Publisher and Authorsâ Background
The Handbook is a Science for Policy report published by the European Commissionâs Joint Research Centre (JRC), the EUâs scientific and knowledge service. It was released in 2020 and edited by Carlotta Fioretti, Martina Pertoldi, Monica Busti and Sarah Van Heerden, senior researchers at the JRC with expertise in urban policy, regional development and sustainable planning.
Purpose and Scope of the Handbook
The document provides evidenceâbased scientific support for EU policyâmaking on sustainable urban development (SUD). It explains how SUD strategies can be designed, financed, governed and monitored under the European Cohesion Policy, aiming to bridge the gap between EU funding programmes and local territorial strategies.
Core Building Blocks of SUD Strategies
Six thematic chapters structure the handbook: Strategic Dimension, Territorial Focus, Governance, CrossâSectoral Integration, Funding and Finance, and Monitoring. Each block outlines key components, challenges and recommendations for policymakers, stressing the need for longâterm vision, multiâlevel governance, integrated sectoral policies and robust resultâoriented monitoring.
Funding Landscape and Financial Figures
During the 2014â2020 programming period, the EU allocated roughly âŹ115 billion to cities, of which âŹ17 billion was managed locally through more than 950 integrated SUD strategies. For the 2021â2027 period, the EU proposes to increase the SUD earmark to 6 % of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), up from the previous 5 %. Functionalâarea strategies attracted the largest share of funding, about âŹ8.3 billion (51 % of total SUD spending), while cityâfocused strategies received âŹ5.6 billion (35 %). Neighborhoodâbased actions accounted for âŹ2.1 billion (13 %). Most neighbourhood strategies (76 %) operate with budgets below âŹ10 million and target social inclusion.
Territorial Focus and Functional Areas
The handbook distinguishes three territorial scopes: neighbourhoods, individual cities/towns, and functional areas (multiple municipalities linked by commuting and economic ties). Functionalâarea approaches are promoted for their ability to tackle mobility, energy and spatial planning challenges. Over 20 % of SUD strategies adopt this focus, addressing sectors such as lowâcarbon economy, transport and environmental protection.
Governance and MultiâLevel Cooperation
Effective SUD implementation relies on multiâlevel governance that links EU managing authorities, national/regional bodies and local authorities. The report highlights the importance of stakeholder participation, bottomâup approaches and the creation of intermediate bodies (IBs) to coordinate actions across scales. Successful examples include the Brno Metropolitan Area (Czech Republic) and the Plasencia region (Spain), where joint governance structures facilitated alignment of EU funds with local priorities.
Monitoring and Link to EU Policy Goals
Monitoring systems are designed to align strategy indicators with operational programme metrics, enabling assessment of progress toward EU objectives such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the New Urban Agenda and the Leipzig Charter. The handbook recommends clear result indicators, periodic reviews and transparent reporting to ensure accountability.
Key Recommendations for Practitioners
- Use existing local strategies as foundations, adapting them to EU SUD requirements.
- Adopt a functionalâarea perspective where interâmunicipal cooperation is weak.
- Integrate multiple funding sources, including ERDF, ESF and EAFRD, to broaden financial capacity.
- Embed crossâsectoral actions to avoid siloed projects and enhance policy coherence.
- Establish robust governance structures that involve citizens, businesses and civil society throughout the strategy lifecycle.
- Develop monitoring frameworks that directly link to EUâwide targets and allow iterative learning.
Access and Further Information
The handbook is publicly available on the European Commissionâs website and can be downloaded from the JRCâs publications portal. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), allowing reuse with appropriate credit.

