Policy · Policy

The Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities

2007 (renewed 2020) · European Union
Leipzig's town hall and compact inner city, the host city of the 2007 EU ministerial meeting that agreed the Leipzig Charter
Leipzig's town hall and compact inner city, the host city of the 2007 EU ministerial meeting that agreed the Leipzig Charter · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tuxyso

What it is

Agreed in 2007 by the ministers responsible for urban development in the European Union, the Leipzig Charter set out shared principles for the 'integrated' development of European cities. It promoted compact, mixed and well-designed urban districts, attention to deprived neighbourhoods, and the coordination of housing, transport, environment and the economy across whole urban areas. It influenced EU urban funding and the later Urban Agenda for the EU. A renewed New Leipzig Charter in 2020 added the green, just and productive city as guiding aims.

Why it matters

It defined a common European model of the integrated, compact and socially balanced city, steering EU urban policy and funding toward sustainable, neighbourhood-sensitive development.

Plans it shaped

See it on the timeline →
hub.toekom.st — History of Urbanism · an interactive timeline of 850 planned cities across 6,000 years.