the
19th and early 20th centuries; the growth of suburbs and
dormitory towns, Joined later by giant shopping centres; the
decline of centres as dwellings for middle and upper income
groups in a number of cities in favour of specialised commercial
and administrative activities; and finally the invasion of
traffic congestion, urban motorways, and uniform and mediocre
architecture In centre and periphery alike.

As we move towards the 21th century, Europe's cities will
continue to be the main centres of economic activity, innovation
and culture. Managing the urban environment and the quality of
life of its citizens therefore goes well beyond concern for the
physical well-being of the Community's urban population. At
stake is the quality of "civilization" in its most practical
manifestations of economic, scientific and social performance.

Can we speak of "cities" or must we think In terms of "urban
areas"? Using the vocabulary of the past may impede our
understanding of new realities. The wider term seeks to describe
the modern phenomenon, where a historic centre - itself greatly
changed - Is surrounded by a periphery of high-rise dormitories
or suburban houses. Urban areas are divided and, at the same
time, linked by a network of communication - motorways and
railways which allow constant movement of people and goods.

There are no clear limits to the periphery, nor is its structure
sharply defined. At the extreme, "urban areas" negate the
concept of the city Itself : they become "post-urban" phenomena,
far removed from the traditional Image of the pre-industrial and
even 19th century city. Some experts at the OECD or UN dispense
with the notion of "urbs" altogether and prefer to speak of
"human settlements", no doubt In distinction to nature reserves
or uninhabitable geological features.

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                  - 7 
The spread of urbanization

More than as a concept of settlement, urbanization can be
understood as a pattern of Individual and social behavior
Consumption patterns, Information networks and social
relationships are no longer those of the neighbourhood or the
extended family of the pre-lndustrial village. In this sense a
single urban life-style characterizes much of the Community.

European cities also resemble each other for a different reason :
they Increasingly harbour the poorest members of society In inner
city ghettos or slums at the periphery. Yet this phenomenon
creates its own diversity, as former city dwellers, rural
migrants, European and non-European newcomers live In sometimes
uneasy co-existence. Rural and "foreign" life styles blend only
slowly Into the uniformity Imposed by modern production and
consumption, and constantly renew the rich diversity which is one
of the assets of urban life.

The city as a project

Has the spread of "urban areas" and life-styles made the concept
of the "city" irrelevant ? True, with a few exceptions, today's
cities have little In common with their 18th and 19th century
predecessors. Yet the past decades have seen a rediscovery of
the value of urban living and a growing appreciation of the
importance of quality of life in the cities of Europe.

In part this reflects the failure of the periphery : the absence
of public life, the paucity of culture, the visual monotony, the
time wasted In commuting. By contrast, the city offers density
and variety-, the efficient, time- and energy-saving combination
of social and economic functions-, the chance to restore the rich
architecture Inherited from the past. "Urban areas" are a
statistical concept. Cities are projects for a new style of life
and work. "City" Is the right word to use when speaking of urban
ecology.

The Single Market accelerates economic activity and the process
of Internationalization, with consequences for the social
cohesion, economic functioning and quality of life of the cities.

The role of some cities as centres for tertiary activities is
being accentuated. While this Is encouraging economic development
and Job creation it is also often reinforcing the pressure on the
centres from office construction and traffic nuisance, reducing
the diversity of city life and confirming the exodus to the
suburbs which leaves the remaining dwellings to the poor and
migrants, with enclaves for the rich.

Other cities may find themselves outside the zones of modern
economic development. These Includes towns which scarcely took
part In the industrialization of the 19th and 20th century, and
those specialising in Industries which are now of declining
importance in the advanced world.

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                  - 8 
Both accelerated development and economic decline, over which
they sometime have little control, confront city authorities with
difficult, sometimes Impossible, tasks.

There Is today undoubtedly increased competition for Investment
among localities of all kinds, including cities. Centrally
located cities are undoubtly benefitting from the enhancement of
the international service economy. In other cities concern for
Job creation is leading city authorities to offer not only tax
advantages and green field sites, but they also often repeat the
mistakes of the past in permitting development of poor
envIronmentaI qua 11ty.

The essence of a European approach

Two elements form the basis for a specifically European approach
to cities. The first is that the European city can still be
saved. The problems It shares with cities In other continents,
rich and poor alike - traffic congestion, slums in the centre and
periphery, Inadequate Infra-structure, pollution - are present
there in extreme forms rarely matched in Europe. The worst
sources of pressure on cities - population growth and rural
migration - are largely, If not completely, things of the past in
Europe, leaving only economic growth, which can yield the
financial and technological means to correct the damage It may

cause.

The second specifically European element is Europe's traditional
commitment to what Is now called "social cohesion". The problems
of poorer regions spill over to cities In the Community and it
is here that efforts to create more equal and decent living
conditions must Increasingly concentrate. Cities have been and, as Eastern Europe demonstrates, continue to be - where
democracy develops. In the West, "Stadtluft macht frel" - the
city'8 air sets you free - has found a new meaning for those
escaping a life without Jobs or prospects.

It Is Europe's prosperity and Europe's economic failures which
put pressures on the cities. Similarly, it is Europe as a whole
which benefits form the economic efficiency, social stability and
beauty of successful cities. In cooperation with national and
local authorities the Community can and must make a contribution
to improving a common patrimony and meeting a common
responsibiIity.

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                  - 9 
The role of cities

Urban growth results from a combination of economic, social
cultural and political dynamics :

- the economic dynamic : the city is synonymous with proximity,
  providing the multiple contacts and activities that make It an
  information hub and creative centre. It is this ability to
  assemble the economic actors involved in all stages of
  production, research and consumption that draws firms to the
  urban centres.

- the social dynamic : the city brings together a wide variety
  of social facilities (nurseries, hospitals, social service
  agencies, etc.) whose role is becoming increasingly important
  as populations are marginalized by underemployment,
  unemployment and poverty. Indeed, the concentration of social
  problems makes It possible to define and pursue specific
  rather than general remedial policies. The city also
  concentrates employment opportunities; this is one of its
  great attractions. More generally, the city represents
  choice : of social relations, education, services and work.

- the cultural dynamic : as in the social sphere of which it is
  a part, the city's cultural role depends on density, proximity
  and choice. These factors facilitate the "production" of
  culture as much as its "consumption". In addition, the
  historic heritage of the city allows unique economic
  activities linked to culture, including tourism.

- the political dynamic. More than any other place, the city
  must respond directly to demands by Its citizens for "good
  government". It Is a place where direct participation is
  possible and Increasingly practiced, and where the individual
  can develop most freely his sense of personal and civic value.
  It Is not by accident that citizen, citoyen, clttadlno, or
  BUrger denote the political sovereign in our languages.

Creativity

The city's economic and social importance ultimately rests on the
ease of communication offered by spatial density and the sheer
variety of people and Institutions which can exploit this
opportunity. The telephone and data-link are no substitute for
many kinds of communication which go beyond the exchange of
information; on the contrary, efficient electronic communication
increases the demand for face-to-face contacts. This Is

especially true for collective decisions based on qualitative
Judgments and for exchanges of Information which yield the
unexpected, even unsought answer from which true innovation
results. Physical movement and telecommunication services go
hand In hand to help create the environment which attracts both
business and residents to work and live in cities.

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                  - l o 
in short, urban communication yield the scientific,
organisational, social and intellectual creativity which Is one
of the motors of development in the post-industrial age.

The enemies of this source of creativity are, on the one hand
undifferentiated suburban sprawl in quasi-rural settings which
isolate the Individual; and highly specialised land-use policies
within cities which create functional enclaves and social ghettos
where like speaks to like : university campuses at the city's
edge, banking districts at the centre, industrial zones deprived
of simple services and far from habitations. Both suburban
sprawl and specialisation are linked to the urban environment :
they exist because they provide escape or protection from urban
blight, poverty and pollution. Re-creating the diverse,
multifunctional city of the citizen's Europe is thus a social and
economic project for which "the quality of life" Is not a luxury
but an essentla I.

There is no alternative to a commitment to urban Europe.
Statistics showing the reduction of some cities' populations are
cited as evidence of their decline. But the suburbs which

received such migration continue to depend on the cities for
their social and economic vitality.

Indeed, while in some cities the move to the suburbs continues with the centres taken over by low-Income families living next to
office enclaves - in others the convenience and stimulus of life

in the city is being rediscovered. For this trend to continue,
the noise which drives people to the quiet of the country must be
reduced, the air improved, the open spaces redeemed from being
parking lots and traffic islands. This is described in greater
detail in the following section. The last section examines the
deeper causes of urban degradation, which requires new thinking
at all levels of policy making.

2. The Urban Environment

The urban environment has always known difficulties. Noise was a
problem in ancient Rome; traffic blocked the streets of 18th
century Paris; the 19th and 20th centuries have witnessed a
proliferation of analyses of the pollution and nuisances
besetting the lives of urban residents, particularly the poorer
among them.

The quality of urban life has Improved considerably over the past
century. It was not until the end of the 19th century that homes
were connected to supply mains and sewers. And it was not until
the 1950's that most cities acted to reduce the air pollution
from domestic coal heating. These improvements are reflected in
Increased life expectancy, lower Infant mortality rates, etc.

Numerous problems remain, but they are often less obvious and
therefore generate little concern. City-wide sewer systems have
Improved urban sanitation but pollute the rivers and oceans
beyond the city's edges. Some types of pollution are highly
visible only In certain parts of the city.

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                  - 11 
Others - such as air pollution caused by Industry and cars,
airplane noise, etc. - may be underestimated because they are
only apparent at certain times or for short periods.

The effects of many of these pollutants are long term, and In
some cases are more easily observed In the damage they do to
nature or to buildings than In the slow deterioration they cause
human health.

Yet the health of urban Inhabitants is becoming a subject of
Increasing concern. Dense urban traffic is one source of health
hazards. Carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust may build up in
tunnels or underground garages. This can cause respiratory
system damage, inhibit oxygen absorption by hemoglobin and cause
brain stroke in the elderly.

Hydrocarbons resulting from Incomplete combustion react with
other pollutants in the presence of sunlight, resulting in
reaction products that cause eye Irritation and respiratory
system damage. They also react with NOX to produce ozone, which
produces painful breathing, coughing and impairment of the immune
system.

Lead is also a serious pollutant emitted by motor vehicles, but
legislation requiring lead-free petrol should deal with this

source.

Indoor pollution Is a major source of health problems, the scope
of which is Just beginning to be understood. Lead paint In older
housing has led to numerous cases of poisoning in children. On a
much wider level, asbestos - widely used a insulation - has
become a serious cause for concern. Inhalation of asbestos

fibres causes severe lung damage and a rare - and incurable form of cancer. This has engendered a hot debate as to whether
asbestos already In place should be removed or is less of a
hazard if left untouched.

Other building materials contain dangerous substances such as
formaldehyde, mineral fibres, mercury, and radon. The toxic
effects of these have been aggravated by the tendency towards
tight insulation.

At a psychological level, noise may pose a significant health
hazard to the urban dweller, creating stress-related physical
symptoms and reducing the overall quality of life in the city,
Increasing aggressive behavior. It may also cause hearing loss.

2.1. The complexity of the urban environment

The problems facing the urban environment are legion and varied.
For convenience of exposition we discuss them under three
headings :

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                  - 12 
 - Urban pollution : air, water, noise, soil, waste
 - The built environment: roads, streets, buildings, open spaces,
  recreational areas.

 - Nature : greenery and wildlife In the city.

In focusing on Individual problem areas, It Is Important not to
lose sight of the fact that the "urban system" Is a complex and
interrelated whole. A diagrammatic representation of some of the
main cause-and-effeet relationships Influencing urban development
and the urban environmental system is set out in Figure 1.

