Conclusions of the European Cities Report By Lewis Dijkstra Deputy Head of the Economic Analysis Unit, DG Regional and Urban Policy European Commission 1

European cities in the world Only a few mega cities, while most live in medium-sized cities (250 000 to 5 million) A network of cities, but also remote cities With moderate densities, twice as high as in North America, but much lower than in Asia and Africa

Demographic change Still urbanising, but slowly Cities have a higher share of working age population with young people moving in and retirees moving out European cities have a higher share of foreign-born residents, but their employment rates are often (much) lower than the national born residents

Economic development Convergence Agglomeration Middle income trap Metro regions with a low GDP per head grow quickly, but lose population and no employment gains Agglomeration Metro regions with a very high GDP per head grow fast and gain population and employment Middle income trap These metro regions tend to grow more slowly Focus on human capital, business environment and institutions

Social issues in European cities From a global perspective European cities are safe and offer a high quality of life Urban poverty is still high in many western cities Unemployment rates are very high in many southern cities But affordability and quality of housing is an issue.

Urban mobility Traffic safety is high in most EU cities, but can still be improved Some cities have high share of low carbon mobility (walking, cycling and public transport) Congestion needs to be addressed, but more through demand management than through asphalt

Road fatalities Green below 2020 target Purple above 2020 target

Urban environment and climate change Air pollution remains a challenge in many cities GHG emissions and energy use need to shrink Housing renovation Reducing waste and recycling more Maintaining land use efficiency But cities can experiment with new solutions

Urban governance Successful cities have sufficient autonomy and funding, govern at the functional level and are highly trusted by the residents But many cities lack leadership, autonomy, funding, competencies and are highly fragmented into competing and conflicting jurisdictions Corruption and nepotism continue to be problem in several cities

Conclusions European cities have many benefits and others can learn from them But European cities need to improve their performance and innovate European cities are central to reaching many of the EU goals and objectives: social, economic, environmental, climate change Metropolitan governance systems are needed

Next steps Presentation to REGIO directors June EC inter-service consultation July September publication of the report October Presentation during the European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels Habitat III conference in Quito