European Commission, DG Environment Urban environment European Commission, DG Environment

EG ENV activities Brochure on “Making our cities attractive and sustainable” European Green Capital Award (EGCA)

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/urban/home_en.htm Making our cities attractive and sustainable How the EU contributes to improving the urban environment

Aim of the brochure To give: Overview of the ways the EU supports citizens and local governments in their efforts to make our cities sustainable, efficient, healthy, well managed, pleasant and clean EU wide exchange of best practices

Content Clean and healthy Green and pleasant Efficient and sustainable Safe water to drink Clean air to breathe Collection and disposal of solid waste Toxic free Green and pleasant Green urban areas Biodiversity friendly Quiet places Respect for urban heritage Sustainable land use Efficient and sustainable Resource efficiency Energy efficiency Green mobility Local actions on climate change Technological innovations and green jobs

Content Well-managed and democratic EU funding for cities Integrated Environmental Management Systems Green public procurement Participatory urban planning Assessing environmental impacts Tracking progress EU funding for cities LIFE funds and the urban environment Cohesion policy funding for urban areas Research for innovation Further information on platforms

Structure Key documents related to urban environment Facts and current legislations Did you know……recent information/what is new? Weblinks by themes

Green and pleasant…. Did you know… The EU’s Noise Observation and Information Service for Europe (http://noise.eionet.europa.eu/) database allows citizens to see how many people are exposed to excessive noise generated by air, rail and road traffic across Europe.

Websites relevant to the ISG on Urban Development URBACT: http://www.urbact.eu/ ‘European Spatial Development Perspective’: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/ The URBAN II Community Initiative (2000-2006) and Operational Programmes implemented within the Community Initiative: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/urban2/index_de.htm Covenant of Mayors: http://www.eumayors.eu/ Regional Policy – Inforegio: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/ http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/object/ URBACT: http://urbact.eu Guide on the urban dimension of European Union policies, European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/guides/urban/index_en.htm DG REGIO, Promoting sustainable urban development in Europe – Achievements and opportunities, April 2009: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/presenta/urban2009/urban2009_en.pdf

Thank you for your patience European Green Capital Award 70% of Europeans live in cities and they have a right to live in healthy urban areas, and towns and cities should therefore strive to improve the quality of life of their citizens and reduce their impact on the global environment EGC Motto : Green cities – fit for life http://ec.europa.eu/environment/urban/home_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/index_en.htm

Overarching objectives COWI PowerPoint design manual 03.07.04 Overarching objectives Overarching objectives : a) Reward cities that have a consistent record of achieving high environmental standards b) Encourage cities to commit to ongoing and ambitious goals for further environmental improvement and sustainable development c) Provide a role model to inspire other cities and promote best practice and experiences in all other European cities The European Green Capital award scheme is open: to EU member states, candidate countries (Turkey, FYROM, Croatia, Iceland) and European Economic Areas countries, All cities which have more than 200,000 inhabitants The objectives of the European Green Capital Award are to: a) Reward cities that have a consistent record of achieving high environmental standards b) Encourage cities to commit to ongoing and ambitious goals for further environmental improvement and sustainable development c) Provide a role model to inspire other cities and promote best practice and experiences in all other European cities The European Green Capital award scheme is open: to EU member states, candidate countries (Turkey, FYROM, Croatia, Iceland) and European Economic Areas countries, All cities which have more than 200,000 inhabitants 11

In line with the 3 objectives, the evaluation criteria are based on the following: The ‘greenest’ city Implementation of efficient and innovative measures Future commitments Impact of identified historical and/or geographical factors Communication & networking

EGC experts’ panel evaluate 11 environmental indicator areas: Local contribution to global climate change Local transport Green urban areas Sustainable land use Nature and biodiversity Quality of local ambient air Noise pollution Waste production and management Water consumption Waste water treatment Environmental management of the municipality A 12th indicator : Communication actions The EGC Jury takes the final decision on the basis of the experts’ recommendations

Thank you for your patience 1st call for applications: 35 cities covering 17 European countries,major European capitals such as Stockholm, Copenhagen,Lisbon, Prague, Vienna and Vilnius, as well as large and small cities, such as Hamburg and Freiburg respectively. 2nd call for applications: 17 cities applied covering 12 European countries and 1 candidate country criteria and process) After the 1st & 2nd selections, were nominated: Stockholm, EGC 2010 Hamburg, EGC 2011 Vitoria Gasteiz, EGC 2012 Nantes, EGC 2013 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/urban/home_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/index_en.htm

Thank you for your patience http://ec.europa.eu/environment/urban/home_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/environment/europeangreencapital/index_en.htm