Tag: urban policy

Echoing Regional Policy Commissioner Johannes Hahn, the European Parliament said the EU should take steps to ensure that regional policy is more results-oriented so that EU funds are spent more efficiently and effectively, with a clear focus on supporting sustainable economic growth, especially in urban areas.

A leading thinker on creativity believes attracting talented people is the driving force behind successful cities. In an interview with EurActiv, Richard Florida, author of 'The Rise of the Creative Class', said European countries are battling to attract and retain innovative people.

The climate change imperative has put the spotlight on Europe's cities, which are home to 80% of Europeans and consume a disproportionate share of natural resources relative to their surface area. 

French Liberal Democrat MEP Jean Marie Beaupuy, Chair of Parliament's Intergroup on Urban Housing, spoke with EurActiv on 17 October during a seminar organised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) on the issue of urban sprawl in Europe. 

Jean Marie Beaupuy is a member of the Alliance of Liberal Democrats (ALDE) in the European Parliament.

60% of the world's population will live in cities by 2030, states Tobias Just in a recent research paper for Deutsche Bank. 

The Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities, signed by European ministers on 24 May, lays the foundation for a new integrated urban policy in Europe, focusing on helping cities tackle problems of social exclusion, structural change, ageing, climate change and mobility.

The congestion and pollution problems facing Europe's cities are worsening. MEP Gyula Hegyi, who wrote Parliament's report on the EU urban-environment strategy, tells EurActiv what he believes that Europe should do to improve the situation.

Half the Earth’s population will live in urban areas by next year, making cities key in the climate change battle, according to the 2007 State of the World Report by Worldwatch.