Resources
Find your references when delivering high-quality architecture for everyone.
Policy frameworks
EU Circular economy action plan https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/circular-economy-action-plan_en
Communication from the European Commission on the European Green Deal, EUR-Lex- 52019DC0640, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52019DC0640
Communication from the European Commission on the New European Bauhaus (14 September 2021), https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus/index_en
Communication from the European Commission on a renovation wave for Europe – greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives, EUR-Lex- 52020DC0662, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX %3A52020DC0662
Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (Granada, 1985), https://www.coe.int/en/web/culture-and-heritage/granada-convention
Council resolution on architectural quality in urban and rural environments (2001), EUR-Lex- 32001G0306(03), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX %3A32001G0306 %2803 %29
Council conclusions on architecture: culture’s contribution to sustainable development (2008), EUR-Lex- 52008XG1213(02), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1597924236719&uri=CELEX:52008XG1213(02 )
Davos Declaration ‘Towards a high-quality Baukultur for Europe’, January 2018 https://davosdeclaration2018.ch
Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement, EUR-Lex-32014L0024, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex %3A32014L0024
EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, https://fra.europa.eu/en/eu-charter
European Climate Pact, https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/eu-climate-action/pact_en
European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/5a9c3144-80f1-11e9-9f05-01aa75ed71a1
European Landscape Convention, https://www.coe.int/en/web/landscape
Faro Convention, https://www.coe.int/en/web/culture-and-heritage/faro-convention
New European Agenda for Culture (2018), EUR-Lex- 52018DC0267, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM %3A2018 %3A267 %3AFIN
New Leipzig Charter, November 2020, https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/downloads/EN/eu-presidency/gemeinsame-erklaerungen/new-leipzig-charta-2020.html
United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
Urban agenda for the EU, https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/themes/urban-development/agenda
Work plan for culture 2019-2022, EUR-Lex-52018XG1221(01), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52018XG1221(01)
Studies, tools, guides
An architecture guide to the UN 17 sustainable development goals by Det Kongelige Akademi – Arkitektur, Design, Konservering. https://issuu.com/kadk/docs/aechitecture_guide_un17_vol.2_web_single_pages
Davos Baukultur Quality System, May 2021 www.davosdeclaration2018.ch/quality-system .
Guide to the Commission’s architectural policy (2009)7032, https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-register/detail?ref=C(2009)7032&lang=en
Handbook on sustainable and circular reuse of spaces and buildings, December 2019. https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/system/files/ged/sustainable_circular_reuse_of_spaces_and_buildings_handbook.pdf
ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) European Quality Principles, 2020. https://www.icomos.org/en/about-icomos/committees/regional-activities-europe/90984-quality-principles-new-version-available
Spatial design leadership: the role, instruments and impact of state architect (or similar) teams in fostering spatial quality and a place-making culture across five European states. João Ferreira Bento and Terpsi Laopoulou. Tallinn, Estonia, 2019.
Survey on Architectural Policies in Europe. João Ferreira Bento, 2012. http://www.efap-fepa.org/docs/EFAP_Survey_Book_2012.pdf .
Urban Maestro, New Governance Strategies for Urban Design, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Brussels Bouwmeester Maître Architecte (BMA), University College London (UCL), 2021.www.urbanmaestro.org
Declarations, papers from professional organisations
ACE recommendations for Architectural Design Contests (2016), https://www.ace-cae.eu/fileadmin/New_Upload/5._Policies/UPDATED_Policy_2017/GA2-17/EN/6.1.1_GA2_17_Compet-Rules.pdf
ACE and UIA Declaration on ‘Architectural Design Competitions: A key tool to ensure quality in the built environment’ (2019), https://www.ace-cae.eu/uploads/tx_jidocumentsview/ACE-UIADeclaration_30October_FINAL_01.pdf
ACE statement ‘Achieving quality in the built environment’ (2019), https://www.ace-cae.eu/uploads/tx_jidocumentsview/Inn_Stat_EN_FINAL.pdf
ACE statement 'Designing for a Circular Economy’ (2019), https://www.ace-cae.eu/uploads/tx_jidocumentsview/ACE_EWCF_Statement_FINAL.pdf
European Cultural Heritage Green Paper (2021), https://www.europanostra.org/putting-europes-shared-heritage-at-the-heart-of-the-european-green-deal/#:~:text=The%20European%20Cultural%20Heritage%20Green%20Paper%20is%20produced,the%20Creative%20Europe%20programme%20of%20the%20European%20Union
ICOMOS International, Québec Declaration on the Preservation of the Spirit of the Place (2008), https://whc.unesco.org/uploads/activities/documents/activity-646-2.pdf
Leeuwarden Declaration ‘Preserving and enhancing the values of our built heritage for future generations’ (2018), https://www.ace-cae.eu/fileadmin/New_Upload/_15_EU_Project/Creative_Europe/Conference_Built_Heritage/LEEUWARDEN_STATEMENT_FINAL_EN-NEW.pdf
EU publications on research and innovation for cities
Investing in European Success: Innovating Cities in Europe and Worldwide
The booklet describes outcomes from EU investment in research and innovation (R & I) for cities and with cities. It showcases EU-funded projects that are transforming cities into living laboratories to solve the problems of their own making. Their success can inspire public debate on the kind of cities we want, and will help the development of future R & I programmes and related urban policies.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/research_and_innovation/research_by_area/documents/ec_rtd_investing-in-european-success_032019.pdf
The Human-centred city: opportunities for citizens through research and innovation
This High-Level Expert Group report provides a vision for European cities of the future and recommends how EU-funded research and innovation can assist cities in their transition towards a resilient, climate-neutral, smart, inclusive, prosperous and sustainable future. Across its four core chapters, ‘People’, ‘Place’, ‘Prosperity’ and ‘Resilience’, and its two cross-cutting ones on ‘Governance’ and ‘Measurement’, the report emphasises the need for citizens to be involved in the conceptualisation, design and execution and dissemination of any research and innovation action.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/research_and_innovation/research_by_area/documents/ec_rtd_investing-in-european-success_032019.pdf
Innovating cities policy report for EU R&I sustainable urban development: Cities P4P-Project for Policy: policy review report from EU DG R&I funded urban projects under framework programme seven (FP7)
This report capitalises on 30 years of successful EU-funded research on sustainable urban development. It relies on the analysis of a critical mass of inspiring knowledge, ideas and best practices coming from 41 projects funded under the seventh research framework programme (FP7) across the different thematic priorities. It showcases and provides an EU-wide evidence base of the outstanding contributions of EU funded research and innovation in meeting urban societal challenges, notably those of the urban ecosystem.
