A Modern Guide To National Urban Policies In Europe

Written in a clear and concise style, this Modern Guide provide a timely overview and comparison of urban challenges and national urban policies in 13 European countries, addressing key issues such as housing, urban regeneration and climate change. A team of international contributors explore the gap between the rise of international urban agendas and variegated national urban policies, examining whether a more bespoke approach is better than the traditional ‘one size fits all’.

First published in 1998, this collection of essays compares the implementation of urban policies in 15 different countries across the European Union, with most articles’ contributors hailing from their subject nation. The contributors include experts in geography and spatial, town, transport and urban planning, and their contributions reflect fundamental changes in the economy, technology, demography and politics of European towns and cities. They ask four main questions: what the urban development pattern is, what administrative and financial relations between national authorities and cities exist, which issues the national authorities consider to be prominent and how this impacts on the national urban planning policies. Through the provision of national perspectives, they ask what can be learned through the comparison of how each region has tailored its perspective and strategy.

This title was first published in 2003.This book examines the development of urban policy instruments at the level of the EU primarily by the use of Structural Funds under the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional Policy. This is the first book-length analysis of the politics of EU urban policy. The first section of the book concentrates on how and why the European Commission, with no clear mandate from the Treaties for an urban policy, has ventured into this area. The second section examines in detail the implementation of one of these instruments in two specific cases: London and Marseilles. This highlights the role of central, and other levels of government, in policy implementation. The comparison between the cases brings important insights into the differences in local political structures and practices in France and the United Kingdom. The book demonstrates in-depth knowledge and analysis of the policy area and relevant theoretical works. This includes a large volume of published and unpublished materials as well as valuable information obtained through a series of interviews. The findings have general implications for relations between the Commission and localities, particularly the difficulties of involving ordinary people in European issues.

This book utilises comparative diachronic and synchronic analyses to investigate models of national urban agendas. Encompassing cases from Europe, North America, South America and Asia, it examines the changing global geography of national urban agendas since the second post-war period. The book demonstrates that whilst some discontinuities and differences exist between countries, they each demonstrate a common systematic investment in urban policies, that are considered as programmes of intervention and funding schemes for cities. Furthermore, in such programmes a political vision is evident which recognizes an important role for cities and urbanization processes at a national level. The book will appeal to scholars and students of public policy, urban planning and public administration, as well as practitioners and policymakers at the national and local levels.

An analysis of the influences on urban planning in Europe. Detailed case studies are used to explore planning policies in a range of European cities, and discuss the social and environmental objectives that influence today's urban planner.

Cities are not only home to around half of the global population but also major centers of economic activity and innovation. Yet, so far there has been no consensus of what a city really is. Substantial differences in the way cities, metropolitan, urban, and rural areas are defined across countries hinder robust international comparisons and an accurate monitoring of SDGs. The report Cities in the World: A New Perspective on Urbanisation addresses this void and provides new insights on urbanisation by applying for the first time two new definitions of human settlements to the entire globe: the Degree of Urbanisation and the Functional Urban Area.

In Urban Europe, urban researchers and practitioners based in Amsterdam tell the story of the European city, sharing their knowledge of and insights into urban dynamics in short, thought-provoking pieces.Their essays were collected on the occasion of the adoption of the Pact of Amsterdam with an Urban Agenda for the European Union during the Dutch Presidency of the Council in 2016. The fifty essays gathered in this volume present perspectives from diverse academic disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences. The authors - including the Mayor of Amsterdam, urban activists, civil servants and academic observers - cover a wide range of topical issues, inviting and encouraging us to rethink citizenship, connectivity, innovation, sustainability and representation as well as the role of cities in administrative and political networks. With the Urban Agenda for the European Union, EU Member States have acknowledged the potential of cities to address the societal challenges of the 21st century. This is part of a larger, global trend. These are all good reasons to learn more about urban dynamics and to understand the challenges that cities have faced in the past and that they currently face. Often but not necessarily taking Amsterdam as an example, the essays in this volume will help you grasp the complexity of urban.