URBAN 2 IN EUROPE
The programme was launched in Europe in 1994, upon
the successful completion of a number of pilot projects in various cities.
Urban I (1994-1999) was design to counteract urban deterioration
in 118 European cities and achieve extensive local participation in
many projects whose results were evaluated favourably. On the wake of
this success, the European Union decided to carry on the experience
with Urban 2 for the 2000-2006 period, with funds amounting to 728.3
million Euro. The FESR, the Structural Fund that subsidises this
initiative, can grant financial aids up to 4% of the total cost of a
programme. The Commission has established an indicative breakdown of
the funds to be allocated to the individual member States (in million
Euro: Belgium 20.8, Denmark 5.2, Germany 145.7, Greece 25, Spain 110.3,
France 99.9, Ireland 5.2, Italy 112.4, Netherlands 29.1, Austria 8.3,
Portugal 18.7, Finland 5.2, Sweden 5.2, Great Britain 121.7) as a function
of the demographic indices and the overall/long-term employment rates
of the different urban zones. Within the framework of Urban 2,
member States proposed a choice of 70 cities and districts to be requalified,
which were part of major urban centres and having a minimum population
of 20,000 people, even those in particular cases this threshold could
be reduced to 10,000. Urban 2 sites were selected on the basis of objective
socio-economic indices (economic and social situation, unemployment,
stagnating economy, poverty and social discrimination, high presence
of immigrants and ethnic minorities, low level or schooling, high crime
rate, unstable demographic trend, precarious environmental situation)
and other factors, such as quality of the proposed program, a balanced
distribution of the programmes within the member Country and consistency
with national and EU actions. Of the 70 programmes taken into consideration,
31 concerned central city districts, 27 outer areas, 4 mixed zones and
8 a city as a whole. Each Country chose its sites and apportioned the
funds. The selection procedure adopted by each Country consisted of
either a call to submit proposals (Italy, France and Greece) or a statistical
analysis based on the indices specified in the guidelines defined by
the EU (the Netherlands, Denmark and Portugal). 10 Urban Projects have
been subsidised and are underway in the following cities: Carrara, Caserta,
Crotone, Genoa, Milan, Misterbianco, Mola di Bari, Pescara, Taranto
and Turin.
