Adopting an Integrated Strategy in Local Policy Design: Agenda Content Diversity, Policy Capacities, and Policy Feedback Effects in Urban Policies as Multi‐Level Policy Mixes: The Urban Dimension of the European Union Cohesion Policy in Spain (1994–2020)

Abstract

Policy integration is seen as an appropriate strategy to address urban problems and promote sustainable urban development objectives. The European Union (EU) has been including this strategy as an essential aspect of its urban initiatives since the 1990s. In that way, local authorities have designed their projects including the integration strategy. However, are municipalities finally adopting the strategy, and what factors explain this? To answer these questions, aspects related to the complexity of the projects, the political organizational capacities and the existence of political learning processes have been studied. Some 171 sustainable urban development projects implemented in Spain in the framework of the EU during the 2014–2020 period are analyzed. Regression models show the influence of goal diversity and political capabilities, but not of previous experience, showing the drawbacks of urban policies as multi‐level policy mixes and the need for capacity building process among municipalities.