. Sustainable development is a fundamental principle of the European Union (EU) set out in the Treaty.¹ As defined by the Brundtland Report² of 1987, sustainable development means that the needs of the present generation should be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It aims at the continuous improvement of the quality of life and wellbeing of present and future generations.


Promoting sustainable urban development is, above all, a key element of European Cohesion Policy, seeking to exploit Europe’s full economic, social and territorial potential. In the past, the URBAN Community Initiative has demonstrated the value of the integrated approach in around 200 cities across Europe.


In 2006, the European Council adopted an ambitious and comprehensive renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy.³ It builds on the Göteborg Strategy of 2001 and sets out how the EU can more effectively live up to its long-standing commitment to sustainable development.


European ministers responsible for urban and spatial development also picked up the thread of the European Union’s objectives for sustainable development and applied them in concrete terms. With the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities4 and the Territorial Agenda of the European Union5 of 2007, they set joint objectives and reviewed possible solutions to sustainability issues.


Building on a number of previous key documents on urban policy – in particular the Lille Action Programme6 of 2000, the Urban Acquis7 of 2004, and the Bristol Accord8 of 2005 – the Leipzig Charter defines two key objectives: integrated urban development should be applied throughout Europe and deprived urban neighbourhoods must receive more attention within an integrated urban development policy.


Ministers reinforced their commitment in 2008. With the Marseille Statement9 they reconfirmed the Leipzig Charter objectives and put a special emphasis on climate change in recognition of its rising importance. Furthermore, ministers decided to have a practical tool created that would translate the common sustainability goals and the Leipzig Charter objectives into more practical terms. This was the starting point for the creation of a common European Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities.


In 2010, in Toledo, Spain, the ministers affirmed the suitability of the integrated approach to urban development policies in order to achieve smarter, more sustainable and socially inclusive urban development. They decided to follow up the process of the reference framework through a testing phase involving a larger panel of cities in order to build a final version for the end of 2011 to be translated and promoted in each country.


Facing the challenges of sustainability calls for multilevel dialogue, governance and action between cities, member states and the EU to implement integrated approaches to urban development.