Brussels, 03/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - 20 years of EU investment in European cities is to be celebrated at an event which will be attended by European Regional Policy Commissioner Pawe³ Samecki. It will also be an opportunity to reflect on what has been learned since the launch of the Commission's first URBAN projects in 1989.
The Commission notes that, following the success of a number of pilot projects, the URBAN I initiative (1994-1999) invested over €900 million of Community money in 118 cities across the EU. The investment focused on urban regeneration and job creation, and in combating social exclusion and environmental problems. URBAN II (2000-2006) was targeted more specifically on the design and implementation of innovative economic and social regeneration in deprived areas. Its 70 programmes covered around 2.2 million people, with a total budget of €1.6 billion, including €728 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The aim of the URBACT programme launched in 2002 was to organise exchanges between cities, to share experience and know-how.
In a press release, the Commission talks of other examples of urban regeneration in the EU and lists successes such as: (1) “The Space-makers”: in Bristol in the UK, young people in a deprived part of the city took part in a scheme aimed at designing a new public space, helping to select the landscape architect and materials used; (2) “GreenKeys”: this project focuses on green-space urban planning strategies in 12 European cities including Berlin, Budapest, Ljubljana and Sofia; (3) “The Warhol City”: this project in Medzilaborce, in Eastern Slovakia, combining tourism infrastructure development and marketing, was inspired by artist Andy Warhol whose family originally came from the region; (4) the restoration of Prague Castle, the new metro in Porto, the Fira exhibition centre in Barcelona, cycle paths in Vienna, and support for 150 small businesses in Leipzig, are other examples of the cohesion policy's successful contribution to Europe's urban development. (G.B./transl.rt)