Cities are key to the sustainable development of the European Union

Focusing on the future of European cities in the context of European Union (EU) policies, this chapter offers a broad vision for urban development in Europe and on the contribution European policies and instruments can make to the realisation of that vision. The challenges presented in this paper are daunting, as Europe struggles with sluggish economic and demographic dynamics, as well as processes that have to some extent decoupled economic growth from social progress. In response, the European Commission has put forward a holistic model of urban development, with a strong emphasis on policy co-ordination across both sectors and levels of government. In developing this theme of policy integration, the chapter highlights the need to give cities a greater role in the implementation not only of EU regional policies, but of a wide range of European policies in such diverse fields as transport, the environment, energy and IT.