"European Commission presents its "health check on 321 European cities"."

"Objectives:

This vast collection of data on living conditions in cities is a significant resource in the context of the cohesion policy and the European Strategy for Growth and Jobs. Specifically, the new data will make it possible to better target measures and investments in accordance with the needs observed. Cities will also be able to see how they compare with other cities and make improvements in selected areas. According to Commissioner Hübner "The starting point for a good policy is access to good information. The urban audit is not only a tool for European cohesion policy but must also be used at all levels of decision-making (national, regional and local) and by all policies that have an impact on cities. It will also be useful for private enterprises, and for all citizens wishing to know more about their environment and their city".
Background:

Launched in June 1998 as a pilot project, the urban audit is a statistical information-gathering exercise that takes place every three years at the initiative of the European Commission. From 2009 onwards, the urban audit will take place each year. The data presented last week were collected in 2006 and 2007 and relate to statistics from 2004 covering 362 cities, of which 321 are in the 27 EU Member States and 42 are outside the European Union (Norway, Switzerland, Croatia, Turkey). These cities represent more than 25% of Europe's population, or 120 million inhabitants.
EUROSTAT, the statistical office of the European Communities, coordinated the work of the national statistical institutes of the 27 Member States and centralised their replies. The availability of data depends on the extent of participation by cities, which varies from one country to another. The urban audit covers nine domains: demographics, social matters, the economy, the environment, training and education, mobility and transport, the information society, culture and recreation, civic involvement (participation in elections etc.).
Results:

• Demography: A number of European cities, particularly those in central and eastern Europe, are experiencing a decline in their population. Of the 14 major cities examined in Romania, for instance, 13 saw their population decline compared to the national average, which had itself fallen between 1996 and 2004. This can be explained by both a phenomenon of outward migration and a shift of the population away from city centres towards the suburbs. The urban audit also indicates that certain other cities in Europe have seen their population increase considerably over the past few years, in particular Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Galway (Ireland), Kalamata (Greece) and Oulu (Finland). Immigration from European Union and non-EU countries is one factor that can explain this. The cohesion policy helps cities to adapt quickly to these new challenges. For example, in the context of the MILE (Managing migration and integration at the local level) project, led by the city of Venice and part of the URBACT programme, 24 European cities are able to exchange their experiences in the area of immigration.

• Employment : the disparity in unemployment rates between different districts of a single city is often greater than between the cities and regions of the European Union themselves. The Commissioner cited the examples of Hamburg, Athens and Bratislava, cities with very high levels of unemployment in certain clearly defined neighbourhoods. At European level, the cohesion policy aims to prevent any phenomena of "ghettoisation" within major cities. This will involve taking an integrated approach by developing several parallel strategies on different aspects of neighbourhood life: renovation of public buildings, measures to foster employment, social and cultural activities, etc. For instance, €6.3 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will be invested during 2007-2013 in the regeneration of the district of Wilhemsburg in Hamburg.

• The environment : The urban audit has collected a wealth of new data on the environment. It shows, for example, that certain European cities manage to recycle almost 80% of their waste (Dresden, Frankfurt am Main). It can also be noted that Brussels incinerates more than 90% of its waste. Out of the 180 of the 321 cities from across the 27 EU countries that provided information on this variable, 67 are listed as using open landfills for more than 80% of their waste. The cohesion policy helps these cities to reverse this trend by investing a total of €6.2 billion over the period 2007-2013 in projects related to household and industrial waste management.

Read more:

• URBAN audit – website
• URBAN Audit - INFOREGIO – website
• EUROSTAT report - PDF 
• Results per city – search engine – website

"