The process of territorial cohesion in Europe

Luisa Pedrazzini

Alessandro Balducci, Josè I. Barredo, Kai Bohme, Roberto Camagni, Giuseppe Dematteis, Andreas Faludi, Marjo kasanko, Klaus R. kunzmann, Carlo Lavalle, Niall McCormick, Peter Mehlbye, Umberto Janin Rivolin, Carlo Salone, Ivàn Tosics, Luciano Vettoretto, Cinzia Zincone

Lista Contributi

Politiche urbane e territoriali - Geografia economica e politica

Studi, ricerche

pp. 224,   figg. 16,     1^a edizione  2006   (Codice editore 301.21)

The influence of the European Union’s sectorial policies on European spatial configuration – just think of Common Agricultural Policy or Trans European Networks – is more and more considerable. The theme of the impact of the European Union (EU) policy on spatial structure has been growing for more than ten years. After the approval in 1999 of the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) aiming to address the development of European space, the cohesion process was formally extended to territorial development, so that in the European Constitution (2004) Territorial cohesion became a concurrent matter between EU and Member States and represents, along with those economic and social issues, the challenge and the target of the enlarged Union formed by a Community of 25 Member States. As a consequence, the influence of EU policy on Member States’ and regions’ daily planning practice is more and more substantial. For this reason, it is important to acquire a suitable knowledge of European context and policies which have connection with country planning.
This book answers to these expectations by collecting significant contributions presented during the course: The Process of territorial cohesion in Europe, promoted by DIAP – Politecnico di Milano within the Jean Monnet European Module, an education project co-financed by the DG Education and Culture of the European Commission in the framework of the Jean Monnet Programme. The book, with a preface of A. Balducci director of DIAP at Politecnico di Milano, includes contributions by important representatives of the European spatial planning arena.
The book is structured in two parts: the first that gives the title to the book The process of territorial cohesion in Europe is dedicated to a closer examination of the theoretical aspects and the current debate on territorial cohesion, while the second part: Actors and policy tools investigates operational aspects of the application of the territorial cohesion concept throughout the EU programmes and projects.

Luisa Pedrazzini, architect with specialization in planning. She is Jean Monnet professor at Politecnico di Milano Department of Architecture and Planning DiAP, responsible for the European Module: The process of territorial cohesion in Europe. She is involved in many EU projects (Interreg IIIB, IIIC) and is project manager of a transnational project in the Interreg IIIB programme Alpine Space. At present she is manager of the office Plans, programmes and territorial projects of the Regione Lombardia. She was Contract professor at Politecnico di Milano in Urban planning (1991-2003).

Alessandro Balducci, Preface
The process of territorial cohesion in Europe
Luisa Pedrazzini, Applying the European Spatial Development Perspective: from spatial planning to territorial cohesion
(Principals steps toward the approval of the ESDP: the territory as catalyst issue of the Community policy; Cooperation, institutional acts and tools to promote territorial cohesion in Europe; The European Spatial Development Perspective and its agenda; The application of the ESDP; Further steps to territorial cohesion: the European Constitution and the “Third report”; Conclusions: territorial cohesion and cooperation which perspectives?; References)
Andreas Faludi, The uncertain future of EU territorial cohesion policy
(Preface; Territorial cohesion: the concept; The delivery of territorial cohesion policy; The Barroso commission’s strategy; Conclusions; References)
Roberto Camagni, The rationale for territorial cohesion: issues and possible policy strategies
(Introduction; The reasons for territorial cohesion; Incremental institutional cohesion; Incremental institutional clarification of the concept; A possible definition of territorial cohesion; Priority areas of policy intervention; Concluding remarks; Notes; References)
Iván Tosics, Territorial cohesion in an enlarged Europe
(The spatial development path of the East-central European countries; The transition period; The structural policy of the European Union and Eastern enlargement; The Eastern enlargement; Present debates and future policy options for cohesion; Different interests for the future shape of EU structural policy; The translation of principles into practice: the debates about the post-2006 structural policy; The future of EU structural policy; Recefences)
Klaus R. Kunzmann, Does Europe really need another ESDP? And if yes, how should such an WSDP+ it look like?
(The ESDP: a success story?; How important is the ESDP for Europe?; Does Europe really need another ESDP? How could, how should the next ESDP, the ESDP+ look like?; References)
Giuseppe Dematteis, Umberto Janin Rivolin, For a South-European and Italian perspective in the ‘next ESDP’
(Territorial cohesion: an ambiguous concept; Territorial cohesion ad polycentrism and the role of local development; Territoriality and local systems in European policies; The LoTS model and the building of Europe polycentrism; The ESDP and European spatial planning; Comparing regional perpectives; For a shared perspective of European governance; References)
Carlo Salone, Italy and European spatial planning: an ambiguous relationship?
(Introduction; Polycentricity and network in Italian praxis; Italy in 1990s: improving decentralisation; How to polycentricity and networking work in Italian practices?; Conclusions; Notes; References)
Actors and policy tools
Peter Mehlbye, Kai Böhme, ESPON: current progress and results
(European policy development related to territorial cohesion; Key findings at midterm of the ESPON programme; The European urban system; European accessibility and ICT patterns; European R&D hotspots contributing to the Lisbona Agenda; Assets and hazards influencing the attractiveness of territories; Territorial cooperation for utilising development potentials; Territorial impacts of EU sector policies; Outlook for the ESPON programme; References)
Carlo Lavalle, José I. Barredo, Niall McCormick, Marjo Kasanko, Modelling and spatial visions. Territorial dynamics and regional strategies for European cohesion
(Introduction; Cohesion and the territorial dimension; A methodology to evaluate territorial dynamics; The territorial approach in the analysis of urban and regional development; Spatial planning and hazards’ migration, Conclusions; references)
Luciano Vettoretto, Local development projects and the Italian experience of the Leader Community Initiative Programme. Paradoxes, uncertainties and results
(A vast social experiment for a particularly virtuous policy; Intentions, actions, results; The standardization of the ‘local’ dimension: a paradox; Leader, in the local plurality of cognitive development frames; Stakeholding and stakeholders; Temporality and duration of process and policy design as bricolage; The formation of social capital; Evidence of territorial innovation: frames and public sphares; References)
Luisa Pedrazzini, The programme Interreg IIIB: a tool to apply the ESDP
(Introduction; Interreg IIC and Pilot project art. 10 ERDF a preliminary esperience; Interreg III and the application of the ESDP; About Interreg and its success; Territorial cooperation as a new Community Objective; reference)
Cinzia Zincone, A complex interpretation of territorial cohesion
(The Italian experience; Possible replies; The horizon extends: from the PRUSST TO INTERREG; The three objectives of cohesion policy and the next programming period; Limits and perspectives; Notes)
Contributors.