Today, three quarters of the European population live in urban
areas. This puts pressure on the available space, jobs and housing,
leads to risks of upheaval and puts a burden on the environment.
At the same time, such population concentration offers opportunities
for resource-efficient responses to climate change and migration.
To make use of these opportunities, strategic planning is required.
The public sector must take an active role in setting the goals
and exercise its role as planning authority. In certain circumstances,
it must also assume the role of investor and landowner to counteract
Urban development requires robust public service, effective
co-operation between public and private sectors and citizen participation.
Governments have many tools to influence such development, from
national strategies to tax incentives.
Cities that meet the needs of everyone provide the foundations
of prosperous societies. In support of Goal 11 of the United Nations
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Parliamentary Assembly
should call on the Council of Europe member States to ensure that
public authorities have influence over urban development, that the
principles of human rights and sustainable development underpin
relevant policies, and that participatory approaches are used for
deciding the future of cities across Europe.