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URBAN II – the Urban Community Initiative

Daniel Mouqué

Evaluation Unit, DG REGIO

Ex post evaluation

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What was URBAN II?

• Urban « neighbourhoods in crisis »• 70 programmes, 14 MSs, 2.2 million

people• €754m ERDF, €1.6bn total• 2001-2006

The « URBAN method »• Integrated approach: economic, social

and physical regeneration• Strong local partnership

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The evaluation

• Review of 70 programmes (documents, indicators, data, programme manager interviews)

• 15 indepth case studies (representative sample), including:

• 120 stakeholder interviews

• 10 project-level mini case studies

• Evaluation of URBACT I

• 3 scientific experts (balanced panel)

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Outputs & results

In the slides that follow, I present:

• physical regeneration: reversing urban decay• building the local economy• tackling social exclusion

Presented as separate themes, but strong integration at both project and programme level

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Key outputs: physical regeneration & reversing urban

decay• 372 restoration projects (urban heritage)

• 2,314,000 m² of buildings converted and renovated (community centres, museums, libraries, creches)

• A further 557,115 m² developed for social, sports, education and health uses

• 3,238,000 m² of new green space

• 80 km of cycle and footpaths plus 11,614 m² of renovated surfaces for cyclists and pedestrians

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Key outputs: building the local economy

• 108,000 individuals trained• 6,000 small/micro-businesses and new

entrepreneurs supported:• incubators• business services• microfinance

• 2,000 jobs created

Keyword: micro. Case studies found larger ambitions « swamped » by changes in broader economy (eg parent city, region)

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Key outputs: tackling social exclusion• Of the 108,000 people trained, > ½ from vulnerable

groups (helped to overcome illiteracy, continue education, enter labour market for 1st time)

• 8/15 case studies found impacts from new social services and resources (eg centres offering information, advice and other support to residents)

• 247 projects to reduce local crime, delivered in collaboration with community groups :

• street wardens

• CCTV, landscaping and street lighting

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Key success factor: local partnership

Successful projects: local ownership…

…Unsuccessful projects: imposed from above

• 80% of programmes led by the local authority

• > 80% of partnerships characterised as inclusive (community groups, private sector, employment agencies, training providers, development agencies, law enforcement, health professionals)

• The voluntary sector led some 10% of projects, key partner in implementation of many more

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But crucial role for larger playersLarger partners (agencies, city, region, MS) can:• Provide expertise and help build capacity of local

players• 593 initiatives. In one case (Burnley in the UK), led to

134 people getting into community management.

• Sustain projects in longer term. 60 % of projects continue after URBAN II – support of a larger partner usually key

• Provide good economic framework conditions in whole city or region – strong influence on URBAN II areas

EU helped build capacity through URBACT:• But more personal knowledge, less documents

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Better planning, monitoring and evaluation

• Ambitious start, planning 4120 indicators(= 59/programme) … for ERDF of €11m/prog!

• … but 35% of indicators not collected

• Intervention logic unclear in a few cases…

• … and relevant indicators often missed (eg 31 progs counted vocational training places, only 1 the obvious outcome: qualifications gained)

=> Clear intervention logic, few (but relevant) indicators, collected consistently

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Recommendations

« Small is beautiful… economics as if people mattered » - Joseph Schumpeter

• Local partnership, ownership (« local development »)

• But clear role for larger players in lending expertise, building capacity

• Micro-measures, not overambitious

• Integrated approach in a small area

• Clear intervention logic, few but relevant indicators, collected consistently