Urban Planning and European Innovation Policy: Achieving Sustainability, Social Inclusion, and Economic Growth?

Innovation has become a guiding principle for European Union policy. Funding schemes, research, and planning across all Member States are expected to be innovative. This article provides critical analysis of the drivers effects this evolution. While positive results have been achieved due innovation policies, proposes that taking wider perspective reveals important caveats. The zooms in on EU’s policies by analysing policy documents, projects funded, on-the-ground impact three citizen initiatives. asks whether how self-set goals sustainability, social inclusion, economic growth approached met them. findings suggest problematic funnelling process. First, an emphasis is created with objective systematically unblocking resistance development implementation novelties name competitiveness, job creation, growth. Second, idea very loosely defined, while, when translated into urban planning, it interpreted narrowly terms efficiency behavioural change, digitalization, smart technologies. As result, (narrowly defined) innovation-led begins supersede alternative values visions future cities regions. can represent problem EU as creates limited, risk-based, divisive direction development. To contribute (re-)establishment alternatives, finally offers recommendations primarily concerned reinstatement public interest beyond innovation-centred perspectives.