Urban environment in the Mediterranean A Regional Policy for economic progress Joan Parpal Medcities General Secretary Medcities network – Medcities is a network of Mediterranean coastal cities created in Barcelona in November 1991 at the initiative of the Mediterranean Technical Assistance Programme (METAP). Aims of the network • To strengthen the role and the means (institutional, financial and technical capability) of the municipalities in the implementation of local environment policies. • To set up a direct co-operation policy in order to implement the partnership between coastal Mediterranean Cities on urban sustainable development. • To develop awareness and involvement of citizens on urban sustainable development. • To promote the role of sustainable urban development as a general policy for the Mediterranean Region. Medcities organisation • Members: Tangiers, Tetuan, Oran, Sousse, Sfax, Alexandria, Gaza, Zarqa, Haifa, Ashdod, Tripoli (Lebanon), El Minah, Latakie, Aleppo, Silifke, Ismir, Tessalonike, Tirana, Dubrovnik; Rome, Marseilles, Barcelona. • Presidency: Rome • General Secretariat: Barcelona Methods of work • Impulsion of projects focussed on members’ needs based in the cooperation between several members and other partners. • Promotion of capacity building of political representative and staff through projects’ implementation or specific CB actions and tools. (Workshops, guidelines, web tools, etc..) • Networking on relevant instances related with urban sustainable development in Europe as European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign and in the Mediterranean as CMSD, MAP Eurocities and UCLG Mediterranean working groups, Euromena Relevant Actions • Environment audits and strategies. Sustainable development strategies. • Action Plans on solid waste, air quality, mobility, neighbourhood upgrading. • Institutional strengthening through new administration tools creation, as Observatories of Development and Environment of Tripoli and Sfax; Call Centre for Waste Collection & Cleaning of Alexandria; Air Quality Services of Larnaka and Limassol. Mobility service in Sousse. • Investments implementation help (Feasibility studies, projects, finance rising, ...) as landfills of Tetuan, Tripoli and Tangiers; Materials recovery facility Zarqa; Call Centre Alexandria; Air Quality Laboratories in Tripoli, Tetuan, Larnaka and Limassol; Sewage treatment system Limassol. Mediterranean economy and environment • The most relevant economic Mediterranean sectors have barriers on ecological resources. • Agriculture/water • Tourism/coastal zones, sea, natural and cultural goods. • Industrial production/guarantee of utilities (water, sewage, energy, wastes) • Residential economy/space, mobility. • Nevertheless these evidences, environment policies are not sufficiently developed. The size of environment financial needs without a direct economic benefit, the prevention regarding the impacts on productive sectors, and the long maturation period of too ambitious environment objectives are some of the reasons. • The urban sustainable development is a strategic tool for selling environment as a economic priority to political decision makers. Mediterranean economy needs efficient urban areas. • The Mediterranean is an urban Region and this condition will increase in the future. • The actual world trends of the economy increase the roll of urban areas for localising economic activities. • Globalisation, ascension of sectors as TIC, industries based on knowledge, services, urban tourism and financial sector are based of factors of production as technical manpower, logistics, communications that are mainly in urban areas. • Urban environment, in a large sense, is a clear barrier for an efficient system of Mediterranean towns. • I consider urban environment including air, water, land and physical fabrics. A Mediterranean urban sustainable development programme • I propose, as a regional policy, a set of urban environment policies and programmes to increase urban efficiency and economic attractiveness: – Quality of the sea and beaches – Mobility efficiency – Territorial and land planning enforcement. – Urban renewal. – Urban aquifers preservation and utilisation for secondary uses – Drinking water network losses reduction. – Extension of utilities network. – Planned housing • This policy would produce a regional economic and ecological advancement in a relative short time. Examples • In recent years many Mediterranean towns have started this policy. They are relevant success in its urban ecosystems and economy. Other are in the way although the lack of means and autonomy. • Consider Tunis, Marseilles, Alexandria, Naples, Athens, Barcelona, Larnaka, Limassol, Aleppo, Sfax, Sousse, Malaga, Valencia, Genoa, Rome, Tangiers, Ismir, Montpellier, Algiers, ... • Consider cases as the Lake of Tunis development, urban renewal of old industrial zones, ports or/and old towns of Barcelona, Marseilles, Malaga, Aleppo, Tunis and Naples, CDS of Alexandria and Sfax, bay recuperation of Tangiers, EC Tools • Urban environment improvement is not usually a main priority of Cities. Nevertheless it is a relevant factor if you plan city economic development. For this reason Medcities is promoting City Sustainable Development Strategies. • The EU is prioritising CSDS in its decentralised cooperation projects (MedPacte) and in SMAP through ICZM. • Horizon 2020 will be a relevant tool for urban areas depollution. Synergy with NSDS of Metpol are important. • The EU programme URBAN should be replicated in the EMPI as a tool for financing urban environment actions. • CSDS should be supported by EMPI..