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Air quality, the availability of green areas and the way daily journeys are organised have become fixed items on the European urban policy agenda. International documents, new rules and pilot schemes of recent years point towards a rethinking of the places where most of the population lives. This piece gathers the main reference points, without claiming to be exhaustive.
Air pollution as a public health matter
The connection between the built environment and people’s well-being emerges clearly from air quality figures. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2019 some 99% of the world’s population lived in places where the recommended guideline values were not met, and outdoor air pollution was associated with 4.2 million premature deaths that same year. Because built-up areas concentrate housing, traffic and productive activity, it is in densely populated settings that exposure tends to be highest.
The European continent records a considerable impact as well. The European Environment Agency (EEA) estimated around 182,000 premature deaths in the European Union for 2023 linked to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). It is against this background that Union legislation was revised: the ambient air quality directive, adopted in October 2024, introduces stricter limit values to be met by 2030, bringing European parameters closer to WHO guidance.
The reduction of harmful substances goes hand in hand with the contribution of vegetation. Street trees, parks and green roofs help to moderate temperatures during the warmer months, to retain part of the rainfall and to support local biodiversity, while also providing places to meet. Access to good-quality open spaces is, moreover, among the targets that international institutions associate with healthier living.
European reference points for the renewal of settlements
Alongside health thresholds, the European Union has developed a framework of principles to guide the transformation of towns and cities. The New Leipzig Charter, endorsed by the responsible ministers on 30 November 2020, describes three dimensions of the sustainable city: just, green and productive. The text draws attention to fairness in access to services, the safeguarding of natural resources and the capacity of localities to generate employment, stressing integrated urban development and multi-level governance.
The picture is completed by the New European Bauhaus, launched by the European Commission in 2020. The initiative proposes to combine sustainability, inclusion and aesthetic quality in the design of living environments, involving residents, public authorities and professionals. Its underlying message is that the ecological transition concerns not only energy consumption but also the form and the liveability of shared places.
Proximity of services and a rethinking of mobility
Among the models discussed in recent years is the so-called “15-minute city”, according to which essential services (education, healthcare, retail, work and leisure) should lie within a short walking or cycling distance of the home. The stated aim is to reduce the need for motorised travel, with anticipated effects on congestion, emissions and people’s daily time budgets.
In practical terms, such an approach involves investment in pavements, cycle routes and public transport, together with particular attention to those who have fewer travel options. Results vary considerably according to the setting in which the model is applied and the features of the existing building fabric.
Digital technologies, information and privacy protection
The management of urban environments increasingly relies on sensors, platforms and monitoring networks. Such tools can improve the running of traffic, lighting or waste collection; the processing of information gathered in public space nonetheless raises questions of privacy, for which the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides the reference legal framework within the European Union.
A frequently cited case is that of Quayside, an area of Toronto that was the subject of a project led by Sidewalk Labs, a company linked to the Alphabet group. The scheme, which envisaged extensive data gathering on how spaces were used, was abandoned in May 2020 for economic reasons, but also in the face of concerns raised over the governance of personal information. The episode shows how rules on transparency and stated purposes matter more than technical feasibility alone.
Outlook
The reference points recalled here converge on several shared elements: lower pollution, fair access to common spaces, the proximity of services and a transparent use of technology. None of the models cited, however, offers a solution valid everywhere, and many experiences remain at an experimental stage. The deadlines set for 2030, particularly those for air quality limits, provide a point of assessment for authorities and communities alike. Actual implementation will depend on available resources, local technical expertise and coordination among the various tiers of government.
In dialogue with the 2030 Agenda
- Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities). Aims to make settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, with universal access, by 2030, to safe and accessible green and public spaces.
- Goal 3 (Good health and well-being). Reducing air pollution has a direct bearing on the prevention of respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
- Goal 13 (Climate action). Less reliance on motorised travel and greater building efficiency help to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
