Contribution to the OECD–EC Report on Place-Based Policies for the Future
Translating academic debates on climate, cities, and governance into policy-relevant guidance for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Professor Felix Creutzig provided one of the eleven academic background papers prepared for the six OECD–EC expert workshops in 2023, that played a central role in shaping the final report’s analysis of climate, urban systems, and multi‑level governance. The paper translated complex academic debates into policy‑relevant insights that informed multiple chapters of the report.
A major contribution was its emphasis on the uneven spatial distribution of climate risks and emissions. This perspective underpinned the report’s discussion of region‑specific exposure to floods, heat stress, and congestion, and highlighted how urban transport and land‑use policies can simultaneously reduce air pollution, traffic congestion, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions at the local level.
The paper also informed the analysis in Chapter 4 on avoiding a “tragedy of the commons.” It framed local public goods provision as essential to addressing global environmental challenges, drawing on examples such as place‑based biodiversity protection, sustainable land use, and urban mobility.
The work demonstrated how coordinated action across governance levels allows local initiatives to generate global benefits.
In Chapter 5, the background paper shaped the report’s call to integrate well‑being and distributional indicators into monitoring and evaluation frameworks. By foregrounding impacts on air quality, accessibility, and exposure to environmental risks, it showed that place‑based policies often yield positive social and environmental outcomes even when GDP effects are mixed.
Finally, the paper reinforced the report’s argument that climate, energy, and demographic transitions are systemic in nature and require territorially grounded, multi‑level governance solutions. This perspective informed the discussion in Chapters 6 and 7, including examples of coordinated national–local action for decarbonising transport, adapting public services in depopulating regions, and using experimental governance tools, such as policy labs and pilots, to manage transition risks and support social cohesion.
OECD (2025), Place-Based Policies for the Future, OECD Regional Development Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris
Creutzig, F. (2023), “Global Environmental Goods, Local Public Bads? Place-Based Transitions as a Key Contribution to Global Stewardship”
