Authors:
Maaike Blauw | Deltares | Netherlands
Linda Maring | deltares | Netherlands
Hans van Duijne | Deltares/WU | Netherlands
Organizers: EU FP7 HOMBRE, EU Snowman Balance4P,
Contactperson : Maaike Blauw (Deltares)
This session will include a short introduction presentation and discussion with the audience.
Currently an Urban Agenda is being set up by the European Commission, because Europe continues to be faced with challenges related to the economy, the climate, the environment, and society at large. Most of these challenges have a strong urban dimension. Although cities’ role for economic, social and cultural development, and their potential for a more resource efficient habitat, have long been recognized, the policy response at European and national level has been slow. For example: the resource efficiency gains made possible by compact urban settlements are being undermined by uncontrolled urban sprawl that puts public services under pressure and reduces territorial cohesion (COM 2014 490).
Brownfield sites are the secret weapon in delivering sustainable European cities. Although these sites often have contamination problems and require intervention to bring them back into beneficial use, they are also often in the right place to deliver profitable places for people. Within the FP7 project HOMBRE the Zero Brownfield Framework is developed, where the main goal is to avoid unnecessary emergence and undue persistence of brownfields, by decoupling the land use and land management cycles. When a land use ceases to be beneficial to society, land management should facilitate the transition towards another sustainable use.
Outline:
- Presentation: Zero Brownfield Perspective: explain framework, how it works and remaining questions (15min)
- Presentation: EU Urban Agenda (15min) (we are
- Discussion: Towards Urban Land Management 2065: what research and development is needed to enable that cities contribute positively to a resource efficient Europe. (45 min)
- Conclusions and further actions (15 min)
For this session persons from CEMR (Council of European Municipalities and Regions), URBACT, DG Region and Common Forum, and from other Member States involved in urban land management will be invited to contribute to the session and stimulate the discussion. The session will have an EU focus, therefore people from different Member States will be involved in the session.
Municipality of Utrecht is setting up an Interreg Proposal concerning Urban Land Management. This project can also be used in the session to support the Urban Aganda and Urban Land Management.
Presenters and moderator:
At the moment we are approaching someone from DG Region (connected to Urban Agenda) to present the Urban Agenda.