City plans

It is not uncommon in Brussels to hear the statistic that 80% of Europe's population lives in cities. Yet the interests of all of these people are still underrepresented in terms of the European Union's funds, projects, initiatives and strategies. If you want to know by how much, then consider that 40% of the EU's budget is spent on agriculture.

But a recent report to the European parliament on the urban environment marks a welcome shift in emphasis. The author of the report, MEP Gyula Hegyi, gets straight to the point by calling for a sustainable urban management plan and a sustainable urban transport plan. Every agglomeration with more than 100,000 inhabitants would be legally required to put in place clear deadlines and binding targets at the local and European level.

Included in the urban management plan would be a target for green areas per capita in new development, as well as practical measures to achieve a waste management plan, noise maps, a local air pollution plan and local environmental plans. There would also be data on local greenhouse gas emissions, urban structure and access issues for the disabled and elderly.

In terms of urban planning, Hegyi tackles city centres and the suburbs. Urban centres, he says, should not be given over to administration and shopping but should also be living centres, and he calls for old houses to be refurbished and improved to provide flats for people, including young couples with small children. The regeneration of the riversides, quays and docks and the revival of open water surfaces also get a mention, and he asks the European commission to issue guidelines on promoting adequate rehabilitation of historic areas that have been abandoned.

The neglect of urban and suburban areas gets the blame for the recent riots in France and national governments are urged to prioritise funds for the holistic regeneration of ‘mass-produced prefabricated housing estates’

The neglect of urban and suburban areas gets the blame for the recent riots in France and national governments are urged to prioritise funds for the holistic regeneration of "mass-produced prefabricated housing estates". Whether it's prefabrication itself that Hegyi, a construction engineer, considers socially problematic is unclear.

Hegyi suggests EU funding should be available to retrofit neighbourhoods with extra insulation, renewable energy generators and solar heaters.

Tackling the increasing use of cars is also a priority for Europe's cities. He recomments congestion charges, restricted parking places in centres and extra car parking at the outer stations of the metro, suburban or national railway system. The target is a 5% shift in passenger kilometres from cars to more sustainable transport methods such as public transport and cycling within the period 2002-2012. Local authorities may be pleased to note that the report's suggests that EU funding should be used to develop transport infrastructure.

The parliament's environment committee votes on the report at the end of this month.