THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SMART GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FROM THE EU PERSPECTIVE.

The studies that focus on smart growth obviously show that countries interpret this concept in accordance with their own structures. The aim of smart growth in the US is more about planning the cities, in other words, smart cities. However, the concept is used equivalently to developing an economy based on knowledge and innovation in the EU, as it is mentioned in the Europe 2020 Report. For both of the different concepts of smart growth, the important part is that it has to include green policies to support sustainable development. Based on this fact, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a crucial indicator to analyze the countries' sustainable development policies. This study aims to examine the relationship between smart growth and sustainable development in the EU. By following the EU's smart growth concept; this research mainly analyzes GHG emissions, as it is one of the main indicators of sustainable development. The study first specifies the sectors and countries with the highest share of GHG emissions in the EU, so that the sectors that need priority can be determined for policymakers. The results figure out that the energy sector has the most significant contributions to these emissions. In addition to this, the emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants from final use of CPA08 products are classified and their trends are examined. Direct emissions by private households has the largest share with a percentage of 19,04% in 2017. This ranking is followed by electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning with 8,57% and constructions and construction works with 7,22%. Considering all these information and the data, it is concluded that the EU should implement urgent and primary policies to reduce GHG emissions in the energy sector in order to achieve its smart growth, and hence sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]