The extent of these interrelationships demonstrates the potential
danger of ad hoc decision-making : the solution to one problem is
often the cause of another. Effective management of our urban
environment requires a strategy based on an overview of the urban
system, with integrated decision-making in key areas. Few cities
posses an administrative structure that can ensure such
integration, most critically between land use and transportation
planning. While the city is the main focus of economic activity
and the associated pressures on the environment, it cannot be
analysed in isolation from the region within which it is located.
The interrelations between the city and Its hinterland requires
therefore that policies should be generated within a broad
context which has a concern for the planning of the region as a
who Ie.

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          - 13 
        Figure 1

Relationships within the Urban system

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                  - 14

2.2. Urban pollut ion

Urban areas, by their very nature as centres of population and
economic activity, show high concentrations of pollutants. Yet
despite growing attention and extensive research into
environmental issues, there is a lack of comparable data on key
environmental indicators. Even where data are available,
comparison and interpretation may be complicated by differences
in data collection and measuring techniques.

Scientific research has, however, clearly established the
negative effects on health of air, water and noise pollution,
inadequate waste disposal and contaminated soils. Hence, the
Commission has over the past decade established a number of
environmental quality objectives. The Issues involved in each of
these areas are discussed in the sections below.

2.2.1. Air pollution

Urban areas are subject to a wide range of pollutants. The
health effects of these pollutants, some which are carcinogens,
include respiratory diseases and eye and skin irritation. In
addition, they erode the built environment and damage the natural
environment. Most air pollutants stem from three sources
industry, motor vehicles and the burning of fossil fuels for
heating or electricity generation.

The contribution of industrial sources to air pollution varies
considerably from one town to another, depending on density and
type of industry in an area, its precise location and the extent
to which It has adopted measures to control emissions or disperse
them beyond the local environment. The effects of severe air
pollution can be devastating smog caused by S0 2 emissions
caused the death of 5000 people in London In 1952.

Industrial pollution is however exclusively an urban problem,
however. National and international emission standards are often

set to address wider problems such as acid rain and the
greenhouse effect, rather than the urban environment. It is as
much through ambient "limit values" for air quality as through
source emission standards that industry's contribution to urban
pollution is regulated.

Air pollution problems related to city transport and buildings
are more closely linked to the internal functioning of the city.
The contribution of these energy-using activities to the levels
of particular pollutants is set out in Table 1.

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Sector

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     - 15 
     Table 1

Sources of Air Pollution

 C0 2 S0 2 NOX

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**28.1**

**(24.6)**

**7.9**

**57.7**

**6.3**

**100**

**m i o . t . )**

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Energy generation 37.5

(of which elec. gen.) (29.3)

Industry 18.6

Transport 22.0

Others 21.9

Total 100

        (2.7 bill.t.)

Source : Energy 2010 (1989)

```

**71.3**

**(61.5)**

**15.4**

**4.0**

**9.3**

**100**

**(14** **mio.t)** **(9.** **.8**

```
As this table shows, depending on the energy source, space
heating can be one of the most important sources of air
pollution. In Dublin, for example, domestic heating is a major
source of S0 2 and particulates. A gradual move away from coal
has alleviated some of the worst effects of particulate and S0 2
pollution at the local level. However, a shift to electricity
does not solve the problem at the global level, owing to the
pollution resulting from most forms of electricity generation.
 In this wider global perspective, the use of all forms of fossil
 fuel contributes to problems of acid rain and, by increasing
C0 2 levels (see Figure 2), to the greenhouse effect.

                Figure 2
         C0 2 Emissions, Europe 12 (1980-2010)
```

**By sector**

**Mt/yesr**

**Source:** **Energy in Europe : Major** **Themes In En^gy**
**Directorate** **General for Energy, Sept.** **1989.**

```
                - 16 
While the worst problems of local air pollution caused by heating
have been solved, they have been replaced by increased levels of
transport pollution. Automobile engines are major sources of
NOX, CO, particulates and lead. As to C0 2 for Instance, It Is
worth noting that almost half of transport combustion is
estimated to be due to urban traffic. In many cities, the
transport sector is responsible for almost 90% of carbon monoxide
emissions. Figure 3 shows the growth of car ownership in recent
years and projections in the short and medium term which indicate
that this significant growth is likely to continue.

                 Figure 3
            Car Ownership 1970 - 2010

```

EUROPE 12

**c** **[ors]** **[ per ]**

1000

_**ya\.**_

**inhabitants**

**• U -**
**yrj^^i**
_**Wl^"^**_

**500-**

**400** **<**

**300**

**200-**

**too**

**0-**

**1** **1** **1** **1** **r—** **1—** **—1** **1**

```
1970 1*75 IMO IMS 19*0 l»S 2000 2005 2010

```

**1** **1**

4 «i

**sis**
**>»cu—-;.** **...**

**2<**

_**ity*'**_

_**\-**_

**1** **1** **r—**

**1—**

```
             Source : as Figure 2

The Community has over the past decade established air quality
directives related to a number of key air pollutants : S0 2 and
particles, N0 2, etc... These directives have established both
limit values - a critical value for human health - and guide
values - a value set as the objective for environmental
Improvement to prevent any long-term Impact on health and the
qua Iity of IIfe.

While Information Is not available across the Community to
demonstrate the Impact of these directives and associated
directives aimed at controlling Individual emission sources,
Figure 4 demonstrates the effectiveness of measures to reduce
S0 2 and NOX. Progress In NOX reduction has been less
Impressive. The introduction of catalytic convertors In all new
cars In 1992/93 will reduce pollution by individual vehicles, but
Increases In road traffic and traffic congestion, including both
private cars and road-handled freight traffic, may well offset
this reduction.

```

```
    - 17

    Figure 4

S0 2 and NOX Emissions
Source : as Figure 2

```

```
S0 2 Emissions for Europe 12

     By sector

```

**Ml/yao**

ess **'** **I** **1«*Wr,/0.»».«.**
# **n**

**NOX Emissions** **for** **Europe** **12**

**By sector**

**Mt/yaar**

**BS n w** **a ^ . » » . »** **CD** **IM>M«**

**ESZ** **Tianatwt** **E S** **O I K » .**

**d i** **T.*ii«ry/o*»..*i«**

```
In a number of southern European cities, such as Athens and
Naples, there has been significant increase in most air
pollutants and a corresponding reduction in air quality. This
can be traced to the major growth in population of these cities,
due to an exodus from the rural areas of Southern Europe. The
growth of urban industry and vehicle emissions in Athens, for
example, has been so great that the authorities have had to
Introduce a system whereby vehicles are only permitted to enter
the city centre on alternate days - and not at all when pollution
levels exceed safety limits.

These measures have only succeeded In preventing the situation
from worsening. They cannot be considered as long-term

solutions.

Air pollution problems In urban areas are often aggravated by
combinations of climatic and geographic factors which act to
concentrate pollutants In the city and prevent their dispersion
and dilution Into the wider atmosphere. Such effects are
described in Diagram 1.

```

```
                - 18 
               Diagram 1

        The Concentration of Urban Pollution

Under normal conditions, the pollutants emitted In hot gases rise
higher the more they come into contact with colder air masses
(normal diffusion situât ion).

In certain circumstances (e.g. nocturnal radiation), the
temperature at an altitude of a few hundred metres is higher than
the ground-1eve I temperature.

The upward movement of the pollutants is then arrested and they
are trapped In an inversion layer which acts as a heat cover. If
there Is no wind the pollutants Increase considerably.

Apart from such cases of local pollution, pollutants and all the
chemical compounds arising from them may be carried into the
atmosphere by the wind over long distances before returning to
the ground mixed with rain water, snow, mist and fog. This crossfrontier phenomenon of the long-range transfer of pollution Is
commonly referred to as acid rain.

```

**qryifVyr»** **a i r**

```
       10-C

Air tenperaturt

```

```
"Heat Island"
pbsoonsDOD

```

**Winter dear**

«fcy
**Bo** **wind**

**S«C**

**»«c**

**Gaidar** **air** **E^2>-**

**Iuverslon** _IJBSJSOC_

**Heat ifslnni**

**o«c**

countryside

Colder
oountryside

```
Built-up areas are "heat Islands" at the break of day, while the
sorrounding countryside cools down. The hot air rises, causing a
depression drawing in the colder air of the surroundings.
Pollutants emitted on the periphery are transported towards the
built-up area, increasing the pollution levels, sometimes
substant iaily.

Source: French Environment Ministry, June 1989.

```

```
                  - 19 
While cases such as Athens are widely known, it would be wrong to
assume that cities in Northern Europe do not have critical
problems as well. While data obtained by monitoring may indicate
an overall improvement, the use of average figures from a
restricted number of recording stations may well be obscuring the
presence of harmful concentrations at certain specific times and
locations. In Brussels, for example, rush hour traffic in road
tunnels results In pollution levels many times the limit
recommended by the World Health Organisation.

2.2.2. Noise

Noise is the most "urban" or all forms of pollution, affecting
both the health and the quality of life of its citizens. The most
significant noise problems stem from various means of transport road traffic (especially motorcycles), aircraft, railways- and
from building sites. Community action on noise has focused on
combatting noise generated by the worst Individual sources e.g., aircraft, building sites and motor vehicles (as well as
dealing with noise in the work place).

Important as these improvements have been in reducing the noise
of extreme individual offenders, the overall noise problems
created by the sum of "normal" cars, planes and trains has
hardly been tackled. The likely increase in traffic in the
coming years will exacerbates the problem of urban noise.

The Community proposes noise standards for motor vehicles as part
of the norm-setting process of the Single Market. These
standards have progressively been Improved, but arguably still do
not require producers to incorporate the best available
technology to reduce noise generation. While more stringent
standards will clearly increase costs, these must be weighed
against the benefits deriving from reduced noise nuisance. The
use of economic Instruments might be worthy of consideration In

this area.

Yet even stringent standards for individual vehicles cannot
substitute for a broader approach to traffic management. Where
they have been tried, so-called traffic-calming schemes have been
successful. Reduced speed limits, road restrictions and
integrated traffic-light controls have been introduced on local
initiative and are effective provided the restrictions are
subsequent I y enforced.

A major constraint on schemes designed to reduce the level of
noise In cities Is the absence of a generally accepted noise
quality standard. Various Member States have adopted noise
target levels, but these rarely have legislative status. The
Commission is studying the concept of setting limits for ambient
noise levels as a quality target similar to those set for air
poilut ion.

```

```
                  - 20 
This would recognise the importance of action aimed at assisting
the significant numbers of people living In areas where they are
subject to levels of noise which affect their health (by causing
stress or disturbing sleep). It Is often the poorer sectors of
our society, living In the worst housing conditions, who are
subjected to the highest ambient noise levels.

2.2.3. Water

Historically, the process of population expansion and industrial
development in urban areas has proved disastrous to the quality
of the rivers which flow through them. As towns ceased to rely
on their rivers as a source of water, the rivers became waste
receptacles, subjected to an Increasing volume and variety of
effluent harmful to both water quality and wildlife.

A further aspect of this problem is that sewage systems designed
and built in the late 19th century are still in use in many
cities. Present polluting discharges are markedly different from
those of the last century, both In their concentration of
substances and In volume of flow. Moreover, older sewers are
frequently in poor repair and the cost of replacing them is
prohibitively expensive.

The urban environment itself causes problems for sewage systems
and their receiving waters. The city's impermeable surfaces
telescope urban runoff following rainfall, both in terms of the
peak discharge and the length of time needed to reach that peak.
In certain cases, Increased urbanisation in a catchment area can
Increase the downstream flood risk. Indeed, the canalization of
many urban rivers exacerbates this situation. It should also be
noted that the runoff from tarmaciced surfaces will carry with it
a cocktail of pollutants normally present on urban surfaces.

