Brussels, 09/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 8 April at the World Urban Forum organised by the UN human settlements programme (UN-Habitat) in Medellin, Colombia, European Commissioner for Regional Development Johannes Hahn set out the European urban development model. The commissioner outlined the concept of cohesion policy, which is unique to Europe, to a number of ministers and experts in urban development and highlighted the challenge of city governance.
He underlined that cities had to incorporate sectoral investment into coherent urban strategies, such as energy efficiency, climate, transport and integrating different social groups. He stated that “no one can afford the luxury of operating along sectorial lines with individual ministries or departments acting separately”. He added: “Uncoordinated interventions waste money, and reduce impact”. On the basis of the observation that two thirds of the decisions by his institution impact on cities, the commissioner is therefore trying to ensure that there is a joint approach in this field.
He also pointed out that cities had to be listened to and have greater clout. Cities could not become the driving force for economic development in an isolated way. He believes that, at both a European and national levels, decision-makers had to acknowledge the economic, social and environmental importance of the urban fabric and better understand the dynamic underpinning it. The commissioner concluded that cities should no longer be an afterthought but an explicit priority.
Commissioner Hahn used his trip to Colombia to meet representatives from the countries of Latin America and visit urban development projects in the city of Medellin. (MD)