European Cities May Be Required to Adopt Sustainable Development Plans

BRUSSELS, Belgium, February 18, 2004 (ENS) – Europe's 500 largest towns and cities could be required to adopt sustainable urban transport plans and environmental management plans backed by an environmental management system, the European Commission said on Monday. Such a move would extend the European Union's reach into the sphere of land use planning that has traditionally been led by the individual European countries. In many European cities, poor air quality, noise, heavy traffic, neglect of the built environment, poor environmental management and a lack of strategic planning have led to a lower quality of life, health problems and premature deaths, the Commission says. Cities also have a considerable impact on the environment, producing large volumes of greenhouse gases, air pollution and waste, and consuming large amounts of resources. "As 80 percent of EU citizens live in towns and cities, it is very important to improve the quality of urban life," said Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom, announcing the strategy. "Pollution, noise, heavy traffic and many other environmental problems are concentrated here. Meeting environmental targets and objectives is vital to making cities healthy places to live in. This is why we need a coordinated and coherent strategy," she said. "I am […]

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