Page 167 - Proceeding 2015

POPESCU Ruxandra-Irina, CORBO? Răzvan-Andrei and MINA-RAIU Laura FAMP
STUDY ON THE CONTRIBUTION OF EUROPEAN FUNDS FINANCED PROJECTS TO URBAN CCASP
DEVELOPMENT

1. INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, cities development has become a necessity at both national and international level. This is
PROCEEDINGS OF THE 11 TH ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
also due to the fact that urban areas contribute widely to social, cultural and economic development
(University of Oslo, Department of Sociology and Human Geography, 2013). However, this development
can be achieved only if elements contributing to this growth are managed properly - this being the main
problem cities often face: how policies and urban development plans are formulated, as well as the

methods of implementing them.

The execution and formulation of policies of urban development can be divided into the following five
tasks and essential elements (JICA, 2006, p. 22):

? setting and implementing the urban development plans;

? developing the urban infrastructure for urban growth and improving the urban living standards;

30 th – 31 st October 2015 ”Strategic Management for Local Communities” Bucharest ? protecting the urban areas, as well as strengthening the natural resistance towards calamities;
? restoring the residential areas in order to create proper living spaces from the health point of
view;

? developing the administrative capacities in order to support urban management.

In the European Union, urban development and the problems facing urban areas have become

increasingly more important. Thus, in the context of Cohesion Policy, urban areas have earned their place
in the URBAN pilot project that was initiated in 1989.

In the time frame 2000-2006, the main EU priorities (laid down by the Lisbon strategy) were aimed at:

economic growth, jobs and innovation. For urban development, the programs URBAN II and URACT I
were created (European Commission, 2015).

In the time frame 2007-2013, the EU's top priorities took into account convergence, regional

competitiveness and employment, and territorial cooperation (Carey et al., 2007, pp 32-33). During this
period, the problems that the towns faced were integrated into all national and regional programs, which
have been financed through the structural funds and cohesion funds. Thus, the URBACT II program was
focused on the exchange of best practices and the creation of a network between experts and urbanists;

the JESSICA initiative has provided support for sustainable investment, growth and employment in urban
areas, while the Urban Audit Program has provided statistical data regarding the livelihood of citizens in

at least 357 European cities, from Member States. Regarding the timeframe 2014-2020, according to the

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