Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies

Publisher and Authors’ Background

The Handbook is a Science for Policy report published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), the EU’s 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 evidence‑based scientific support for EU policy‑making 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, Cross‑Sectoral Integration, Funding and Finance, and Monitoring. Each block outlines key components, challenges and recommendations for policymakers, stressing the need for long‑term vision, multi‑level governance, integrated sectoral policies and robust result‑oriented monitoring.

Funding Landscape and Financial Figures

During the 2014‑2020 programming period, the EU allocated roughly €115 billion to cities, of which €17 billion was managed locally through more than 950 integrated SUD strategies. For the 2021‑2027 period, the EU proposes to increase the SUD earmark to 6 % of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), up from the previous 5 %. Functional‑area strategies attracted the largest share of funding, about €8.3 billion (51 % of total SUD spending), while city‑focused strategies received €5.6 billion (35 %). Neighborhood‑based actions accounted for €2.1 billion (13 %). Most neighbourhood strategies (76 %) operate with budgets below €10 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). Functional‑area 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 low‑carbon economy, transport and environmental protection.

Governance and Multi‑Level Cooperation

Effective SUD implementation relies on multi‑level governance that links EU managing authorities, national/regional bodies and local authorities. The report highlights the importance of stakeholder participation, bottom‑up 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 functional‑area perspective where inter‑municipal cooperation is weak.
• Integrate multiple funding sources, including ERDF, ESF and EAFRD, to broaden financial capacity.
• Embed cross‑sectoral 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 EU‑wide targets and allow iterative learning.

Access and Further Information

The handbook is publicly available on the European Commission’s website and can be downloaded from the JRC’s publications portal. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), allowing reuse with appropriate credit.