Europeanisation of urban development policy: Comparative case study : UK and Germany

Věra Thea Zoubková Europeanization of Urban Development Policy Comparative Case Study: UK and Germany Diploma Thesis Abstract This thesis deals with the vertical (top-down, bottom up) and horizontal Europeanization of urban development policy. Involvement in EU-sponsored programmes has provided urban institutions with unprecedented access to new sources of information, legitimacy, and financial support. This thesis seeks to evaluate whether European working has provoked shifts in the institutionalised norms and values at the national and city level, focusing on the experience of Great Britain and Germany. The legacy of the Bristol Accord and the Leipzig Charter, two examples of the uploading of national policy, is then examined. It can be argued that by drawing closely on domestic policy agenda, as well as wide ranging-nature of the agenda, little has resulted from the UK's contribution to the emerging EU urban agenda. This contrasts with the more sustained legacy of the Leipzig Charter. And third, the involvement of British and German cities, as well as impact of their participation in European urban cooperation programs is examined and evaluated. It is argued that previous experiences with the programs facilitate joining in other EU projects of city cooperation