Presentation delivered by Emmanuel Moulin, head of the URBACT secretariat. Summer University CFDU (Conseil Français des Urbanistes / French Council of Town Planners) Amiens August 2012

1. Socio-spatial polarization in Europe
Summer University
CFDU (Conseil Français des Urbanistes / French Council of Town Planners)
Amiens August 2012

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› SOCIO-SPATIAL POLARIZATION: TRENDS in EUROPE
› NATIONAL PROGRAMMES in EUROPE: WHAT ARE THE
LESSONS?
› EUROPEAN URBAN POLICY
› THE URBACT PROGRAMME ACHIEVEMENTS

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SOCIO-SPATIAL POLARIZATION: TRENDS in
EUROPE
SOCIAL POLARIZATION ON THE INCREASE
› Income equality is increasing rapidly
› Work activities and jobs going through complete
restructuring
› There is more and more immigration

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SOCIO-SPATIAL SEGREGATION IS INCREASING
› The most affluent increasingly keep together:
gentrification, gated communities, urban sprawl
› Impoverished neighbourhoods are becoming
increasingly impoverished
› Access to jobs and services and social mobility are more
difficult in the most impoverished neighbourhoods
SOCIO-SPATIAL POLARIZATION:
TRENDS in EUROPE

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SOCIO-SPATIAL POLARIZATION:
TRENDS in EUROPE
WIDELY VARYING CONTEXTS
› In 2011 unemployment ranged from 2.5% in the Salzburg
and Tyrol regions (Austria) to 30.4% in Andalusia (Spain)
and for the 15-24 age group it ranged from 4.3% for
Tübingen (Germany) to 54.4% for Andalusia.
› Various different urban forms and histories: housing
blocks in socialist countries, French ZUPs (priority
development areas) etc.
› Minorities and citizenship: the Rom population in Eastern
countries, English communitarianism, etc.
› National contexts: social benefits, housing policy,
governance and government

6. NATIONAL PROGRAMMES in EUROPE:
WHAT ARE THE LESSONS?
› Few states have an urban policy : Germany ( social city ),ʺ ʺ ʺ ʺ
England (New Deal for Communities), Netherlands ( 40
Neighbourhoods Programme), … income inequality is rising
rapidly
› Discussion about carrying on with these neighbourhood
targeted programmes: in Germany, in France
› Very provisional lessons:
- physical improvements in neighbourhoods seen
positively even if other social indicators have not improved
- combine mobilization of public policies at city level
(housing, employment, mobility, and so on) with those at
neighbourhood level
- analyse the path neighbourhoods follow
- assessment is rarely carried out but very necessary
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EUROPEAN URBAN POLICY
BACKGROUND
› Urban planning is a competence of the States
› European Acquis Urbain :ʺ ʺ
- URBAN (1990-2002) community initiative,
integrated urban policyʺ ʺ
- 2007 Leipzig Charter: the States agree about a
concept of integrated urban development
› 2007 Lisbon Treaty: the goal of territorial cohesion is
added to the goals of social and economic cohesion
› 2007-2014: Integration into common law of the integrated
and sustainable urban development approach

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EUROPEAN URBAN POLICY
2014-2020 GUIDELINES
› European draft regulations for cohesion policy published on 4th
October 2011
› EU 2020 strategy taken into account: an intelligent, holistic and
sustainable Europe
› Strengthening the territorial and urban dimension
› New mechanisms and instruments for sustainable and
integrated urban development:
- 5% of the ERDF national share for urban use
- Overall delegation of budget monies to cities as part of integrated
territorial investments
- Local development led by local players: action programme through a
local action group
- 0.2% of the ERDF European budget monies for innovatory work
- European urban platform structured around the URBACT programme

9. THE URBACT PROGRAMME ACHIEVEMENTS
› European territorial cooperation programme
› Promotion of sustainable urban development based on exchanging and
capitalizing on experience in cities
› Since 2007: 56 thematic projects bringing together over 400 cities
› An URBACT method to ensure exchanges have local impact :ʺ ʺ
transnational exchanges, local support groups, local action plans
› For 2012, 6 themes promoting exchange of information, including
divided citiesʺ ʺ
› URBACT projects on this theme:
CO-NET (Berlin as leader with Vaulx en Velin): social cohesion in
disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Reg Gov (Duisburg as leader): regional/city/neighbourhood cooperation for
urban renovation.
SUITE (Santiago de Compostela with Nantes and Rennes metropolis):
social housing as a tool for social inclusion.
› For 2012, 6 themes promoting exchange of information, including
« divided cities » see above?
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URBACT project partner cities

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12. e.moulin@urbact.eu
www.urbact.eu