1. The document proposes a strategic research agenda to guide urban research in Europe over the coming decades. 2. It identifies four key pillars of research: society, mobility, ecology, and the economy/innovation. Under each pillar are strategic research issues and "urban images" or future city scenarios for 2050. 3. The agenda outlines instruments like joint projects, data sharing networks, and experimental demonstration projects to coordinate urban research across Europe. The goal is to help cities meet challenges of trends like population growth, globalization, and sustainability.

1. Peter Nijkamp and Karima Kourtit

2. develop a
develop an effective balanced national
turn mass population manage
policy to ensure that the (or supra-
movement towards sustainable
design a spatially- benefits of national) strategy manage production
accessibility
integrated and balanced urban agglomerations and mobility agglomeration for emerging and investments to the
urban land use strategy into new opportunities of urban
advantages are higher connected city benefit of sustainable
that is compatible with than their social costs systems economic
design of fit-for- systems
ecological sustainability/ through new development of urban
purpose develop effective satisfy the socio-
logistic and areas
institutional measures for eco- economic demand of
need for conflict management infrastructura
mechanisms and friendly and an increasingly large
and pro-active inclusions l concepts
structures in a climate-neutral share of urban
strategies for less privileged
multi-layer metropolitan population for high-
groups in urban areas
dynamic system of areas quality urban
urban areas amenities

3. STRIKING FACTS
 More than 50 percent of the world population
already lives in urban areas: ‘the new urban
century’
 Double urbanization: big cities grow into
mega-cities (including political power) and
medium-sized cities grow even faster into big
cities, e.g. China’s plan for Pearl River Delta
 Megacities: competitive advantages
(opportunities for various stakeholders
 Santa Fe hypothesis (Geoffrey West)
(‘15% rule’)  Urban scaling: efficiency and
performance rise with city size (15 percent
efficiency rise for doubling of cities)
Need for strategic foresight studies to
support policy and smart response
(Prof. Ratcliffe)

5. EUROPEAN SMART RESPONSE TO
THESE CHALLENGES:

6. manage develop a
sustainable 6develop an effective balanced
manage
design a spatially- turn mass policy to ensure that national (or
accessibility production and
integrated and population the benefits of supra-national)
and mobility investments to
balanced urban movement agglomeration strategy for
of urban the benefit of
land use strategy towards urban advantages are emerging
systems sustainable
that is compatible agglomerations higher than their connected
through new economic
with ecological into new social costs city systems
logistic and development
sustainability opportunities
infrastructu satisfy the socio- of urban areas
ral concepts develop economic demand
need for conflict effective
management and pro- of an increasingly
design of fit-for-purpose measures for
active inclusions strategies large share of
institutional eco-friendly
for less privileged urban population
mechanisms and and climate-
groups in urban areas for high-quality
structures in a multi-layer neutral urban amenities
dynamic system of urban metropolitan
areas areas

8. Rethink and manage the increasing urban orientation and
concentration of people in Europe, with the aim:
• to sustain and enhance urban quality in cities as a place
of vitality, liveability and spatial interactivity for
European citizens
• to create and exploit synergy from an urbanized Europe
from an economic, social, cultural, logistic and
technological perspective, leading to a strengthened
global position of Europe

9. 9
 Provides decision makers and the scientific community at large
with research, development and demonstration road maps to
achieve the short (2010), medium (2020) and long term (2040-
2050) goals of JPI Urban Europe plans
 Proposes a multifaceted but focused approach: it presents different
interconnections and synergies between research areas. These
interrelations between the different research domains reflect the
wide range of different perspectives which have been incorporated
due to the active participation of different stakeholders

 Elaboration on the four pivotal thematic areas of the JPI Urban
Europe Vision, namely Society, Mobility, Ecology, and Economy
and Innovation (which identify many specific research topics)

10. FOUR INTERRELATED PILLARS
10
INNOVATION &
ECONOMIC
VITALITY
Society Ecology
SOCIAL
STRATEGY SMART LOGISTICS
PARTICIPATION
& &
& VISION SUSTAINABLE
SOCIAL CAPITAL Economy MOBILITY
Mobility
&
Innovation
ECOLOGICAL
SUSTAINABILITY
Illustration of the interdependencies between the 4 Pillars of the SRA

11. 11
EUROPE
CORNERSTONES CHALLENGES
The Pioneer City 2050
SOCIETY:
social participation
& social capital
The Connected City
MOBILITY: 2050
smart logistics &
sustainable mobility
ECOLOGY: The Liveable City
ecological sustainability 2050
ECONOMY
& INNOVATION: The Entrepreneurial
economic vitality City 2050

12. Urban Images 2050

13. 4 PILLARS & 4 URBAN IMAGES 2050

14. RESEARCH IDEAS
Originating from experts and stakeholders:
• Visioning workshop (Vienna)
• Scoping and SRA workshop (Amsterdam)
Digital • Research Landscape Matrix
Content
Analysis • Flower Power Research Landscape

