EPC: Conference on the Future of Europe: Greening Europe's cities
29 April 2022
In the Conference on the Future of Europe, citizens have set out ambitious recommendations, including for our environment and climate. Creating more sustainable European cities must become a top-flight priority for EU policymakers.
Three-quarters of all EU citizens live in cities, taking advantage of
the employment, educational, cultural and entertainment opportunities
that urban areas offer. And this number continues to rise. But the
higher the density, the greater the climate and environmental impact.
Greenhouse gas emissions linked to inner-city transport, local
industries and individual households contribute to the growing urban
climate footprint. Waste generation; urban sprawl; and air, noise,
ground and water pollution add to the unsustainable record of today’s
cities.
The EU’s green transition
must be coupled with a clear vision of how to mitigate cities’ negative
effects on the climate and environment, and make them accelerators of
sustainability instead. A fast and inclusive energy transition has also become especially urgent in light of the EU’s need to halt its dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
Sustainable mobility, green urban development and protected natural environments
The European Citizens’ Panel 3 in the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) propose 51 concrete measures
targeting the EU’s broad climate, environment and health agendas. As
for greening Europe’s cities, their measures focus on three different
aspects: (i) sustainable and safe road transport; (ii) placing nature at
the heart of urban development; and (iii) expanding, restoring and
protecting natural ecosystems in cities.
First, the citizens call for prioritising cyclists and pedestrians over vehicle drivers.
Providing further rights to the former would result in more and safer
bike lanes and extending car-free zones (recommendation #4). Cyclists
and other stakeholders of inner-city traffic should be trained on road
safety, while producers of green vehicles (e.g. e-bikes) should be
held accountable for raising consumer awareness of the safety risks.
These measures could make climate-friendly transport more attractive and
safer for citizens.
Public transport, walking and cycling in
cities provide the best possible benefits for “human health and the
environment” over other green mobility options. Europe’s cities
already established over 250 Low and Zero Emissions Zones by 2019, and
the trend is ascendant. From Lisbon to Helsinki, cities have set out
strategies to reduce cars or expand city infrastructure for cyclists and
pedestrians. But much more remains to be done if the EU’s downtown
areas are to become fully car-free or road traffic “drastically less
pollutant” to achieve the European Green Deal’s 90% reduction target by 2050.
The EU has continuously promoted sustainable transport systems,
and with COVID-19 in mind, the European Commission recently called for
“a greater focus on walking[,] cycling [and] micromobility” in its new EU Urban Mobility Framework.
The framework will increase investments in Europe’s cycling
infrastructure, including research in and the use of e-bikes and
e-cargo. In its Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030,
the Commission also lays out a roadmap for its ‘Vision Zero’ of zero
road traffic deaths by 2050. Beyond these efforts, the citizens’
recommendations mandate the EU to further assist cities in rendering
inner-city traffic more sustainable, bike-friendly and safe and
extending car-free zones.
Second, the Conference participants argue that greening cities and urban infrastructure
should be at the heart of the EU’s climate and environmental ambitions
for urban areas (recommendation #6). An EU directive requiring urban
development programmes to fulfil minimum standards should be enacted to
ensure that new buildings and infrastructure are as green as possible.
The citizens argue that the ideal green building relies on renewable
energy sources, has low energy consumption and emits little carbon
dioxide emissions. In other words, nature should be at the heart of
architectural projects. Urban development that considers climate-related
and environmental aspects is fundamental for greening cities and
generating benefits for citizens’ health and well-being.
This
recommendation has leeway for more action. Following milestones like the
Leipzig Charter (2007) and the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 (2011),
the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (2020) proposes allocating at least
€20 billion a year to incentivise private investments which promote
‘urban green infrastructure’ (UGI) (1) and support the EU’s biodiversity
protection programme, Natura 2000. The 2030 Strategy also urged cities
of over 20,000 inhabitants to develop their own Urban Greening Plan
before 2022. These plans cover the creation of ‘green urban spaces’ for
social and environmental well-being (e.g. parks, forests, urban farms,
green roofs) and are coordinated under the Green City Accord.
Still, the EU should evolve ambitiously from coordinator and
facilitator to an enhanced regulator of minimum standards for urban
development.
Finally, Panel 3 calls for the protection of ‘greener urban areas’
(recommendation #11). The EU should extend conservation areas of
biodiversity and natural ecosystems and strengthen the rule of law
protecting them from human interference. The citizens suggest that these
areas are well-embedded into their surrounding nature, ideally creating
a direct link between cities and the protected areas. Protecting,
restoring and expanding green urban areas can promote the visibility and
acceptance of natural ecosystems.
The EU has issued several
frameworks and funds to strengthen the protection of natural habitats
and biodiversity in urban areas, like the LIFE Programme or Natura 2000.
Yet as Europe’s urbanity expands, cities remain the source of many
environmental problems affecting wildlife dramatically. While some
species adapt to harmful artificial surroundings, urban expansion will
continue to harm more vulnerable ecosystems. Policymakers at all levels must consider the needs and livelihood of wildlife and incorporate them into their urban planning. Cities are increasingly interested in mainstreaming UGI into their urban planning, so more guidance could be coordinated and provided at the EU level. ...
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