While water treatment prior to reuse is usually adequate to
ensure conformity with Community water quality standards, the
amenity aspect of water quality has received comparatively little
attention. Where significant improvements have been achieved, it
has often been In cases where the quality of a river has become
an issue of civic pride, associated with the image of the city.
This Is very much the case for London and the River Thames, which
has received considerable investment for improvements over the
past few decades and Is now claimed to have one of the cleanest
estuaries in the world.

Rivers such as the Rhine, which are influenced by a large number
of towns and cities in various States, demonstrates the impact
cities may have on each other, as well as the need for
cooperative action at the international level.

```

```
                - 21 
2.2.4. Waste

As with other forms of pollution, the specifically urban problems
related to waste result from a combination of high population
density with a wide variety of economic activity : hospitals,
large and small produce markets, debris from demolition and
packaging discarded by transporters, retailers, and shoppers, to
mention a few.

The local authorities must in fact solve three related tasks

    street cleaning
  - refuse collection

    waste disposal

The disposal of vast and ever-growing volumes of domestic and
industrial waste poses an enormous problem for those
administering Europe's cities. Table 2 indicates the volumes of
waste generated and how these are treated, by country. The
simple solution of landfill, even In controlled conditions, is
becoming Increasingly difficult for many cities, either because
of the scarcity of available land within reasonable distance of
the city or as the result of opposition from residents In
surrounding areas.

                 Table 2
  Urban Solid Waste Treatment, Selected Countries, 1985/1986

NATION R.S.U. DUMPING INCINE- OTHERS
         Million T. Legal / Illegal RATION

```

```
8

10

10

5

 3

 5

10

 4

15

—

```

```
—

—

10

—

—

—

—

55

—

20

35

```

```
 22

 53

 44

 80

 70

 90

70/80

 30

 —

 80

 65

```

```
Denmark

Holland

France

Sweden

Germany

United Kingdom

Belgium

 Italy

Spain

Greece

 Ireland

```

```
 1.4

 4.4

17.0

 —

32,0

20.0

 3,2

15,0

10.0

 —

110.0

```

```
70

37

36

35

27

 9

20

11

 5

—

```

```
Source : Recupero Aliumlnio in Forma dl Lattlne, Conzorzlo del
     Produttorl dl contenltorl in AI lumlnlo-Bresso (Ml) - IT.

```

```
                  - 22 
Incineration is proving to be a problematic alternative, it is
difficult to find suitable sites and their partly toxic emissions
have led to Community legislation setting emission limits for
municipal Incineration plants. Progress In waste reduction and
recycling has been achieved In some Members States, particularly
Germany and the Netherlands, but even the most optimistic
estimates generally give a 30% reduction as the highest target
that can be achieved.

The Commission's recently published waste management strategy*
sets two priorities : prevention and recycling. Prevention is
above all a matter for Industry. For instance changes in
packaging could greatly ease urban cleaning and waste management
problems. For urban authorities recycling Is a major option.
This requires sorting at source (and the necessary containers),
and specialized collection services. Future planning parameters
for large apartment and office buildings can also incorporate
facilities for sorting waste for recycling purposes.

2.2.5. Sol I poI lut ion

The pollution of soli by indiscriminate tipping of toxic
substances is now recognised as a major concern in urban areas.
While there is increasing interest to reclaim existing land
within urban areas, soils contaminated by decades of tipping
prevent the reuse of such land for either habitation or new

economic activities.

Given the local and very specific character of each Individual
case, It is difficult to establish general policies or technical
solutions. Yet while the Immediate impact of contamination Is
often local, there is a medium-term threat to groundwater.

2.3. The built environment

While the landscape of the countryside Is formed by natural
features, the townscape Is formed by buildings, with trees and
green spaces providing Important accents. The environmental
quality of townscape Is to some extent a matter of subjective
taste. Nevertheless, most people show a similar appreciation of
the quality of towns and cities - historical buildings and street
patterns, open spaces and trees, activity.

The historical centres of European cities, where they remain
 Intact, represent an important link with the city's past culture
and heritage. In a world Increasingly dominated by international
styles of architecture and building technology, historical
centres provide a unique sense of place which differentiates one
 town form another.

 *SEC 89(934) final : Community Strategy for Waste Management.

```

```
                  - 23

The past few decades have seen major changes In the planning and
management of our cities. Most have undergone a process of
suburbanization, with fewer and fewer people living In the
genuine centres, which are Increasingly taken over by offices and
shops.

Enormous development pressure from these activities has resulted

in the destruction of much of the historical fabric of our

cities, which has been replaced with new buildings, often of

Indifferent - If not poor - quality. Very little of the

construction of the present period is likely to be regarded by

future generations as being the stuff of which heritage is made.

Quantification of this destruction on a European scale is

difficult, since official classification and listing systems vary

widely. The U.K. has one of the most exhaustive such systems,

with several hundred thousand buildings listed according to set

criteria related to their age and condition. The Netherlands

also has a wide classification scheme for individual houses. In

Italy, whole historical centres are classified by local ordinance

and national law. Belgium, In contrast, has far fewer classified

buildings and uses more restrictive criteria.

While classification of a building does not necessarily guarantee

Its protection, an exhaustive listing process does have the merit

of ensuring that the heritage value of a historic building is

reasonably weighed against any proposals for redevelopment. At

the International level, recognition of the Importance of areas

is provided by the Council of Europe Diploma system. While this

does not provide legislative protection, It undoubtedly

influences local decision-making.

Unfortunately, the problems faced by the historical centres of

our cities are not restricted to those of demolition and renewal.

While the more affluent either stayed or are returning to the

centre, m IddIe-1ncome families continue to move to suburban

areas, with large parts of inner city housing given over to

rental accommodation for the less affluent groups of our society.

While such housing is conveniently located, close to employment

opportunities In the city centre, the revenue generated by these

buildings is often not considered sufficient to maintain them, or

is not used for that purpose. The result Is decay.

Historical buildings are also threatened by the high level of air

pollution In European cities. Buildings are not only being

covered by layers of soot from particulate pollution, but
chemical reactions with pollutants such as S0 2 cause a

deterioration In the structure of stone. This is particularly

serious and expensive to remedy, in the case of the decorative

carvings on the more Important public buildings and monuments.

The growth of car ownership and urban traffic also poses
considerable problems for historical towns centres, which usually
have narrow street patterns quite unsulted to motor vehicle use.
Even cities such as Paris, historically subject to urban
planning, Including the Introduction of wide boulevards, have

```

```
                  - 24 
found that current levels of traffic significantly exceed
capacity. Apart from the physical problems caused by traffic
congestion, parking In streets and squares not designed for such
use is extremely Intrusive visually and disrupts pedestrian use

of the street.

It is fair to say that In the past decade there has been a

greater recognition of the importance of historical town centres

- the pace of demolition has slowed, and a number of restoration

schemes have been undertaken.

Traffic calming measures and pedestrian zones in parts of the
city centre have been widely adopted and have proved popular,
with citizens enjoying a safer and more relaxed shopping
environment. Nevertheless, pressures arising from development,
derelict areas and the Impact of motor vehicles continue, and the
future of parts of the historical centres of many European cities
still hangs very much In the balance.

The same pressures also have often resulted in the loss of open

space within city areas to parking lots or road-widening schemes.

High property values make it extremely difficult for public

authorities to acquire land for the creation of new public open

spaces in city centres, Just as citizens are becoming more aware

of the Importance and value of such space.

One possible approach to this problem is through the intelligent
management of the abandoned land that exists in all cities.
Changing patterns of employment, manufacturing and freight
transport have left their mark on the physical structure of our
cities - predominantly In the form of wide swaths of derelict
land comprising abandoned docks, factories and barracks. While
some cities have undertaken Imaginative renewal projects which
demonstrate the potential of these areas to create a new image
for the city, others have left derelict land untouched - a blight

on the urban environment.

Ironically, the problems associated with the built environment of

our cities are not restricted to the adaptation - poor or
otherwise - of historical towns to 20th century life-styles.

Equally serious problems have been identified In some of the new

developments designed to replace inner city schemes.

The late 1950s and 1960s saw a Europe-wide trend towards the
construction of massive public housing schemes on the edges of
our town and cities, often involving high-rise blocks of flats.
Far from urban facilities, poorly served by public transport and
frequently Inadequately maintained, these areas often became the

slums of the late 1970s and 1980s. The absence of commercial and

economic activities and opportunities in these areas has
contributed to high unemployment levels and has tended to
restrict further the mobility and opportunities of their

inhabitants.

```

```
                  - 25 
2.4. Nature In the city.

The value of natural features within urban areas has long been
recognised. Parks, gardens and avenues of trees have been
traditional features of town design. The visual contribution of
such features is extremely significant; even a very small number
of mature trees considerably softens the harshness of an
otherwise totally built environment. In addition, such features
have a symbolic value for many city dwellers, providing a
psychological link to nature and the countryside.

In recent years, a widening Interest In nature conservation has
led many people to explore the habitats and wildlife of their
immediate urban and suburban surroundings. Areas of abandoned
land and seminatural habitats have often proved to be
surprisingly rich in their variety and abundance of wildlife.
The Importance of such natural habitats In urban areas has grown
as increasing pressure has been placed on wildlife in the
countryside by the use of Intensive agricultural practices over
the past few decades.

In a number of cities, detailed inventories of wildlife habitats
have been drawn up and active volunteer groups formed, seeking to
protect these sites from development and ensure their sound
management. While in absolute terms such sites may not always
have a wildlife value comparable to that of a truly natural
habitat, their location in or close to urban population centres
gives them a special value and relevance. They also form an
important resource for educational activities and nature

famiIlarization.

A general Increase in leisure time has made citizens increasingly
aware of the value and Importance of such open spaces in or close
to the city. As land use within the city changes, public
authorities frequently have the opportunity to create new public
spaces. But, as already stated, this Is often a costly exercise
due to the value of such land for development purposes.

Open spaces and seminatural habitats on the city's edge, with
ease of access for urban residents, are also of great importance.
Many cities- such as Brussels, Berlin and Luxembourg - have large
areas of forest adjacent to city boundaries; these provide a
habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities and are a
resource for commercial forest production. With the priorities
for agricultural production changing within the Community, the
concept of developing such areas adjacent to other cities merits
considérât ion.

3. The Root Causes of Urban Degradation

The city's problems are hidden by its obvious improvements - in
the health of Its Inhabitants, better equipped housing, shiny new
buildings and motorways. The notion that collateral effects are
a necessary "price to be paid" may seem persuasive. Moreover,
negative effects, while no less "real" than these Improvements,

```

```
                  - 26 
take much longer to become visible - rising crime, chronic health
problems, the gradual build-up of traffic, noise and pollution-,
they thus rarely produce the clear moment of crisis which Is
usually required for political action.

However, the political maturity of a society is measured by Its
ability to think In the long term. European unity Itself Is an
example. This cannot be achieved by bureaucratic and
technocratic projects which fail to Inspire large parts of the
population. The European city cannot be saved by regulation or
money alone. Its improvement requires above all a broad
understanding of the deeper causes of Its problems, forming the
basis for a consensus which allows local, national and European
action towards a shared goal. This will entail the exchange of
ideas and cooperation between cities on a wide front.

These causes frequently are to be found In the way we organise
work, production, distribution and consumption, and in often
rigid and outdated notions of planning. These - and other causes interact, reinforcing each other. The enumeration below
does not Imply a hierarchy.

