Cities of tomorrow - Challenges seen from cities and regions Brussels, DG Regio 25 June 2010

Cities of tomorrow-

Challenges seen from cities and regions

Brussels, DG Regio

25 June 2010

Structure of the presentationStructure of the presentation

- Objective of the research and methodology

- Preliminary remarks

- the « usual suspects »

- the « experts »

- some « space oddities »

Objective of the research and methodolgyObjective of the research and methodolgy

Provide a synthetic overview of:

1.Challenges2.Visions (including underlying values)

…. that cities or other policy actors dealing with urban issues have identified and use as guidance for their policies.

… based on literature review, databases and contacts with professional networks, city associations and public bodies.

Preliminary remarksPreliminary remarks

- Work in progress: we do not have the necessary insights yet to come up with a fine-tuned view of the lanscape of urban foresight exercises

- Very large and dynamic field of research if one does not exclude cities working on strategic planning and / or on sustainable development focused initiatives (e.g. Agenda 21). Your inputs are welcome ;o)

- There is a political bias to the whole approach that has to be taken into account: urban foresight must always be translated from words to deeds and one must often distinguish the hidden challenges behind the normative documents

The usual suspectsThe usual suspects

?!?

« Why would you kill the Mayor? »

?!??!??!??!?

The usual suspectsThe usual suspects He’ll never be able to stop pollution and increase energy

efficiency, let alone traffic

The usual suspectsThe usual suspectsHe wouldn’t give me a job, not even a decent training. Just because I am a refugee…

The usual suspectsThe usual suspectsCan’t handle the digital transition! We’ll never

get broadband fast enough

The usual suspectsThe usual suspectsThe guy’s a joke in

front of foreign investors and

international banks

The usual suspectsThe usual suspects

He’s just too old to rule !

The usual suspectsThe usual suspects

And, by the Way, when do we get our Guggenheim?

The expertsThe experts

The expertsThe experts

Sustainability and environmental issues (e.g. Malmö, Kopenhagen, Stockholm, Freiburg, Bekerich, Besançon…)

But how do we cope with larger scales of intervention?

Technology and knowledge regions, developing foresight in a rather systemic view, smartly combining Lisbon-authorised variables:

But how does it benefit the whole of the (urban) population?

Insular regions in a Knowledge

Economy

The expertsThe experts

BMW 2025(Ireland)

Manchester as a Knowledge

Capital

Linz 21(Austria)

Istambul digital city programme

The expertsThe experts

Knowledge Region

Competitive Region

InnovativeRegion

A Region with a quality of life

The 4 panels of BMW 2025 foresight exercise

The expertsThe expertsAgeing issue: Bretagne (« beautiful grey » scenario), Les Sables d’Olonne, Gijon, UK, many touristic cities facing a significant raise in their elederly populations

But one finds, in Europe, very few cities thinking about migrations in another meaning than « how to limit it»?

The expertsThe experts

Employment and social cohesion issues: a city such as Brussels faces rates above 40% when it comes to unemployment of « immigrant » young men and woman.

Cities tend to invest in infrastructure and urban regeneration to tackle alltogether employment, social segragation and poverty issue: Gent, Belfast, San Sebastian, Sofia, Bratislava, … This strategy is being widely supported by ERDF and examples are numerous.

Some cities focus on local participation of inhabitants through these: Reykjavik, Jelgava (Latvia), Brussels.

But nice buildings and refurbished city centres tend to attract higher revenues (gentrification) and chase poverty out of the city, how far?

The expertsThe experts

Major cultural business cards for secondary cities: Louvre-Lens, Pompidou-Metz, Calatrava-Liège, European cultural capitals, …

But how does it generate lasting effects?

Some space odditiesSome space oddities

WaterworldWaterworld

- (> 70 % of the World urban population lives by the coast)

WaterworldWaterworld

- The Randstadt Holland has developed a scenario around a flooded Holland and thought about building a new Schipol in the middle of the sea .

- UK foresight ordered a flood and coastal defence foresight

- Some cities, Jerusalem being one of them, anticipate water shortages

Breaking the wallsBreaking the walls

Border cities / regions envisage their future in a regional context which tend to erase existing borders: effective examples can be found in Basel, Lille, Luxembourg, Achen, Saragosse…

Tournai

Lille

Valenciennes

Mons

Peruwelz

Ath

Enghien

Tourcoing

Comines-Warneton

Roubaix

Towards Brussels

Lessines

Leuze

Towards Mons, Namur, Liège

Towards Bruges

Towards Dunkerque,London

and Paris

Mouscron

Breaking the wallsBreaking the walls

Courtrai

AntoingBeloeil

Bernissart

BrugeletteChièvres

Brunehaut

Celles

EllezellesFlobecq

Estaimpuis

Frasnes-les-Anvaing

Mont-de-l’Enclus

Pecq

Rumes

Silly

With a familiar debate on the connexion between major poles and secondary cities…

How which grounds do we organise metropolitan cooperation?

Metropolis or micropolis?Metropolis or micropolis?

Several large and middle-sized urban agglomerations:

- aim at becoming THE growth / innovation pole of the region , clearly competing with close or further neighbours (Valenciennes, Manchester, Charleroi, Ruhr cities…) in what is sometimes the latest (and sometimes promising) attempt to achieve effective industrial transition.

- want to limit urban sprawl and periurbanisation: Montréal, Lyons, Rennes, Amsterdam, several Scandinavian capitals…

While others try to limit urban exodus or revenue (Brussels) and population decrease (North of France).

Shrinking or decreasing perspectives are often use as a worst-case scenario, though interesting when combined with de-growth / peak oil / resource shrinking alternatives.

Slumdog Millionnaires?Slumdog Millionnaires?

In some cities, and in a more structured way in France, urban foresight has been imported at the level of neighbourhoods (« sensible urban areas » being the colourful label) in order to foster new visions for deprived areas of the cities.

These exercises have put forward a set of interesting issues beyond security and housing:- poverty circuits, displacement effects- role of women- social times and social places- coexisting value systems

(Unfortunately?), these exercises find it difficult to attract public and political interest unless riots emerge...

Slumdog Millionnaires?Slumdog Millionnaires?

Independence Day ?Independence Day ?

- Burning Breizh (Bretagne / Brittany 2040)

- Flanders Future

- The Basque Country (F) and its historical claim for being a department

- Scotland’s Future (more devolution)

- …

More of a wildcard in several future exercises, mainly pointing at hopes and expectations for a stronger Europe of the Regions

Thank you !

vancutsem.michael@institut-destree.euvancutsem.michael@institut-destree.eu