15. Research Landscape Matrix, example
Urban
Images Entrepreneurial City Connected City Pioneer City Liveable City
2050 2050 2050 2050 2050
Strategic
Research
Issues
Urban the EU city-landscape changing future position competitiveness in a • urban agglomerations • cities are not only energy consumers
Megatrends EU cities facing major structural globalised world seedbeds of pioneer thinking • necessity of combining different
changes (demography, economy, geographical scale of networks and societal innovation perspectives
culture, etc.) societal and policy challenges • etc. • interdependencies between
long-term-oriented solutions foresee future pattern of technological and social
emergence and facilitation of geographical concentration of people developments
streams of knowledge and and goods • demographic trends and resilience
innovation etc. concepts
steer entrepreneurs • human-centred perspective
etc. • etc.
Urban urban tacit knowledge transferred physical-infrastructural nature, e.g. • European urban space is environmental benefits from public
Networks within cities transport-, logistics-, and energy heterogeneity transport
and engage in entrepreneurial activities networks. • European cities are diverse advantage of technological
Connectivity engage interdependent relations physical connectivity in city territories with unique developments and innovations
technological state of the art networks characteristics understand urban planning and
diseconomies of agglomeration etc. etc. design
etc. etc.
Socio- emission reduction respond to people’s needs diverse skill sets of migrants hence environmental polluters
ecological congestion reduction sustainable connectivity of cities and native citizens smart environmental and energy
Sustainability safety people’s demand and behaviour • increasing cultural diversity initiatives (e.g., recycling, waste
of City resource allocation etc. and fragmentation of lifestyles recuperation)
Systems etc. in European cities act as engines for ecologically-
etc. benign strategies
etc.

16. FLOWER POWER KNOWLEDGE LANDSCAPE
Urban Megatrends – Socio-ecological
Entrepreneurial City 2050,
Urban Networks and Sustainability of City
Connected City 2050, Connectivity – Systems – Entrepreneurial
Pioneer City 2050, Liveable Entrepreneurial City City 2050, Connected City
2050, Pioneer City 2050,
City 2050 2050, Connected City Liveable City 2050
2050, Pioneer City 2050,
Liveable City 2050

17. 3 STRATEGIC RESEARCH ISSUES OF URBAN EUROPE
A. Urban Megatrends
What are the prominent demographic,
economic and technological megatrends
that are decisive for a promising future of
urban systems?
B. Urban Networks and Connectivity
What are new mobility, logistic and land use
developments and policies that are needed
to create vital and attractive cities − and
networks of cities − in the decades to
come?
C. Socio-ecological Sustainability of City
Systems
Which ecological and social constellations
have to be met and implemented in order to
shape sustainable and balanced long-run
urban development patterns (including
energy systems) in Europe?

18. KNOWLEDGE ARENA

19. ‘SEXY’ TOPICS
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES :
EXPERIMENTAL PROJECTS
THE FLYING CARPET
A collection or design of mega-trends, scenario experiments and
monitoring/information systems on the drivers and impacts of long-range mobility
and urbanization tendencies in the decades to come
A STRING OF BIG APPLES
Research issue in the Urban Europe SRF and maps out the behavioural,
technological and planning dimensions of large-scale urbanization patterns, in
particular the emergence of (virtually or physically) connected urban areas, not
only inside Europe but also worldwide
BELLISSIMO
Study of initiatives on creating sustainable and resilient cities that by far
outperform the existing urban areas in terms of efficiency, ecological quality, safety,
social participation and responsiveness to new or unforeseen challenges (including
coastal zone management in delta areas

21. The JPI URBAN EUROPE
ACTIVITY-INSTRUMENT
MATRIX

22. Instruments → In-kind Tenders Alignment of Urban Europe URBAN EUROPE Cooperation
contributions to or national R&D Research joint calls with exciting
Activities ↓ MB or Joint projects programmes with Alliance (UERA) bodies
organisation of the SRF of the JPI
workshops, etc. URBAN EUROPE
I FORESIGHT:
stock-taking and analysis of existing foresight
results (2011)
new foresights (2012-2913)
research programming
II SHARING OF KNOWLEDGE AND DATA:
stock-taking of existing information and data
creation of new databases
design of urban decision support systems for
sustainable development
dissemination of Urban Europe results
(conferences, workshops, websites, etc.)
III Themes of the Pilot Phase:
A. Urban megatrends
A1. Patterns and Drivers of Long-Term
Urban Dynamics
A2. Urban Indicators, Strategic Information
Systems and Models of Urban
Development
A. City networks and connectivity
B1. Infrastructure and Advanced Urban
Technology
B2. New Governance Models, Public-
Private Interaction and Future Policy
Arenas
A. Socio-ecological sustainability
C1. Sustainability of Urban Systems
C2. Social Dynamics, Diversity and Human
Health
C3. Vulnerable and Resilient Cities
IV Experimental projects, based on fresh research plans:
THE FLYING CARPET
A STRING OF BIG APPLES
BELLISSIMO

23. AMBITION VIA HIERARCHY PYRAMID:
AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE STRATEGIC RESEARCH
AGENDA
EUROPEAN JOINT
4 COORDINATION
3
2
1
NATIONAL WEAK
COORDINATION

24. The stakeholders involved are in particular:
 University and research organizations / institutes
 European associations and interest organizations in
the urban field (incl. private actors)
 European cooperative research constellations
 Public bodies with an urban interest (ministries,
public organizations, city associations)
 Funding agencies

27. COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES

29. 29