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mFN 2. Creation of a special Rio+10 “stamp” which will appear on all Energie-Cités documents printed in 2002 3. Preparation and dissemination of a French-English CD-ROM promoting 50 projects carried out by Energie-Cités member cities (September 2002, with the support of ADEME) 4. Preparation and dissemination of a special issue of Energie-Cités INFO on “Good practice in European cities” (September 2002, with the support of ADEME) 5. Promotion of the study tours organized by Energie-Cités in experienced cities (“Study tour” catalogue compiled in October 2001 with the support of ADEME) 6. Co-organization, with the city of Munich, of the European Conference “RIO + 10/after Johannesburg, local energy and climate policy: from experience gained towards new steps”” convened in Munich on 16-17/09/02 (with the support of the European Commission) 7. In addition, Energie-Cités will attend the Johannesburg Summit through the European Sustainable Cities Campaign. pDiederik Wagenaar, T: +32 (0) 2 544 0921 Web: www.energie-cites.org EUROCITIES – Access January 2002 saw the formal launch of Access-Eurocities for a New Mobility Culture. The former Car Free Cities network and the Transport Committee of Eurocities merged into Access, which is seen as an ideal forum for over 70 local authorities to identify and develop practical solutions to achieve sustainable mobility and accessibility. The overall aim of Access is to improve the quality of life of citizens by disseminating a new mobility culture throughout Europe. In order to achieve this aim, Access actively works for its members to: • Influence the European agenda to ensure that the views of member towns and cities are taken into account in policy development • Promote a dynamic exchange of information and experience in order to profit from best practice, understand shared problems and find common solutions • Launch and carry out effective campaigns to raise public awareness of the need for sustainable mobility • Encourage and facilitate the implementation of practical projects across Europe pWeb: www.eurocities.org E-mail: access@eurocities.be T: +32 (0)2 552 08 83. A new Access Website will soon be launched at http://www.access-eurocities.org EUROCITIES - PEGASUS In order to ensure sustainable development of our cities at the urban level, integrated and holistic approaches to policy making and implementation must be promoted. The achievement of sustainable development requires a paradigm shift in the way that governance is carried out and in the way that decisions are taken and made. The main objective of the Pegasus project is to assess the potential applicability of the Dutch ‘Spatial Development and Environment’ (ROM) approach to other areas across Europe. The Dutch approach which has been piloted through a Dutch national project, begins with the development of an overall strategy, followed by the establishment of a series of objectives and targets, a set of indicators and finally, measures or projects, which contribute to these objectives and targets. Furthermore, the involvement of all relevant actors (from the local to the national level) and partners is central to the process. The PEGASUS project will look at: • the links between economic, social and environmental policy objectives and the need to ensure a proper balance between the policy areas. • how to ensure efficient and successful cooperation between different actors within the government chain and third parties • the relationship between the administrative city and surrounding metropolitan area • the need to identify trends and connected challenges before they emerge. PEGASUS, which is being co-ordinated through EUROCITIES is primarily funded through funding from DG Research of the European Commission. The development of the project will be reported in future editions of the Campaign newsletter. pJordi Gomez, T: +32 2 552 0880 E-mail: j.gomez@eurocities.be UTO – Declaration from Local Authorities for the Johannesburg Summit Ten years have passed since the Earth Summit in Rio, where it was recommended “that by 1996, most local authorities in each country should have undertaken a consultative process with their populations and achieved a consensus on a local Agenda 21 for the community”. On the eve of the Johannesburg Summit, it has been shown in the ICLEI local agenda 21 survey that there are 6,416 local governments in 113 countries involved in LA21 activities. Regionally, the greatest participation is in Europe where 5,292 municipalities from 36 countries have committed themselves to the process. Johannesburg will provide the opportunity to review the objectives agreed at Rio. It will provide local government with the opportunity to show their important role in the delivery of sustainable development at the local level, as well as stressing the need to be given the appropriate institutional and financial means. At Johannesburg, local authorities will have the opportunity to make their voices heard, asserting their key role in the delivery of sustainable development and local action. The United Towns Organisation, together with the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) and ICLEI are preparing a ‘Declaration of Local Authorities’ as part of the Johannesburg preparations. The development of the ‘Declaration’ will take account of amendments that are being proposed by cities and towns during a variety of events leading up to Johannesburg. The ‘Declaration’ can also be consulted and commented upon via a number of websites, including that of UTO. pThe Declaration can be consulted on the UTO web site: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fmcu/composan/compmult/cadprinc/ mp5rio10.html WHO- Cycling and health in cities In the European Union, 80% of all personal journeys are made by car, and 50% of these trips are shorter than 5Km in length. Cycling offers a practical, quick, healthy, and low cost alternative to make many of the trips currently made by car. In recent years the bike has again become a realistic mode of transport in a number of European cities, thanks to the development of integrated policies and infrastructure to promote cycling. (continued on page 7) 6 Newsletter 25 of The European Sustainable Cities & Towns Campaign (pcontinued on page 7)