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/0e0dff00-cc8b-11ea-adf7-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
What nature-based solutions can do for us
Between November 2019 and May 2020, six independent experts undertook the analysis of EU-funded projects in the area of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) in order to assess their impact and valorise their results. Their work highlights the added value and policy relevance of EU-funded NBS projects. An in-depth analysis of FP7/Horizon 2020 NBS relevant projects, including city projects, has been made: Nature-based solutions. State of the art in EU-funded projects
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/8bb07125-4518-11eb-b59f-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-183008165
Report on ‘Nature-based Solutions to Promote Climate Change Resilience in Urban Areas – developing an impact evaluation framework’
The report addresses three objectives: 1) To develop an impact evaluation framework with a list of criteria for assessing the performance of NBS in dealing with challenges related to climate resilience in urban areas; 2) to prepare an application guide for measuring how NBS projects fare against the identified indicators in delivering multiple environmental, economic and societal benefits; 3) to make recommendations to improve the assessment of the effectiveness of NBS projects, including the identification of knowledge gaps according to the criteria presented in the impact evaluation framework.
https://www.eklipse-mechanism.eu/nbs_report
Handbook of sustainable urban development strategies
The Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies provides valuable knowledge on how to implement integrated and place-based urban strategies under cohesion policy. It aims to serve local authorities, managing authorities and all other relevant stakeholders. The Handbook is conceived as a policy learning tool, responding to the needs of different territorial and administrative contexts. It does not provide a ‘quick fix’, but rather, it offers suggestions on how to tackle key challenges during the process of strategy design and implementation, by giving concrete examples, and referring to existing studies and guidelines.
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/43b8d548-49bb-11ea-8aa5-01aa75ed71a1
The future of cities – Opportunities, challenges and the way forward
The report highlights drivers shaping the urban future, identifying both the key challenges cities will have to address and the strengths they can capitalise on to proactively build their desired futures. Its main aim is to raise open questions and steer discussions on what the future of cities can, and should be, both within the scientific and policymaker communities. While addressing mainly European cities, examples from other world regions are also given since many challenges and solutions have a global relevance.
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a55c1af0-8e52-11e9-9369-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-145274811
European handbook for SDG voluntary local reviews
The European Handbook for SDG Voluntary Local Reviews offers policymakers, researchers and practitioners an inspirational framework to set up Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs). VLRs are a fundamental instrument to monitor progresses and sustain the transformative and inclusive action of local actors towards the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in general, and competitive sustainability in particular.
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/7199c232-49bd-11ea-8aa5-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-145274686
Who owns the city? Exploratory research activity on the financialisation of housing in EU cities
This report resumes the main findings from an exploratory research activity on the financialisation of housing in EU cities. The study follows indications that over the past years’ investors have been increasingly active on urban housing markets, using housing as a vehicle for wealth and investment, rather than considering it a social good. The study applies a mixed-method research approach, combining city case studies, with descriptive and inferential statistics. Most findings confirm the assumption that housing financialisation negatively impacts housing affordability. At the same time, it becomes clear that causality is complex, pointing to the housing system as a complex myriad of factors that either directly or indirectly influence and reinforce each other.
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC120776/jrc120776_citown_report_2020_06_24.pdf
Ageing in regions and cities: high resolution projections for Europe in 2030
This report presents an experimental exercise in which the LUISA population distribution method has been extended to break down its local population distribution outcomes by broad age class.
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/ageing-regions-and-cities-high-resolution-projections-europe-2030
Yearly Urban Mapping – EU research & innovation for and with cities (June 2021)
This report provides an overview of the main EU research and innovation (R & I) actions for and with cities to help them accelerate their transition towards sustainability and climate neutrality.
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/9a58ddbf-ef4c-11eb-a71c-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-search
Useful websites
Architects Council of Europe – ACE, http://ace-cae.eu
Cohesion policy 2021-2027, https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/2021_2027
European Climate Law – Climate Action, https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/eu-climate-action/law_en
A European Green Deal, https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
Horizon Europe, https://www.horizon-eu.eu
New European Bauhaus: beautiful, sustainable, together, https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus/index_en
UN – THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development, https://sdgs.un.org/goals
Urbact, https://urbact.eu
Urban Innovative Actions, https://uia-initiative.eu/en
European urban initiative, https://uia-initiative.eu/en/news/next-call-proposals
European Territorial Observatory Network – ESPON,https://www.espon.eu/programme/espon/espon-2020-cooperation-programme
The Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning – CEMAT,https://www.coe.int/en/web/conference-ministers-spatial-planning/home