This book presents a unique overview of urban policy conducted by national authorities in the fifteen 'old' member states of the EU. It focuses on recent changes in the development of the larger cities and changes in policymaking by national authorities with respect to urban development. The book provides an up-to-date source of information, and will be of importance to anyone involved in the role and development of European cities as well as the formulation and delivery of associated national policies.

1: Introduction and Research Framework; 2: National Urban Policies: The Situation in the Mid-1990s 1; 3: The Urban Dimension in European Policy: History, Actors and Programmes 1; 4: Austria: No National Urban Policies; 5: Urban Policies in Belgium: A Puff-pastry with a Bittersweet Aftertaste?; 6: Denmark's National Urban Showcase: The Öresund Area Regional Development; 7: Finland: Towards Urban Innovation Policy; 8: France: Metropolitan Areas as New 'Reference Territories' for Public Policies; 9: Urban Germany: The Future Will Be Different; 10: National Urban Policy in Greece; 11: Ireland: Metropolitan Dominance - the Challenge in Achieving Balanced Territorial Development; 12: Italy: Towards the Recognition of the Strategic Relevance of Metropolitan Cities; 13: Luxembourg: National Local Partnerships; 14: The Netherlands: Empowering Large Cities to Meet Their Challenges; 15: Portugal: Urban Policies or Policies with an Urban Incidence?; 16: Spain: Changing Century, Changing Cycle? Large Spanish Cities on the Threshold of the Twenty-first Century; 17: Sweden: The Emergence of a National Urban Policy; 18: United Kingdom: The Changing Landscape of English Urban Policy; 19: Synthesis