THE EUROPEAN SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND TOWNS CAMPAIGN THE EUROPEAN SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND TOWNS CAMPAIGN 2002-2003 INTRODUCTION The European Sustainable Cities & Towns Campaign is entering a new phase, in which a new structure has been developed and a series of new actions will be taking place. This article provides details of the planned activities and describes the structural changes that have occurred over recent months. The overall broad objective of the Campaign remains the promotion of development towards sustainability through Local Agenda 21 or similar integrated planning processes and the strengthening of partnerships among all actors in the local community as well as inter-authority co-operation. This has been the Campaign’s broad purpose since its creation and this will be further developed and supported during the course of the next 2 years. Achievements to date Since its launch at the end of the first European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns in Aalborg in 1994, the number of participants to the Campaign (i.e. signatories to the Aalborg Charter) has increased to its present number of just over 1500 from 38 countries. As such, the Campaign has developed into the biggest European initiative for local sustainable development and Local Agenda 21. This has been achieved through a variety of activities such as the development of sustainability guidance materials, exchange of experience, dissemination of good practice, hosting of international conferences (Aalborg, Lisbon, Hannover) and the organisation of awards. The Campaign has also played its part in influencing the development of sustainable development policy at European Union, Member State (i.e. national governments), regional and local levels. These wide-ranging activities have been possible through the promotion and development of increased co-operation between networks of Local Authorities in Europe and elsewhere working on sustainable urban development issues. Equally important has been the political and financial support from a number of bodies, particularly the European Commission (DG Environment) and the cities of Aalborg and Hannover, without which the Campaign activities could not have been sustained. 80 174 Campaign Pa r t i c i p a n t s 305 383 THE NEW STRUCTURE OF THE CAMPAIGN During the Campaign period 1994-2000, the basic Campaign structure revolved around a co-ordination committee (CoCom) consisting of 5 local authority networks (ICLEI, CEMR, EUROCITIES, UTO, and WHO – Healthy cities), plus the cities of Aalborg and Hannover. DG Environment and the EU Expert Group on the Urban Environment, both with observer status, also participated in the CoCom. During the past 18 months, the Campaign has undertaken a review of its structure. A mapping exercise of local authority networks was undertaken and a dialogue process initiated with a number of additional local authority networks and other organisations with an interest in sustainable development at 446 627 880 1521 1350 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 the local level. As a consequence of this, a new Campaign structure has been developed. This new structure is based on a Steering Committee comprising of 10 networks of local authorities and a Political Board comprising of local political representatives nominated by the 10 networks. The Campaign’s co-funders also sit on both the Steering Committee and the Political Board, as does the EU Expert Group on the Urban Environment (observer status). The 10 networks that sit on the Steering Committee are the original five CoCom members, plus the Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling (ACRR), Climate Alliance, Energie- Cités, Medcités, and the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC). The Steering Committee is the principal body for the achievement of the Campaign’s objectives, being responsible for the overall management and development of the Campaign. A brief introduction to all 10 networks within the Campaign’s Steering Committee is provided on the following pages. The Political Board is presently being developed and details of the board and its remit will be made available in the near future. The organisation of the Steering Committee and Political Board, as well as the overall co-ordination of the Campaign is facilitated through a Campaign Office based in Brussels. ACTIVITIES OF THE CAMPAIGN – 2002-03 Within the framework described above, a proposal for Campaign activities for the period 2001-2003 was developed last year. This proposal was submitted by EUROCITIES on behalf of all Campaign partners to the European Commission (DG Environment) within the framework of the Community Framework for Co-operation to promote Sustainable Urban Development. The proposal was supported with co-funding from Landeshauptstadt Hannover, Germany; Ajuntament y Diputació de Barcelona, Spain; Malmö Stad, Sweden and Coordinamento Italiano Agende 21 Locali, Italy. The project proposal was successful. The content of that proposal will now form the basis for the Campaign’s forthcoming 2-year work programme, which can be split into 4 broad categories: Co-operation and Co-ordination Activities A series of meetings of the Campaign’s Steering Committee and Political Board will be held during the course of the next 2 years as a means to promote co-operation and ensure coordination of activities. The Campaign office will be responsible for the organisation of these meetings. Co-operation and co-ordination will also be achieved through a variety of information and dissemination mechanisms, such as the publication of the Campaign newsletter, the continual development of the Campaign webpage and the monthly emailing service. All such activities are undertaken through the Campaign Office. Thematic Working Sessions on Urban Sustainable Development Each of the Campaign partners has a wealth of experience and information at their disposal. To maximise this available knowledge, a series of six Thematic Working Sessions will be held during the period 2001-03. Each session will focus on cross cutting issues reflecting many of the key policy developments at the European level and in particular some of the key topics of the 6 th Environmental Programme. Each of the sessions will be led by one or two of the Campaign networks and are based around the following topics: Evaluation: led by ICLEI – March 2002 Environmental Governance: led by EUROCITIES/UBC – October 2002 Climate Change: led by Energy Cités/Climate Alliance – November 2002 Social Aspects of Sustainable Development: led by WHO – date to be confirmed (tbc) The European Sustainable Cities & Towns Campaign
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