Functlonalism

Current urban planning often still reflects the principles of
functional ism expounded In "The Charter of Athens", theory of
planning set out In the 1940's, and also to be found in the
earlier British Garden Cities movement. Both these theories

expounded the merits of a system of town planning based on a
rigid compart Imenta Iization and location of activities on the
basis of function. Thus, housing, Industry, commercial areas,
green spaces, etc. are all physically separated and linked by an
extensive road and transport network. Functional separation may
sometime be useful when applied, for example, to industry. In
other areas, however, as was pointed out by Karl Gruber, the
practice of strict zoning Ignores the patrimony and geographical
reality of the city. "Functional exactness" destroys the
flexibility of the city and Its buildings; these, conceived as
architectural objects, are unable to adapt to changing conditions
and therefore prevent the city from functioning as a dynamic,
organic whole.

Production and the organisation of work

While even the industrial city was largely an extension of the
traditional town, the Internationalisation of the economy has
caused a break with the past. Investments - and their location are made from distant headquarters with scant regard for local
effects. Products are conceived in one place and made in
another.

City planning is often orientated towards the encouragment of
development : new commun I cat Ion Infrastructures, Industrial parks
and office buildings, frequently replacing Inner city housing.

```

```
                  - 27 
Each city seeks to attract corporate headquarters, international
Institutions, International service activities and industrial
Investment. This Is now taking place In a context of Increased
competition between cities. In all this the environment, and the
quality of life of the Inhabitants, often come a poor second.

At the same time It must be recognised that environmental quality
is an asset In international competition. Farsighted cities are
seeking to attract high value-added activities by Increasing the
quality of life in the city or by establishing attractive science
parks - with Increased tourist revenue as a bonus.

Firms, research centres and other institutions seeking to recruit
the top personnel and skilled workforce on which their success
depends Increasingly take the attractiveness of a potential site
as seriously as its conventional efficiency. The environment and
quality of life for inhabitants and for promoting economic
development should therefore be a primary Issue for city planning
and management.

Distribution and consumption

The age of mass consumption has had a profound impact on the
spatial organisation of the city. One such phenomenon is the
large shopping mall at the far periphery, accessible on I y by car;
similarly, the access routes to the city are lined with
speciality shops, garishly advertised, whose collective visual
Impact is more reminiscent of the industrial zone than of the
traditional High Street.

Meanwhile, high-class shops take over the most picturesque parts
of the old centre, depriving its Inhabitants of shops for their
daily needs. Other central areas are taken over by pedestrian
zones, crammed with a narrow range of clothing and similar shops,
which reduce variety and convenience for Inhabitants and attract
large amounts of traffic to surrounding parking garages.

There Is thus a link between single-purpose public spaces and
urban monoculture generally: the pedestrian area creates shopping
precincts; the urban motorway, office ghettos. What is lost is
the equilibrium resulting from many uses and many modes of
transport co-existing: the pedestrian, cyclist and public
transport creating a multifunctional environment which neither
depends on nor totally excludes the private driver.

```

```
                  - 28 
Hotels, restaurants and housing

Hotels and restaurants can be an extension of city life, oriented
to serve local Inhabitants. To an Increasing degree, however
they are mere extensions of the office culture, serving its needs
but crowding out local Inhabitants and attracting traffic to the
centre.

Increasingly, the centres are Inhabited by three groups: older
people with modest means, Immigrants, and young professionals,
well-off and without children, benefitting from private or public
urban restoration In what is known as "gentrif I cat ion".

The neighbourhoods surrounding the centre, built in the second
half of the 19th century, show a greater diversity of age and
social groups. They are, however, assailed by traffic passing to
the centre, and by encroachments from office development.

Further on the periphery, housing estates often represent
extremes of monoculture, both as regards the social status of
their inhabitants and the absence of multiple urban services and

activities.

While the growth of these dormitory towns can in part be
explained as a response by public authorities to a pressing need,
they also follow a doctrinaire view developed before World War I
which saw the "garden city" as an Ideal. This attempt to provide
the city's Inhabitants with air, quiet and space has
unfortunately too often resulted In urban sprawl and further
décentraiIzation.

The price, however, Is the need for a massive transport
Infrastructure whose main effects are felt by districts closer to
the centre; and, for the individual, long travelling times.
Moreover, suburban housing Is nothing If not self-sufficient. Its
gadgets are an effective substitute for services exhanged within
neighbourhoods - and hence contribute to Isolation.

These effects have contributed to create a movement of "return to

the city". Impatience with long commuting times and the desire to
profit from the cultural diversity of the city are reinforced by
two contemporary needs : as Industry and services Increasingly
work around the clock, key technical personnel or executives must
be Instantly available. In addition, the frequent uprooting from
house and social life associated with increased Job mobility can
be avoided by living in or close to the centre. The demand for
attractive urban housing suitable for families is beginning to be
met by a still often experimental supply of roads with traffic
restrictions where children can play and adults mingle, small but
well-planted parks and play areas, replanted courtyards, roof
gardens, etc.

```

```
                  - 29 
These experiments show that the "mixing" of urban uses - of
living, moving, working - Is possible and, Increasingly
necessary. This new concept takes as Its model the old*
traditional life of the European city, stressing density!
multiple use. social and cultural diversity. Different social*,
professional and age groups living together also create the basis
for a civil coexistence which Is undermined by growing mutual
Ignorance and distrust.

However, the housing estates of the periphery, increasingly
suffering from vandalism and crime provoked by limited
occupational choice, monotony and isolation also have to be
urbanized in this new-old pattern: by creating greater
heterogeneity, centres of greater density, life, and variety of

uses.

Tour 1sm

The constant increase In tourism in certain cities characterized

by a very rich cultural heritage, numerous examples of
outstanding architectural beauty and sophisticated or specific
types of urbanization may, In the absence of effective controls,
undermine the quality of life of the inhabitants. Historic
centres are being turned into monofunctional areas as a result of
the proliferation of hotels, the rise in property values, the
disappearance of corner shops, overcrowding, and the relocation
of small firms, including craft businesses. This transformation,
disrupting the fragile equilibrium of the urban environment, is
bound to affect the overall dynamics of historic centres, since
an excessive concentration of visitors may result In the
deterioration of the heritage itself.

However, the cities and regions attach high hopes to the
development of tourism and leisure activities. It is therefore
essential that a planning strategy for urban tourism be
elaborated In order to avoid the negative effects of tourism and
to channel the proceeds Into renovation of the urban fabric,
restoration of the cultural heritage, development of leisure
facilities and green spaces and, last but not least, Improvement
of pub 11c spaces.

Communication and mobility

Some futurologlsts have concluded that modern communications
technology could allow those now living and working in congested
cities to disperse throughout the country. Everything argues
against such a vision for all but a few independent
professionals : the sheer number of people relative to the land
available, the destruction of the environment Involved, the
 Implied waste of existing urban Infrastructure.

Personal mobility thus remains an essential - Indeed, the

```

```
                  - 30 
essential - atrlbute of the city. As argued above, spatial
separation dictated by functionalist doctrine leaves, in the
absence of effective public transport networks, little
alternative to the motor car.

Yet adding roads, tunnels, etc. to accommodate growing traffic
has the perverse effect to slowing It down during construction,
while Increasing pollution and noise even further. Once such
Infrastructure is completed, traffic quickly Increases to
recreate the previous levels of congestion. For the centre,
however, the increase is real : pressure on space for parking
spills over onto pavements, squares and parks.

Outright prohibition of the car is rarely the answer. As stated
earlier, It may accelerate the monofunetional quality of the
centre. It may force detours which increase overall traffic and
hence pollution, or shift the problem of parking to the edge of
the protected centre.

Generally, the objective must be to make the car an option rather
than a necessity which is created - indeed, forced on the
Individual - by the separation of the city into monofunctlonal
segments. The multifunctional, creative city, which is also the
more livable city, Is the one that pollutes the least. In turn.
by limiting the car's contribution to noise, unsafe streets and
air pollution, the city's attractions can grow and its economic,
social, and cultural potential be realized.

Concretely, this leads to three convergent orientations:

- avoid strict zoning In favour of mixed uses of urban space,
  favouring In particular housing In Inner city areas;
- defend the architectural heritage against the uniform banality
  of the International style, respecting rather than Imitating

  the old; A [ ., ] .:

- avoid escaping the problems of the city by extending Its
  periphery: solve Its problems within existing boundaries.

Lastly, It Is Important to stress the role of regulation while
warning against certain modes of planning. Regulation regarding
environmental targets Is essential. Planning without broad
participation by, and concern for the city's Inhabitants will
result in a narrow view of its efficiency, which ultimately
condemns It to sterility.

```

```
                  - 31 
CHAPTER TWO: TOWARDS A COMMUNITY STRATEGY FOR THE URBAN

        ENVIRONMENT

1. Targets for Urban Environmental Improvement

The primary objectives of urban environmental policy and
management are the creation, or re-creation, of towns and cities
which provide an attractive environment for their inhabitants,
and the reduction of the city's contribution to global pollution.
However Utopian this target may appear, It is one which meets
today's concerns and tomorrow's responsibilities.

The analysis of the previous section traces urban environmental
problems primarily to two factors.

The first of these is the uncontrolled pressure placed on the
environment by many of the activities which are concentrated in

the cities.

The second - and not unrelated - factor is the spatial
arrangement of our urban areas. In the past few decades, planning
philosophy and development practice have radically altered the
organization of towns, In many cases giving rise to an almost
clinical separation of land uses. This physical separation, often
between areas not linked by public transport, has required urban
populations greatly to increase their mobility, and thus their
reliance on motor vehicles In general and private transport In
particular.

This has in turn led to the development of extensive suburban
residential areas which are economically difficult to service by
public transport. The environmental implications of such spatial
reorganization of our cities may be seen In terms of

- Adverse effects on specific areas within towns : congested or
  decaying city centres; peripheries turned Into dumping grounds
  for land uses considered undesirable for the city - waste
  tips, Industry, social housing-,

- Generally high levels of air and noise pollution, caused In
  part by the mobility Imposed by spatial differentiation.

Moreover, this pollution spills over Into the country and the
global environment. By their very concentration, cities are major
contributors to acid rain and - via C02 emissions - to the

greenhouse effect. Higher smokestacks are thus not the answer.

```

```
                  - 32 
Growing concern over the environment In general and the urban
environment In particular has led public authorities at all
levels to Initiate remedial action. While such actions have

undoubtedly helped to Improve environmental quality or prevent
Its further deterioration, much remains to be achieved. There are
few objective measures for evaluating the environmental quality
of urban life. But with growing awareness of the Issues, citizens
are seeking more than prevention of further deterioration-, they
are demanding positive improvements.

The experience provided by past successes and past failures
provides useful guidelines for future action. An analysis of the
efforts made during the past few years to tackle urban
environmental problems suggests that these have been constrained
by a number of important factors which can be addressed in a
Community programme of action.

2. Constraints on effective environmental management

There is growing understanding that effective environmental
management requires replacing the piecemeal approach to problems
by a high degree of Integration, if displacement of problems is
to be avoided. However, issue Integration must also be matched by
procedural integration : between policy-making, problem analysis
and Impact assessment, planning, financing, and implementation precisely because of the wide scope of the issues involved. Even
at the end of the process, however, results will be transitory if
the public is not helped to acquire the awareness needed to
recognize environmental problems on a day-to-day basis and
structures found which translate this awareness Into action.

(1) Coordination

This Is essentially an institutional problem which affects all
levels of public administration. The traditional approach to
urban environmental problems has been essentially sectoral - In
other words, Individual measures aimed at reducing the effects of
specific problems.

Yet given the complexity of urban systems, decisions made In
almost any Individual sector will have repercussions elsewhere.
The division of responsibility of urban management between
different levels of government and various agencies operating at
the local level Involves difficulties of Integration which are
both "vertical" and "horizontal".

Few cities posses an institutional framework which permits
genuine coordination of Investment, development and environmental
decision-making. The implications of this are most easily seen In
respect to transport planning. Despite their significant
environmental Implications, decisions affecting public transport
on the one hand and road construction on the other are rarely
 Integrated Into a single, comprehensive transportation strategy.

