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Economic place making: policy messages for European cities

The global recession, Eurozone crisis and austerity programmes have had a huge impact upon the European economy and present even greater future threats. They have sharpened debates about policies for recovery and the role that different territories can play in this. In this context in particular they have encouraged a debate about the economic contribution of capital and non-capital cities and whether countries perform better if they concentrate their investment in their capitals or spread investment across a wider set of cities. Drawing on the findings of a recently completed study of European second-tier cities and a review of the academic and policy literature on local and regional economic development, the paper argues the case for a ‘place-based’ approach to support second-tier cities across Europe. The key policy messages of this approach for policy-makers at national and European levels are highlighted.