Over the last decade, major strategic policy documents and reports have highlighted the value of “intermediary cities” – sometimes using different terminologies like “small and medium-sized cities” or “intermediate cities” – as playing a pivotal role within national territorial systems. The 2015 Cuenca Declaration acknowledged that intermediate cities offer significant opportunities to facilitate social cohesion, foster a sense of identity, and promote a harmonious relationship with the surrounding natural environment (United Nations, 2015[1]). In 2018, the Chefchaouen Declaration-Charter of the Intermediary Cities of the World recognised intermediary cities as “value capture” – meaning their ability to generate economic activity, retain benefits locally, and translate them into social and environmental gains – with a unique potential for global sustainability and territorial justice (UCLG, 2018[2]). The OECD Principles on Urban Policy, adopted in 2019, call for polycentric urbanisation that relies on a “system of cities of different sizes” (OECD, 2019[3]). Intermediary cities have also gained traction in the post-COVID-19 era, with the acceleration in remote working practices, and urban dwellers’ pursuit of enhanced accessibility and quality of life.
In the European Union (EU), the New Leipzig Charter (2020) highlighted “the important role of
medium-sized cities as part of polycentric urban systems” (EU Ministers responsible for urban matters, 2020[4]), together with the Territorial Agenda 2030 (2020), which stressed the underutilised potential of small and medium-sized settlements to address the spatial polarisation of activities within Europe, advocating for their greater inclusion in regional development strategies (EU Ministers responsible for spatial planning, 2020[5]). In February 2024, the report from the High-Level Group on the Future of Cohesion Policy “Forging a sustainable future together: Cohesion for a competitive and inclusive Europe” (European Commission, 2024[6]) showed that growth in EU countries became increasingly concentrated in large cities and urban areas. It argued that the EU needs to support small and medium-sized cities, towns and rural areas that are lagging and where places and people face development traps, in order to reach its full economic potential. The European Commission’s Ninth Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion (European Commission, 2024[7]), published in March 2024, points to the importance of small and medium-sized cities to enhance the access to public services in areas far from large urban centres. In particular, these cities play a key role in preventing rural depopulation.1
Furthermore, Enrico Letta’s report “Much more than a market” of April 2024 has highlighted that the concentration of growth and job opportunities in large urban agglomerations, further accelerated with increasing intra-EU mobility in certain regions, has led policymakers to focus primarily on economic returns in these areas, often leaving peripheral and rural regions, as well as disadvantaged areas in some Member States, behind. It also highlighted the unforeseen adverse consequences of free movement of workers in the Single Market in terms of skill shortages, often increasing territorial disparities within the EU. The report thus advocates for a shift towards identifying and mobilising endogenous development resources, and it calls for a renewed approach to national and European territorial policies. This approach should ensure people have the freedom to stay in their home regions, with the necessary infrastructure and services provided by intermediary cities (Letta, 2024[8]). Similarly, Mario Draghi’s report on the Future of European Competitiveness from September 2024 highlights that EU policies need to ensure that “more cities and regions can participate in the sectors that will drive future growth” and that “cohesion policies will need to be re-focused on areas such as education, transport, housing, digital connectivity and planning, which can increase the attractiveness of a range of different cities and regions” (Draghi, 2024, p. 19[9]).
Intermediary cities are also receiving increasing attention in national-level policy frameworks. According to the third edition of the OECD/UN Habitat Global State of National Urban Policy 2024, approximately 60% of National Urban Policies (NUPs) prioritise promoting polycentric urbanisation and the potential of cities of all sizes (OECD/UN-Habitat, 2024[10]). The OECD Survey on Intermediary Cities (Box 1.1) also revealed that 41% of respondent countries (13 out of 32) have a dedicated policy or strategy for intermediary cities or related concepts. When focusing on EU countries, this share goes up to 60% of respondent countries (12 out of 20), highlighting the strong level of attention given by national governments to the topic of intermediary cities. Below are some examples:
Finland: The Renaissance of medium-sized cities. Urban policy roadmap VI identifies ways to promote development in intermediary cities by investing in research development and innovation activities and education policy, developing their land use, housing and traffic policies, improving their attraction reputation and services.
France supports medium-sized cities that are declining or in need of support through the “Action Coeur de Ville” programme, launched in 2018. Five axes guide its action: i) from rehabilitation to restructuring, towards an attractive housing offer, ii) promote balanced economic and commercial development, iii) develop accessibility and low-carbon mobility, iv) sustainably develop urban space and enhance architectural and landscape heritage, v) build a base of services in each city (OECD, 2026[11]).
Germany: The National Urban Development Policy and the Social City programme recognise the need to address social challenges in small cities.
Hungary undertook the Modern Cities Programme between 2016 and 2022. The programme aimed to revitalise cities with county rights,2 through various urban development projects. Moreover, the Operative Programmes for Spatial and Urban Development (TOP and TOP plus) included intermediary cities, with a specific focus on regional centres in 2013-2020.
Italy supports medium-sized cities through the MediAree project – Next Generation City, which promotes development and innovation in 12 pilot cities. Furthermore, the National Operational Programme for Metropolitan Cities (2021-2027), part of the Italian national Urban Agenda, has especially conceived two priorities (social inclusion and social infrastructure) in medium-sized cities of the South (Città Medie Sud 2021-2027) (OECD, 2026[12]).
Poland: The National Urban Policy 2030 highlights declining medium-sized cities as key targets of balanced regional development policy. It also underlines the need to foster co-operation between cities and their functional urban areas.
Portugal: The National Spatial Planning Policy Programme promotes a polycentric national urban system based on balanced urbanisation across territories, and the revitalisation of small and medium-sized cities, especially those identified as affected by social vulnerability.