 (Ii) Resources
While limited budgets undoubtedly constrain many environmental
programmes, environmentally sensible solutions can often be
achieved by the more efficient use of existing resources.

```

```
                  - 33 
(III) Information v

As discussed above, the lack of accurate and consistent data on
many environmental factors acts as a constraint on programme
development. It is difficult to set objective targets for
Improvement without a clear recognition of the scope of a
particular problem. In the past few years, greater efforts in the
field of environmental monitoring, together with public pressure
for access to collected data, have generated demands that higher
priority be given to Improvement programmes.

(iv) Technical Knowledge

With the growth of concern for environmental issues, there has
been concomitant growth In environmental techniques and
technologies. This has already yielded results In many areas of
noise and pollution control, which will gradually be implemented
over the coming years. These successes have made clear the
importance of ongoing research and development In environmental
technology.

(v) Problem Displacement
One of the shortcomings of the current sectoral approach is that
the solution to one problem often proves to be the cause of
another one. Thus, the construction of new urban roads to ease
congestion may stimulate more traffic and thereby Increase
pollution. Attention must therefore be paid to potential
secondary effects of solutions. Electric cars will be quieter and
cause less direct pollution than motor vehicles, but the problem
of C02 pollution resulting from the generation of electricity by
burning fossil fuels remains. Most electricity in Europe is
generated in this way, and the situation Is not likely to change

in the near future.

(vl) Environmental Improvement vs Economic Growth
A significant restraint on many measures for environmental
Improvement has been concern for their Impact on economic growth.
It Is not surprising that economies which have in recent years
been been faced with high Inflation and unemployment are
reluctant to burden Industry and consumers with higher
environmental standards. This conflict between environment and

economy is, however, a false one since In the long term the
protection of environmental resources Is a basic condition for
sustained economic growth, which can itself contribute to
environmental improvement.

In the short term, the weakness of our present environmental
legislation and policies is such that economic growth is likely
to lead to Increases in pollution and pressure on the
environment. Analysis of the projected future patterns of growth
within the Cdmmunlty Indicates that It is likely to cause severe
environmental problems related especially to transport, energy
and waste. More positive measures to overcome these impacts are
required not Just to protect the environment but also to ensure
that the benefits of this growth are sustained. Economic
 Integration provides positive opportunities for the application
of environmental Improvements throughout the entire Community.

```

```
              - 34 
```

_**ITttlî»**_ **`°`** **`[ne]`** **`,°`** **`[f]`** **`[ the maJOr]`** **`[ d, f f, c u, t,]`** **`e s`** **`in`** **`judging`** **`the`** **`balance`**
```
between environment and economic development concerns the
timescale. Current environmental management far too often
responds to short-term crises rather than engaging In long-term
pIannIng.

At the heart of the conflict, however, is the fact that the
market economy currently doesn't "Internalize" the environmental
costs. It does however have the potential to do so. While
research carried out by the OECD, among other organisations, has
already fully documented these costs, this is yet to have a
significant Impact on public policy.

Consumer and producer choices can be guided through economic and
fiscal measures which rely on market forces. Although this policy
option is only beginning to be explored, It has considerable
potential as means of contributing towards compatibility between
environment and economic growth.

3. Guiding Principles for Urban Environmental Improvement

From this discussion, a number of themes arise as guiding
principles for Community action in improving the urban
envIronment.

(I) Coordination-intégrât ion
The complexity and Interrelationships among urban problems calls
for greater Integration in policy and investment decision-making
to economic development, social policy (the reinforcement of
social and economic cohesion), transport and environment.

(II) ResponslbiIity
Accepting responsibility for the consequences of our activities
at all levels - of the Individual, the company and public
administration - is an important prerequisite for environmental
Improvement. This In turn presupposes understanding and knowledge
of these consequences, which Is often lacking. While Informed
choice alone will not solve our problems, it will contribute to
this end.

For the city itself, It Is perhaps useful to suggest the
objective of the non-polluting city - assuming the responsibility
to prevent pollution of the surrounding countryside. An example
Is the project "Seine Propre", by which Paris aims to treat 100%
of the waste water discharged into the river Seine.

(ill) Sustainabllity
The long-term objectives of environmental and economic
sustainabllity must be accepted along with that of environmental
quality In the short term. The World Commission on Environment
and Development, in Its 1987 report, commonly known as the
Brundtland report, developed as an Important principle
"sustainable development": that the use of resources and the
environment should not reduce the potential of these resources
for succeeding generations. Its implications for urban
environmental management need to be explored In detail.

```

```
              - 35 
(lv) Subsidiarity

          ^ [,,eS] [ s]
r!^,,n [P], [r] t [,] v [nC,] ? [le] P [e c, f, c a, |] y to actions by the European
###### TiïTrL r n d, Ôf,n,ng the d,V,s,on of responsibilities between
different levels of government, It assigns a role to the
Community when policy objectives can best be achieved by acting
at the European level. The full text of the Treaty which covers
Community Involvement In environmental matters is set out In
Append Ix I.

With reference to the urban environment, the basis for Community
action Is to be found in:

(a) The International Implications of pollution originating from
urban areas. Many of the activities which cause problems within
urban areas also contribute to cross-border air and water
pollution and to global environmental problems such as global
warming.

(b) The commonality of problems within the urban environment.
This argues for cooperation among Member States in the search for
solutions.

(c) Recognition of a European dimension of the historical and
cultural heritage of our towns and cities.

(d) The necessity to consider potential Impacts on the
environment, and In particular In urban areas, of Community
poI icy In a 11 sectors.

4. Instruments of Community Action

City authorities, and the national governments which provide the
legislative and financial framework within which cities operate^
have the major responsibility to Improve the urban environment.

The Community already, through a variety of policies and actions
has a significant impact on urban areas. The main instruments of
Community action are described below with reference to how these
are already being used to contribute to the Improvement of the
urban environment. In considering how the Community can usefully
extend its activities In this policy area, these are the main
types of action which are available.

(I) Legislation
The Community has assumed a major role in environmental
management by establishing quality objectives and emission
standards for a number of environmental factors - particularly
air, water and noise pollution. With Improvements In
environmental technology, emission standards will have to be
continuously reviewed to ensure that they are In line with the
application of the best available technology. The Importance of
this role has grown with the approval of norms In the context of
 the Single Market.

```

```
                  - 36 
Commun ty legislation requiring catalltyc converters which
s gnlfleantly reduce emissions of pollutants such as N02', to be
fitted to all new cars sold In the Community from 1993 is a good
example of legislation which will contribute to improving the
urban environment.

The Community has also adopted legislation requiring a detailed
environmental Impact assessment for major development projects,

the aim of which is to ensure that decisions are made with fuli

knowledge of the environmental Implications of different options.

Consideration Is currently being given to the possibility that
this legislation be extended to require such an analysis for
policies, plans and programmes. This requirement will improve the
coordination of objectives between different sectors and hence
result in plans and policies that are more sensitive to the
multiple needs of urban dwellers.

(ii) Recommendations and Guidelines

While in certain areas It is inappropriate for the Community to
produce a legislative framework, the commonality of problems
between Member States is such that the Community is an
appropriate forum for discussing and developing guidelines for

action.

(ill) Research, Demonstration and Training
Improved methods and techniques of urban management can
potentially benefit the entire Community. It is therefore
appropriate that the Community financially encourage such
experimentation through demonstration and pilot projects which
might serve as models for wider application. In the same spirit,
the Community can serve a useful role in disseminating
Information about the practical results obtained to date
throughout the Community. The Community is already active In
these ways in many areas of urban management.

In the field of Research, existing examples of relevant Community
programmes Include the "DRIVE" programme which is developplng a
comprehensive range of Instruments for the provision of
Information services to managers and users of the urban transport
system. It will provide the tools for Improved planning and
management of traffic, including the control of congestion,
pollution and noise, and the efficient use of public transport
and parking space. Research is also being carried out into the
 Impacts of atmospheric pollution on the structure of historic
buildings. The Community Is currently supporting pilot projects
 in a number of areas which can contribute to improve the urban
environment, Including for example a network of 12 cities being
supported In the development of urban energy planning.

 (Iv) Financial Assistance

The Community already finances considerable investment in urban
areas through the structural funds, notably the Regional Fund, by
 loans from the European Investment Bank, loans and grants from
 the ECSC and by other financial Instruments.

```

```
                  - 37 
Some of these Investments directly or indirectly affect the urban
environment; this includes direct environmental Improvements,
recognised as often being a precondition of economic development.

The reform of the structural funds In 1988 has brought a new
dimension to their Involvement In urban areas. This reform has

emphasised the need to concentrate resources In defined priority
areas and to co-ordinate the actions of the various funds.

Submissions for support are made within the context of a Regional
Plan. After négociation, a Community Support Framework is
established which forms the basis for financial support. For
urban areas, the two following objectives are relevant :

- Objective 1 areas regions whose development is lagging
  behind (I.e. where capita G.D.P. is less than or close to 75%
  of the Community average).
- Objective 2 areas : areas of industrial decline.

Objective 1 areas include many major cities and urban areas
including Athens, Belfast, Dublin, Naples and Lisbon. The
Commission has influenced the choice of actions in the Community
Support Frameworks for Objective 1 regions. These regions often
lack Infrastructure such as sewage or water treatment plants, or
adequate public transport, the absence of which affects economic
development and the environment. The actions for these regions
under the CSFs are designed to improve their economic potential
while at the same time taking account of the environment.

Examples of actions for cities which will have specific
environmental gains include:

- the Athens metro to help reduce the dependence on the motor
  car and reduce the chronic levels of air pollution in the city

- In Lisbon, under the programme "Llsboa Norte", there are
  proposals for water and sewage works. These include the
  construction of an "Interceptor" sewer and sewerage treatment
  plants and the purification of water from industrial areas

- in Naples, a priority has been given to linking sewer system
  with treatment plants and the construction of a new water
  purification and sewage treatment plant.

All Objective 2 regions are characterised by the decline of
traditional industries with a legacy of derelict land and
contaminated sites, and are therefore predominantly urban. A key
priority under the Community Support Framework for Objective 2
regions is the reclamation and redevelopment of former Industrial
sites. Add itionnaly, other actions deal with the disposal of
waste, treatment of water and sewerage and atmospheric pollution.
It is estimated that 20% of current funding in these areas have a
specific environmental benefit orientation. Environmental actions
are being linked with other actions designed to create jobs and
new opportunities. Some examples of the type actions intended are
as fol lows :

```

```
                 - 38 
" î« [8] tî [rCh],.. [and] [ a d V, C e] * [ 3 S W e M a s] [ m ô a s u r] e s . specifically linked
  and Bremen [S] ) [POSal] ^ r e c y c M n g o f, n d u s t r | a« waste (UK, Spain

- Insistence that industrial development should not, where
  possible, take place on "greenfield" land. The CSFs stress the
  need to redevelop already derelict land (UK and Berlin).

- Emphasis on the development of public transport systems rather
  than further road infrastructure spending (UK).

- Inclusion of measures relating to "clean technologies" in the
  research and development priority (UK) and Investment aids to
  SME's for non-polluting production plants (Berlin).

- Measures to combat atmospheric pollution (Spain).

In all, about 40 percent of major cities of the Community are
covered by the actions of Objective 1 and 2 areas. Since many of
the problems related to unemployment and re-trainlng are
concentrated in urban areas so, too, is the action through the
Social Fund.

Apart from the Community Support Frameworks, Community
initiatives can tackle some environmental problems as well as
promoting economic development. The RESIDER programme for steel
areas or the RECHAR programme for coal mining areas are examples
of specific programmes which, while primarily focussing on
combatting the severe unemployment created by the decline of
these industries, also Include Important elements which relate to
the Improvement of the environment and Image of these areas.

