EU Joint Research Center
2021
EU Joint Research Center and others
The "Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies" is a comprehensive resource aimed at enhancing urban development practices across the European Union. Published by the EU Joint Research Center, this handbook is a vital tool for local authorities and stakeholders engaged in designing and implementing sustainable urban strategies under cohesion policy. It emphasizes the importance of integrated, place-based approaches tailored to specific local contexts. This handbook does not offer quick fixes; instead, it presents a structured framework to tackle the multifaceted challenges faced during urban strategy design and execution. With a focus on practical solutions, it includes concrete examples and references to existing studies and guidelines, making it a valuable learning tool for policymakers and practitioners alike. The content is organized around six essential building blocks: strategic dimension, territorial focus, governance, cross-sectoral integration, funding and finance, and monitoring. The collaborative effort behind the handbook involves contributions from various stakeholders, including policymakers, practitioners, and scholars, ensuring that the guidance provided is both relevant and applicable across different territorial and administrative landscapes. By leveraging data from STRAT-Board, a database that tracks Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) strategies implemented from 2014 to 2020, the handbook aims to foster a shared understanding and encourage the adoption of best practices in urban development. In summary, this handbook serves as a crucial reference for those involved in urban planning and policy-making, offering insights and support for achieving sustainable urban development in a cohesive manner.
The Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies provides valuable knowledge on how to implement integrated and place-based urban strategies under cohesion policy. It aims to serve local authorities, managing authorities and all other relevant stakeholders.
The Handbook is conceived as a policy learning tool, responding to the needs of different territorial and administrative contexts. It does not provide a ‘quick fix’, but rather, it offers suggestions on how to tackle key challenges during the process of strategy design and implementation, by giving concrete examples, and referring to existing studies and guidelines.
The Handbook addresses the EU’s integrated approach to urban development by means of six building blocks: strategic dimension, territorial focus, governance, cross-sectoral integration, funding and finance, and monitoring.
The Handbook is a joint initiative by the Commission’s Directorates-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO), and the Joint Research Centre (JRC), and which benefits from active involvement from policymakers, practitioners, and scholars. The Handbook relies on data available in STRAT-Board, a database and online tool which provides an overview of SUD strategies implemented in 2014-2020.