DEVE

Motion for a Resolution by the Committee on Development

Cities of the future: European cities have increasingly accommodated cars and personal transport. Ideas like a 15-minute city have gained traction in being the future  of the modern city, but high emissions, lack of funding and lack of infrastructure have limited such ideas. How could the EU rethink its urban planning policies while keeping sustainability in mind?

Submitted by: Cameron Berg (NL), Andreas Carter (NL), Ricardo Fajardo (NL), Felix Gabriel (NL), Yara den Haan (NL), Alice Rossi (IT), Selim Yusuf Urfali (NL) and Simon Hoch (Chairperson, DE)

The European Youth Parliament,

  1. Aware that cities are responsible for more than 70% of global carbon emissions,
  2. Bearing in mind the rising level of urbanisation, with Europe’s level expected to rise from 75% to 83% by 2050, 
  3. Noting with concern the lack of targeted funds for urban development, as the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) only has a mandatory use of 5%  for integrated urban development,
  4. Deeply disturbed by the lack of targeted Cohesion policy funds for urban development, 
  5. Deploring the lack of common guidelines for urban development in the EU, 
  6. Regretting the difficulty of incorporating every city’s individuality into general guidelines for urban development, 
  7. Acknowledging the importance of involving citizens and local businesses in the transformation;    
  1. Urges Member States to create targeted social media campaigns regarding reduced carbon emissions;
  2. Invites Horizon Europe to increase financial support to start-up companies which promote sustainability;
  3. Encourages Member States to reduce carbon emissions in expanding urban areas by supporting sustainable infrastructure and housing;
  4. Calls upon the Directorate-General for Environment to propose new targets within the European Green Deal to increase sustainability in urban planning of the Member States and oversee their completion;
  5. Suggests Member States to make living in small cities more attractive by: 
    1. investing in improvement of facilities, 
    2. increasing the accessibility to public transport,
    3. making working remotely more accessible;
  6. Calls upon the European Commission to raise the percentage of the minimum mandatory use of the European Regional Development Fund for integrated urban development;
  7. Directs the European Commission to adjust their Urban Agenda for the EU by creating and maintaining general guidelines of urban development for cities to follow;
  8. Supports local urban authorities to still receive funds for fitting individual sustainable initiatives even if deviating from the aforementioned guidelines; 
  9. Suggests municipalities to involve local businesses and active citizens in urban planning initiatives.