Another Community Initiative, ENVIREG, allocates 500 MECU over
the period 1990-1993 specifically related to environmental
actions to reduce pollution In coastal areas, mainly In the
Mediterranean, and the management of hazardous and toxic
Industrial waste In objective 1 areas. A priority Is in urban
areas of less than 100,000 inhabitants.

Under article 10 of the ERDF regulation, urban pilot projects of
an Innovatory character and which have demonstrative potential
for other cities may be co-financed, for example the London and
Marseille pilot actions launched In February 1990.

The Regional Development Fund Is, with few exceptions, limited to
those areas of the Community which are considered to be
economically disadvantaged and, within these areas, to projects
which will lead to economic development.

These limitations currently prevent the Community from assisting
environmental measures In urban areas not covered by Objective 1
and 2 and projects which cannot be regarded as leading to

```

```
                  - 39 
economic development. If the Community wishes to be able to
support environmental actions In urban areas throughout
Community, It will, therefore, need to consider the creation of a
new financial faciIity.

At present finance available for specifically environmental
projects is very limited. The "Medspa" programme is the most
significant of the current proposals. With a budget of
9 million ECU In 1990 this programme is intended to provide
technical and professional assistance with the preparation of

plans for the treatment of urban sewage and waste to small
communities, with less than 100,000 population, in the

Mediterranean Basin.

(v) Economic and Fiscal Measures

The scope for Community action to encourage environmental

improvement by economic and fiscal measures has yet to be

explored in detail. Such measures aim to incorporate

environmental quality within the economic system by operating on

the market in ways which encourage environment friendly

production techniques and products.

(vi) Urban Impact Assessment

The Commission makes policy In a wide range of sectors which may
have consequences for the urban environment. Such policies should

be carefully analysed to ensure that adverse effects on the

environment are avoided.

5. Areas of Action

The first chapter of this document has identified the main
problems facing urban areas and their causes. The limitations of
the existing sectorial approaches to the solution of these
problems have also been identified. In presenting suggestions for
future lines of action, It is important therefore to orientate
these towards addressing the causes of the problems rather than
simply their symptoms. This section discusses potential solutions
to the problems and from these identifies a range of suggested
lines for future Community action. These suggestions, which
relate to actions best achieved at the Community level, respect
the principle governing the role and competence of the Community
as set out in the Treaty.

As discussed In the first section of this chapter, the main
targets for future action for urban environmental improvement at
all levels are seen to fall into two priority areas:

- Policies which concern the physical structure of the city,

  specifically with regard to :

  - Urban planning;
  - Urban transport;
  - Protection and enhancement of the historical heritage;

  - Protection and enhancement of the natural areas within

   cities-,

```

```
              - 40 
```

**`"`** _**IVMWi**_ **`Concerned`** **`w,th`** **`reducing`** **`the`** **`impact`** **`of`** **`urban`**
```
  activities on the environment :

     Urban Industry;

     Urban energy management;

     Management of urban waste-,

     Water management.

It is also Important that the development policies in this area
are based on accurate and comparative data on the state of the
urban environment. Consideration Is therefore also required of
information needs and how these are to be met.

 In addition to these main priority areas, there is also scope
 for the Community to assist a range of Initiatives at the local
 and regional level which can contribute to the improvement of
 the environment and quality of life In urban areas. These
 include initiatives related to :

 information

 social action

 interregional co-operation.

5.1. Urban planning

Encouraging greater diversity and avoiding urban sprawl.

The strict zoning policies of the past decades which have led to
the separation of land use and the subsequent development of
extensive residential suburbs have In turn stimulated commuter
traffic, which Is at the heart of many of the environmental
problems currently facing urban areas.

We therefore need a fundamental review of the principles on which
town planning practice has been based. Strategies which emphasize
mixed use and denser development are more likely to result In
people living close to work places and the services they require
for everyday life. The car can then become an option rather than
a necessity. Strategies of this kind have already been put In
motion In countries such as The Nether lands;they merit wider
considérât ion.

Redeveloping urban waste lands

The many tracts of abandoned land, disused industrial sites,
railway sidings, docks and military facilities in urban areas
offer valuable opportunities for redevelopment - saving existing
recreational and open space within cities and Its outskirts from
encroachment by development. Many cities have already accepted
this priority In their planning strategies. However, the problems
posed by contaminated land and complex ownership patterns are
such that It will often require a firm lead from public
authorities.

```

```
                  - 41 
Revitalizing existing city areas

Revitalizing existing housing areas within the city Is also
Important. The quality of life In such areas can be dramatically
Improved by carrying out environmental Improvements and,
specifically, by reducing the noise and pollution from traffic'
This requires local strategies that give priority to the needs of
pedestrians and Inhabitants rather than to drivers passing
through an area. Such environmental Improvements may well provide
the Impetus for private investment In improvement of housing
stock.

The need for revltalIzation Is not restricted to areas within the

city. Many urban peripheral housing estates, particularly those
constructed as social housing, are showing symptoms of urban
decline more traditionally associated with rundown inner-city
areas. In London and Marseille, the Commission is already
Involved In pilot projects aimed at Improving economic and social
development In such areas. The problems experienced by their
inhabitants are often aggravated by their physical isolation from
the economic, social, commercial and cultural life of the city.

Expanding the uses and activities of these areas, and thus the
opportunities available to their residents, is part of a strategy
aimed at integrating these housing estates into the city, and
Improving their environment and the quality of life of their

inhabitants.

Urban design

Urban environmental quality is as much a product of building
design as of spatial differentiation. Protecting the visual
quality and historical identity of our cities thus requires
attention not only to the protection of historical buildings but
also to the design of new buildings being inserted into the urban
fabric. Urban planning should therefore Incorporate this third
dimension, encouraging architectural innovation but ensuring that
new buildings are compatible with existing urban character and do
not destroy or render useless the city's open spaces.

Suggested lines of action :

- That the Commission, in cooperation with Member States and
  local authorities, should evolve guidelines for the
  incorporation of environmental considerations into town
  planning strategies - a detailed Investigation and elaboration
  of the principles outlined above. Such guidelines will attempt
  to Influence town planning practice and provide an important
  complement to the proposed directive on environmental
  assessment of policies, plans and programmes.

- That further research Into the treatment of contaminated

  soils, which so often hinder redevelopment of existing city
  sites, be encouraged.

```

```
                  - 42 
  That further financial assltance be given to pilot projects
  aimed at revitalizing less favoured urban areas by Introducing
  a greater mixture of uses and hence access to urban
  facilities. At the same time, such actions should aim to
  protect and assist existing residents In these areas. The
  Commission should also consider how it can extend this action

  building on lessons learnt from these pilot projects.

  The Community should consider the question of whether it
  wishes to extend financial support for urban renovation and
  environmental Improvement schemes beyond the types and areas
  of support permitted by the current structural funds and If
  so, how this could be achieved.

5.2. Urban transport

As stressed throughout this report, the dramatic rise in private
vehicle ownership over the past few decades has provided greater
convenience for many, but it has also led to congestion, negative
impacts of urban motorways, loss of open spaces to parking, air
pollution and noise. The dramatic increase in the amount of
freight moved by lorry has contributed to these problems as well.
Urban traffic is a major contributor to acid rain and the
greenhouse effect.

There Is growing recognition that the situation is serious and
action needed. While the development of environment friendly
vehicles could bring some relief, meaningful solutions will
Involve a significant shift In the balance between modes of
transport, favouring public over private transport and reducing
the level and Impact of motor traffic In our Inner cities.

At the Community level It Is not possible to provide details of
the strategy that would be appropriate for a particular city. But
It Is possible to Identify a number of areas where progress would
contribute to reducing the Impact of vehicle traffic on the city.

(a) Private Transport

Improving current technology

Existing and proposed Community legislation seeks to apply the
best available technology to reduce the noise and pollution
traditionally associated with motor vehicles, notably the switch
to less polluting fuels, tougher standards on noise levels and
the use of catalytic convertors. These controls apply to new
vehicles. They will not, however, reduce the emission of C02,
which Is one of the most Important greenhouse gases.

Moreover, to be effective these measures must be maintained
throughout the life of the vehicle. This can be accomplished by
adding environmental conformity controls to existing technical
(safety) controls.

```

```
                  - 43 
The Commission should be encouraging research into the further
reduction of noise and pollution from motor vehicles and keep
under review its directives In this area to ensure application of
the results of such research.

Even within existing technology, certain vehicles are recognised
as less environmentally damaging than others. The Federal
Republic of Germany has recently adopted a differential taxation
system related to emission levels. The Commission could consider
a wider application of such a system within the Community.

Public authorities responsible for the acquisition and

maintenance of a substantial number of vehicles within the urban

areas for various functions should set an example both In the

choice and the use and maintenance of their vehicles.

 Electric vehicles

There is a growing interest in electric vehicles as a potential
solution to the noise and air pollution problems posed by petrol
and diesel engines. The Commission has already expressed interest
in the development of these vehicles and has assisted in the
creation of an Intercity association aimed at encouraging
development cooperation.

While such vehicles would undoubtedly contribute significantly to
lowering pollution levels, they cannot be regarded as an absolute
solution. They will not overcome congestion or relieve the
pressures on urban space. Moreover, they rely on electricity
largely generated by burning fossil fuels.

Bicycles

The bicycle Is the ultimate environment friendly vehicle.
However, few cities have seriously attempted to incorporate the
bicycle Into an overall transport strategy. Indeed, existing
traffic presents pollution and safety hazards that strongly
discourage the use of bicycles within the cities.

Pedestrtans

The hazards facing bicycles are equally daunting to that most
private means of transport - walking. In areas of heavy traffic,
the pedestrian is assailed by noise and fumes, leading to
immediate discomfort and long-term respiratory and eye
 Irritations. Moreover, such areas tend to resemble obstacles
courses. The pedestrian may have to navigate around parked cars
blocking crossing and, In some cases, pavements, avoid metal
poles bearing traffic signs, traffic lights, parking meters; rush
across streets where the "pedestrian walk" signal may be as short
as four seconds; watch for cars going through or turning on a red
 Iight, etc.

```

```
                  - 44 
Too often, street planning focuses on the efficient circulation
of motor vehicle traffic, leaving pedestrians to fend for
themselves. Walkers must be put back Into the planning equation not as an endangered species to be set aside In special
pedestrian areas, but as major users of the city's streets.

(b) PublIc Transport

While the contribution of public transport to reducing urban
traffic has long been recognised, few cities have succeeded In
significantly shifting private to public transport.

While the use of private cars has Increased, public transport has
remained rather static. Experience has shown strong owner
attachment to cars - often defying economic logic - and that only
a powerful combination of Incentives and restraints can shift the
balance to public transport. A number of issues call for

consideration in this connection.

(I) Public transport, land use and transport planning

Urban transportation planning should consider the potential of
all forms of transport and take decisions within a long-term
strategy which relates it directly to land use planning and
includes environmental objectives. At present, many cities seem
to take Important transportation decisions in an ad hoc response

to increased demand.

Thus, the response to Increased car traffic has too often been
new roads, which have In turn encouraged yet more traffic. A
policy of favouring public transport must inevitably involve
difficult decisions. Catering for all the demands of increased
traffic Is not an adequte response; congestion represents in some

cases a useful tool of dissuasion.

(ii) Improving public transport

A common complaint - or excuse - is that the quality of public
transport makes It an inconvenient alternative to the car.
Clearly, operators face significant economic problems. Improved
services Imply Increased costs for vehicles, rolling stock,
personnel and Infrastructure such as track and passenger

faciIities.

