Urban policy in the European Union. A multi-level gatekeeper system

Book abstract:

The blue flag of the European Union flies over many regeneration developments in urban Britain and clearly challenges the view that the European Commission is a remote Brussels bureaucracy. This work examines the growing involvement of the EC in urban matters.

The book has two main sections organised over eight chapters. Chapters one to three provide explanations for the Commission's involvement. Chapters four to seven examine the implementation of one specific European programme, the Community Initiative (CI) URBAN in the UK and France. The policy process for selection of cities and the framework for its delivery in the UK and France are explored in chapters four and five. Implementation of the programme in two cities (London and Marseilles) are addressed in chapters six and seven. The final chapter seeks to draw lessons from the European Union's urban policy 'experiment' as to the way forward.

The book will interest scholars, students, policy researchers and makers engaged in European studies, regional studies, public policy and politics.