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In Finland the role of cities is placed in the context of regional policy as well, however,
some informal research has already been carried out into the aspects of a more explicit
urban policy. One point made in that research is that the cities are in potential the engines
of the future economic growth of Finland. The government has appointed a workgroup,
consisting of representatives of the ministries and the towns, which will continue to study
urban questions. One important task of the workgroup is to exchange experiences and
best practices, and another is to draw up a document in preparation of a more explicit
urban policy.
In Denmark, Copenhagen is by far the largest city: with one-third of the population living
in the Greater Copenhagen area, a policy explicitly addressing cities is a delicate matter.
In Denmark, internationalisation and increasing awareness of the environment are
important aspects of spatial planning and regional policy. Against that background, the
Danish government encourages the creation of strategic networks among cities (exchange
of knowledge, check on unhealthy competition) and the planning of urban and regional
development from a national point of view.
The impulse of the European programmes: the example of Greece
In Greece, an explicit national urban policy does not yet figure on the national agenda,
although Athens has benefited from some national decisions. The recent reorganisation of
the administrative system implies for Greece that they are now able to make the first steps
towards the development of explicit national urban policies. The Greek cities have been
given more attention within sectorial policies too. In transport policy, for instance, to
improve the deficient infrastructure in urban areas is now a spearhead. Moreover, the
extensive support from the European Union has put the national urban development
higher on the national political agenda, and policy measures with a clear urban dimension
have been initiated in the framework of European programmes.
Bilateral consulation in Luxembourg
It is comprehensible that Luxembourg does not pursue explicit national urban policy.
Policies with regard to the city of Luxembourg are mainly formulated at the local level.
The national sectorial policies, in particular housing and spatial planning, are co-
ordinated through bilateral consultation between the national and local level.
Increasing attention to intercity links: urban networks
In a growing number of member states the physical and ‘material’ connections among the
cities in the national urban system get high priority. A number of examples suggest
themselves. A large part of the national infrastructure investments in Spain go to the
external and internal accessibility of cities. In Germany, the links among cities play an
important role in the integration process of the cities in the former ‘German Democratic
Republic’. Moreover, in most of the countries the focus is not only on national links
among cities, but increasingly on the links to other cities in Europe as well. The European
policies that promote the Trans European Networks have been integrated in the national
policy framework of many countries. In France, the national government pays special
attention to the cities that are situated on European corridors and to cities with an
important logistic function as well. The Dutch spatial planning policy and national