Unless such decisions are taken within the context of an

 Integrated transport plan based on a clear decision to develop
attractive new public transport services as an alternative to new
roads, there Is no guarantee that Improved services will attract
a sufficient number of passengers to cover costs. Attention must
also be given to the potential of park-and-rIde schemes and links
between Intercity transport and internal networks.

```

```
                  - 45 
(c) Traffic Management

The management of city traffic can be significantly improved by
traffic management systems which can Include high technolgy
Information and Informatics systems such as are currently being
developped under the Commission's DRIVE research programme. While
tradltlonnally the main objective of traffic management has been
to ease congestion and improve traffic flow, It can also be
applied to the improvement of environment conditions. The
encouragement of new techniques raises therefore the question as
to whether they are to be used to encourage more traffic or to
reduce environmental impact. Traffic management policies should
give full weight to environmental and safety considerations,
taking account of longer term implications at both the local and
global level, while still reflecting the need for mobility which
is essential to a healthy urban economy. Within the framework of
these considerations, the aim should be to reduce traffic
congestion but not encourage greater use of the city areas for

motor traffic.

A variety of measures which restrain the use and impact of the
private car are available. These include local area schemes aimed
at traffic calming, Involving speed restrictions; road narrowing;
and pedestrian zones. Such local measures if well designed and
Implemented, are probably the most effective way to reduce noise.
The Netherlands and Germany have had considerable success with
these techniques. In addition to encouraging greater use of
public transport, measures of this type form an integral part of
schemes to revitalize Inner city areas, making them more
habitable and "reclaiming the street" for pedestrians.

(d) Restrictions on parking

Parking restrictions have a major dissuasive effect on private
car use within the city. Attachment to car use is often so great
that drivers will accept considerable Inconvenience before they
are willing to change to public transport. In those cities where
public tansport is still Important, the availability of parking
 Is severely restricted, either by accident or by design.

(e) Taxation of road use In urban areas

A number of cities within the Community are proposing the use of
road pricing or area licensing to Influence the balance of
private and public transport. Such measures are already applied
outside the Community, In cities such as Singapore and Oslo. The
 Justification for this type of economic Instrument Is that It
 forces the user more directly to assume the wider social and
environmental costs of car use. These systems have the potential
 to discourage car use and to contribute financially to the
 development of alternatives but must be handled sensitively to
 avoid negative impacts on the city centre.

```

```
                  - 46 
Suggested lines of action

The Community should :

1. Encourage city authorities to Incorporate decisions about

   the coordinated future development of public transport and

   road construction into their plans for land use and

   transportation. The Commission should expect future

   submissions for structural fund assistance towards transport

   Infrastructure to demonstrate that such an analysis has been

   carried out.

2. Encourage innovative approaches to the use of public

   transport and the environmental management of urban traffic

   by contributing to the cost of pilot projects and monitoring

   their effects. Research programmes should attach high

   priority to environmental considerations and should include

   innovative public transport, environmentally friendly

   vehicles and advanced traffic management systems. This

   should not lead to the encouragement of the greater use of

   urban areas for motor traffic.

3. Encourage the Community-wide exchange of information in

   urban traffic management to maximize the benefits of a wide

   range of experience.

4. Consider in detail, possibly by financing pilot projects,

   the potential for using economic instruments such as road

   pricing to help solve the environmental problems generated

   by urban traffic.

5.3. The protection and enhancement of the historical heritage of

   European cltles

The historical character of our European town and cities - their

buildings, monuments, squares and street patterns - establishes

an Identity and sense of place specific to individual cities. Our

cities are an important symbol of the Community's rich cultural

diversity and its shared historical heritage. Interest in

protecting a city's historical character Is therefore not

restricted to that city's own citizens.

The development pressures of the past several decades have

gravely threatened Europe's urban heritage. Many towns and cities

have introduced planning schemes which provide significant

protection for these areas and encourage their restoration

through Imaginative area Improvement schemes.

The Community has to date played a minor role In financial terms,

but Important In terms of Increasing the public awareness of

their architectural heritage. This role Is primarily oriented

towards assisting In the conservation of momuments illustrating

the richness and the diversity of the European architectural

her itage.

```

```
                  - 47 
Suggested lines of action :

1. That the Community provides more substantial finance for the
   conservation of historical buildings and areas of European
   significance.

2. That consideration be given to the potential benefits of a
   Community system of recognition of the historic and cultural
   significance of individual buildings and parts of urban

   areas.

5.4. Protection and enhancement of the natural environment within

   our towns and cities

With growing environmental awareness the wealth of the natural
habitats that lie within the confines of our towns and cities has

been recognized. While the value of such areas is rarely
comparable to that of more natural habitats in the countryside,
their proximity to a large population gives them a special value
in improving the quality of urban life, providing opportunities
for informal recreation and for informal education in natural

history and environmental Issues.

The protection and improvement of open spaces and habitats and
the planting of trees enhance the visual pleasure provided by
urban areas, and can also help to combat the microclimatic
effects which concentrate pollutants within the city, and the
pollutants themselves.

Many cities have adopted "green plans" which aim to protect and
enhance the potential of open spaces and to encourage citizens to
plant trees and to carry out other environmental improvements.

The growth of leisure time and increasing demands of space for
sports and recreation has placed great pressure on the existing
open spaces within urban areas. There are few cities which could
genuinely claim to have made adequate provision for such space.
While the creation of new urban parks poses many problems, city
authorities should be encouraged to take up opportunities
provided by derelict and unused land. In many European cities,
"recreation" forests on the edge of the city also provide very
significant recreation opportunities for city dwellers.

Suggested lines of action :

1. The Commission should consider a programme of pilot projects
   across the Community to demonstrate the benefits of green
   plans and programmes of action.

2. City authorities should be encouraged to review their
   provision of public open spaces and seize oppportunitles
   where available to extend such provision.

```

```
                  - 48 
5.5. Water management

A current proposal for a directive on municipal waste water sets
the objective of achieving a high standard of treatment for all
waste waters originating from urban areas. The necessity for this
initiative, as well as the improvements It could potentially
realize, are clear. A 1984 survey of urban waste water and
treatment facilities In 10 Member States showed that less than

half of the total organic load was being treated at this time.

At a more fundamental level, a project is currently under way at
the Commission to produce a directive on the ecological quality
of waters. Unlike previous EC quality objective directives, this
will in principle apply to all Community waters. Moreover, It Is
likely to require Member States to put improvement programmes
into place to attain specific ecological goals. Although this
project is still In an early phase, Its impact should eventually
be to produce major biological and aesthetic Improvements in both

urban and non-urban bodies of water.

5.6. Urban industry

Industry is a major source of air and noise pollution in urban
areas and surrounding areas, particularly where these are
residential. The traditional response to this problem has been to
relocate Industry to the urban fringe or beyond. This policy of
"out of sight out of mind", while offering some Immediate relief
to the local environment, is not a comprehensive solution.

For large industrial operations, such moves are often desirable,
since new premises facilitate the application of modern
production technology. For small and medium sized operations,
where individual skills are often more Important than mass
production techniques, such a move will frequently entail
considerable financial cost as well as limiting access to
customers and suppliers, notably of services.

While It is true that some Industrial processes are undoubtedly
best located away from other land uses, existing policies have
relied too heavily on exclusion rather than compatibility. The
Commission has already developed a range of directives limiting
emissions and noise from Industrial operations. Further
development of such legislation and of technical applications to
avoid these nuisances should provide a more flexible framework
for local planning authorities considering the location of
compatible Industrial activities within urban areas.

Such Industries can be of benefit to local Inhabitants In

providing Job opportunities which do not require lengthy
commuting.

```

```
                  - 49 
Suggested line of action :

The Community should undertake measures to promote the growth of
small and medium sized entreprises in a harmonious way within the
overall fabric of the urban environment and should provide
assistance, where appropriate, to enable them to comply fully
with regulations and good practice In considerations relating to

the environment.

5.7. Urban energy management

Energy consumption in urban areas is closely related to air
pollution from transport, heating, lighting and air conditioning
of buildings. A more efficient use of energy could significantly
help In reducing urban air pollution and, consequently, the
cities' contribution to the greenhouse effect. As transport has
been discussed in detail above, this section focuses on energy
use within buildings. Potential Improvements in this area

i ncIude:

(a) BuiIding design

In recent years there has been considerable interest in the
concept of ecological housing - self-contained units which create
little demand for energy and cause minimal damage to the
environment. Research has demonstrated that considerable energy
savings may be achieved by incorporating simple "passive" solar
heating and other energy-saving principles in housing design, and
by considering factors such as orientation and proximity in
producing a more efficient urban layout.

(b) Standards of insulation In new construction

The technology available for energy conservation - wall
insulation, double glazing, etc. - is not being uniformly applied
in new building construction across the Community. While
geographic differences may account for some of the variation in
standards, the Improvement and harmonization of such standards is
worth further consideration. Standards and regulations for
construction materials and products should also be put in place,
taking Into account what is now known about the problems of
indoor pollut ion.

(c) Improvement of insulation In existing buildings

While there Is little precise information on the insulation
standard of the existing building stock within the Community, it
is fair to assume that it is for the most part quite poor and
that there Is scope for considerable improvements in energy
conservation in this area. Many Member States now encourage such
expenditure by financial and fiscal incentives.

```

```
              - 50 
(d) Efficiency of heating plant

The efficiency of individual heating plants is greatly influenced
```

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```
obliged to have their furnaces checked on an annual basis. It may
be possible to link such inspections to fuel supply or home
Insurance contracts.

(e) Combined heat and power

Combining district heating with electricity generation Is highly
efficient in itself, while the proximity of producer to user also
reduces energy loss during transmission. The Commission has on a
number of occasions Issued recommendations supporting such
systems.

(f) Heating/energy audits of buildings

Energy audits prior to a property sale may be one instrument for
increasing public sensitivity to energy consumption. Such a
system already exists In Denmark, where it Is linked to the role
of a local energy consultant who provides advice on the costs and
benefits of various energy conservation investments.

(g) Energy planning in cities

Energy planning in cities can reduce the energy requirement
considerably.

This Is a preventive means of avoiding pollution at the same
time. It is based on an analysis of the energy consumption
structure as well as the possibilities for exploiting local
energy resources. Integrated energy management concepts resulting
from such planning Include many measures of the kind mentioned
under points (a) to (f) and have generally very positive effects
on the pollution level and economic development of cities.
However, many cannot realise the existing possibilities because
they are Integrated In Institutional frameworks which do not give
enough freedom for corresponding energy policies to be developed.

The Commission Is already promoting energy technology projects In
many of the above areas.

```

```
                  - 51 
Suggested lines of action .
1. That the Community continue and Intensify its activités in
   urban energy management, seeking in particular to encourage
   and assist the cities to take steps towards urban energy
   planning measures, to disseminate useful advice on
   appropriate means in this framework, e.g. on building design
   for energy saving and further to demonstrate the benefits of
   various energy conservation techniques by pilot projects.

2. While Community legislation on product norms defines
   standards for Insulation materials for building
   construction, there is currently no Community legislation
   requiring that specific standards be actually applied in new
   construction. While the Community has previously made
   recommendations in this area, it may now be appropriate for
   the Community to consider legislation.

3. That the use of economic instruments to encourage energy
   conservation in buildings be the subject of a detailed
   report and proposal.

4. That public authorities be encouraged to set a good example
   by the adoption of energy conservation measures in the
   buildings they operate.

5.8. Urban waste

The Commission has recently published a comprehensive strategy
for the management of urban waste, placing the major emphasis on
the avoidance of waste, reuse and recycling (see Chapter One,
Section 2.2.4.). The strategy Includes a wide range of proposals
for implementation.

Its main orientation have been approved by the Council of
Ministers at their meeting of 22-23 March 1990.

We do not propose to repeat these proposals within this document,
but merely to underline the close link between that strategy and
the concepts presented In this Green Paper. The following
additional proposals Illustrate the link between waste management
and the wider Issues of urban management.

Suggested lines or action :

1. The Commission should encourage city authorities to take
    into greater consideration constraints linked to waste
   management in drawing up short and medium-term plans for
   urban management: designated sites for collecting sorted
   household waste and setting up treatment plants.

```

```
                  - 52 
2.
   The Commission should encourage, by means of fInane I no
   research and projects aimed at making people aware of thé
   Importance of sanitation; developing urban and architectural
   design that favours the sorting of waste at source, as well
   as sorted collection; finding new uses for urban waste,
   particularly that resulting from construction.

3. The Commission should encourage the exchange of Information
   and experience In the field of sanitation, especially as
   regards cleaning technologies, sensitization of the
   population, legal Instruments and the recycling of urban

   waste.

5.9. Comparative Information on the state of the urban
   envIronment.

As discussed above, one of the difficulties in producing the
analysis section of this paper has been the absence of
Information of many subjects which permit an objective and
comparative analysis of the state of the urban environment.
Improvements in comparative data are already being put in hand by
programmes within the COR I NE project, particularly related to air
quality data. It is anticipated that the programmes, which will
be taken over by the European Environment Agency, will improve
knowledge In this area. Further Improvements will however be
necessary in other subject areas if the Commission is to have an
adequate Information base for the further evolution of urban
environment policy. Such information should be made available not
only to policy makers but also to Individual citizens.

Suggested line of action :

That the Commission consider how it can improve the availability
of comparative data on the state of the urban environment. This
could be achieved either by giving the new Environment Agency a
specific remit In this respect or by supporting the development
of such data systems within a research Institute or university,

or a network of such Institutions.

5.10. Informations Initiatives

The urban environment Is primarily the concern of all those who
 live and work In the cities and without whose participation no
urban policy can succeed. These urban actors - Inhabitants,
shopkeepers, consumers, manufacturers, trade groupings
contribute to urban deterioration, but they also suffer Its
effects and benefit from improvements.

```

```
                  - 53 
In Implementing an urban environmental policy, It would be in the
Community's interest to create structures to encourage dialogue,
shared thinking and cooperation among the actors within
Individual cities and among the cities themselves. Such
structures would also serve to facilitate the exchange of
Information and opinion with the Community.

Suggested lines of action :

The Commission should help the envisaged creation of a network
for urban local Initiative centres. These centres should be

organized in cooperation with those public agencies that already
exist to provide information and planning for the urban
environment. A certain number of such centres are being planned
this year as pilot projects In various cities. The role of these
centres would be to :

1. Inform different sectors of the population of the
   Community's policies and measures and how these apply to the
   various factors that make up the urban reality,

2. Stimulate and facilitate dialogue, shared planning and
   cooperation among urban groups, with a view to improving the
   urban environment;

3. Facilitate the exchange of information among the cities of
   the problems they face and of their experience in dealing
   with these problems.

5.11. Social initiatives

Efforts must be made to ensure that the least privileged sections
of the population are not isolated In the most run-down areas of

cities.

Preventive social policies are possible in the context of
operations to protect the physical environmental and should
comprise both social integration measures and job schemes, e.g.
in connection with the restoration of subsidized housing.

Suggested lines of action -.

1. The Commission will support recruitment and vocational
   training schemes in keeping with environmental protection
   which create an economic and social development dynamic.

2. The Commission will encourage technical assistance to pilot
   projects and the transfer of know-how to involve the least
   privileged social groups In the protection of the
   environment.

```

```
                  - 54 
5.12. Interregional co-operation

The Commission supports and co-finances a wide range of schemes
for Interregional co-operation and the development of networks.
Cities are benefitting from actions which Involve close contacts
with regional and local authorities and their representative
bodies - Assembly of European Regions, Council of European
Municipalities and Regions of Europe and International Union of
Local Authorities. A number of Initiatives have been lauched

which Include for example co-financing of the POLIS project
(related to Improved traffic management) under a group of cities
known as "Eurocltles" and a co-operation project involving 10
ports in relation to action on marine pollution.

Suggested line of action :

That the Commission should continue to support such actions and
seek where appropriate to extend co-operation and the exchange of
information between cities.

6. Resume of priority suggested lines of action

This section pulls together the suggestion lines of action for
the following key priority areas.

Urban planning

Suggested lines of action :

1. That the Commission, in cooperation with Member States and
  local authorities, should evolve guidelines for the
  incorporation of environmental considerations into town
  planning strategies - a detailed investigation and elaboration
  of the principles outlined above. Such guidelines will attempt
  to influence town planning practice and provide an important
  complement to the proposed directive of environmental
  assessment of policies, plans and programmes.

2. That further research Into the treatment of contaminated

  soils, which so often hinder redevelopment of existing city
  sites, be encouraged.

3. That further financial assitance be given to pilot projects
  aimed at revitalizing less favoured urban areas by Introducing
  a greater mixture of uses and hence access to urban
  facilities. At the same time, such actions should aim to
  protect and assist existing residents In these areas. The
  Commission should also consider how It can extend this action

  building on lessons learnt from these pilot projects.

```

```
                  - 55 
4. The Community should consider the question of whether it
  wishes to extend financial support for urban renovation and
  environmental Improvement schemes beyond the types and areas
  of support permitted by the current structural funds and if
  so, how this could be achieved.

Urban transport

Suggested lines of action :

The Community should :

1. Encourage city authorities to incorporate decisions about
   the coordinated future development of public transport and
   road construction into their plans for land use and
   transportation. The Commission should expect future
   submissions for structural fund assistance towards transport
   infrastructure to demonstrate that such an analysis has been

   carried out.

2. Encourage Innovative approaches to the use of public
   transport and the environmental management of urban traffic
   by contributing to the cost of pilot projects and monitoring
   their effects. Research programmes should attach high
   priority to environmental considerations and should include
   innovative public transport, environmentally friendly
   vehicles and advanced traffic management systems. This

   should not lead to the encouragement of the greater use of

   urban areas for motor traffic.

3. Encourage the Community-wide exchange of information in

   urban traffic management to maximize the benefits of a wide

   range of experience.

4. Consider in detail, possibly by financing pilot projects,
   the potential for using economic instruments such as road
   pricing to help solve the environmental problems generated
   by urban traffic.

The protection and enhancement of the historical heritage of

European cities

Suggested linos of action :

1. That the Community provides more substantial finance for the
   conservation of historical buildings and areas of European
   significance.

2. That consideration be given to the potential benefits of a
   Community system of recognition of the historic and cultural
   significance of Individual buildings and parts of urban

   areas.

```

```
                  - 56 
Protection and enhancement of the natural environment within our

towns and cities

Suggested lines of action :

1. The Commission should consider a programme of pilot projects
   across the Community to demonstrate the benefits of green
   plans and programmes of action.

2. City authorities should be encouraged to review their
   provision of public open spaces and seize oppportunitles
   where available to extend such provision.

Urban Industry

Suggested lines of action :

The Community should undertake measures to promote the growth of
small and medium sized entreprises in a harmonious way within the
overall fabric of the urban environment and should provide

assistance, where appropriate, to enable them to comply fully
with regulations and good practice in considerations relating to

the environment.

Urban energy management

Suggested lines of action :

1. That the Community continue and intensify its activités in
   urban energy management, seeking in particular to encourage
   and assist the cities in order to take steps towards urban
   energy planning measures, to disseminate useful advice on
   appropriate means in this framework, e.g. on building design
   for energy saving and further to demonstrate the benefits of
   various energy conservation techniques by pilot projects.

2. While Community legislation on product norms defines
   standards for insulation materials for building
   construction, there Is currently no Community legislation
   requiring that specific standards be actually applied in new
   construction. While the Community has previously made
   recommendations In this area, it may now be appropriate for
   the Community to consider legislation.

3. That the use of economic instruments to encourage energy

   conservation In buildings be the subject of a detailed

   report and proposal.

4. That public authorities be encouraged to set a good example
   by the adoption of energy conservation measures in the
   buildings they operate.

```

```
                  - 57 
Urban waste

Suggested lines or action

1. The Commission should encourage city authorities to take
   Into greater consldration constraints linked to waste
   management in drawing up short and medium-term plans for
   urban management: designated sites for collecting sorted
   household waste and setting up treatment plants.

   The Commission should encourage, by means of financing,
   research and projects aimed at making people aware of the
   importance of sanitation; developing urban and architectural
   design that favours the sorting of waste at source, as well
   as sorted collection; finding new uses for urban waste,
   particularly that resulting from construction.

3. The Commission should encourage the exchange of information
   and experience in the field of sanitation, especially as
   regards cleaning technologies, sensitization of the
   population, legal instruments and the recycling of urban

   waste.

7. The next steps

This document represents the first manifestation of the
Commission's commitment to achieve real improvements in the
quality of urban environment within the Community. The Commission

is keen to see as wide as possible discussion of the ideas and
suggestions set out in the document.

In addition to its discussion by the European Parliament, Council

of Ministers and Economic and Social Committee, the document will

be sent to the Mayors of major towns in Europe and to
professional and voluntary groups Interested in urban management

issues for their comments.

Following detailed study of the results of this consultation, the
Commission will consider which of the suggested lines of action
merit further action and fall within the Community's competence

and how this can be best achieved.

The implementation of such proposals will ensure that there is
co-operation with, but no duplication of the activities of other
International organisations active in the field of urban
environment, seeking, whenever possible, common action.

               * * * * * * * * *

```

```
                58

                APPENDIX I

        ARTICLES OF TREATY COVERING ENVIRONMENT

Subsection VI - Environment

Article 25

A Title VII shall be added to Part Three of the EEC Treaty,
reading as fol lows :

                 TITLE VII

                ENVIRONMENT

Article 130 R

1. Action by the Community relating to the environment shall
   have the following objectives :

 (I) to preserve, protect and improve the quality of the

   env i ronment;

 ii) to contribute towards protecting human health;

iii) to ensure a prudent and rational utilization of natural

   resources.

   Action by the Community relating to the environment shall be
   based on the principles that preventive action should be
   taken, that environmental damage should as a priority by
   rectified at source, and that the polluter should pay.

   Environmental protection requirements shall be a component
   of the Community's other policies.

3. In preparing its action relating to the environment, the

   Community shall take account of :

I) available scientific and technical data-,

ii) environmental conditions In the various regions of the
   Community;

iii) the potential benefits and costs of action or of lack of

   act ion;

(iv) the economic and social development of the Community as a
   whole and the balanced development of its regions.

```

```
                  _ 59 _

4. The Community shall take action relating to the environment to
  the extent to which the objectives referred to in paragraph 1
  can be attained better at Community level than at the level of
  the Individual Member States. Without prejudice to certain
  measures of a Community nature, the Member States shall
  finance and implement the other measures.

5. Within their respective spheres of competence, the Community
  and the Member States shall cooperate with third countries and
  with the relevant International organizations. The
  arrangements for Community cooperation may be the subject of
  agreements between the Community and the third parties
  concerned, which shall be negotiated and concluded in

  accordance with Article 228.

  The previous paragraph shall be without prejudice to Member

  States' competence to negotiate in international bodies and to

  conclude international agreements.

Article 130 S

The Council, acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission
and after consulting the European Parliament and the Economic and
Social Committee, shall decide what action is to be taken by the
Community.

The Council shall, under the conditions laid down in the

preceding subparagraph, define those matters on which decisions
are to be taken by a qualified majority.

Article 130 T

The protective measures adopted in common pursuant to Articfe
130 S shall not prevent any Member State from maintaining or
introducing more stringent protective measures compatible with
this Treaty.

```

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##### COM(90) 218 final

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