Structure, tools, discourse and practices: a multidimensional comparative approach to EU territorial governance

The concept of "EU territorial governance" has been recently adopted by planners and decision-makers to indicate the occurrence of a complex, multifaceted and largely undefined process of spatial planning and development activities guided, at various levels, in the European Union's institutional context. Building on a EU territorial governance conceptual framework elaborated by the authors in previous work, which individuates the specific „channels‟ of interaction that convey change in European countries, on the one hand, and institutional progress at the EU level, on the other hand, the contribution aims to shed some light on the differential impact exerted by such channels as they manifests in relation to different Member States domestic contexts. It does so by adopting three different national contexts as case studies, representative of as many „ideal types‟ of planning system traditions existing in Europe - namely , „comprehensive integrated‟ (Germany), „urbanism‟ (Italy), plus a supposed „Central and Eastern European socialist transition‟ type (Poland) - and providing a comparative analysis of the elements that, in relation to each of them, influence the evolution of European spatial planning and spatial planning domestic contexts within the complex framework of EU territorial governanc

Evaluating the application of the European spatial development perspective in the United Kingdom: Methodological considerations and emerging trends

The aim of this paper is to consider how the emerging European spatial development policy agenda is influencing the performance of regional strategic planning in the United Kingdom. In May 1999 the Ministers of Spatial Planning meeting at Potsdam, Germany, agreed on the final version of the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) to guide spatially significant public policy making at all spatial scales from the Community level, to the regional/local level. The status of the ESDP as a non-binding and indicative, rather than prescriptive, document means that it seeks to guide institutions in the exercise of existing competences, which influence spatial development. Its application is therefore to be achieved through voluntary co-operation based on the principle of subsidiarity. One of the key aims of the ESDP Action Plan agreed at Tampere in October 1999 was the promotion of a spatial dimension in Community and national policies, including the integration of ESDP policy orientations into national spatial planning. Such moves towards a 'Europeanisation of state, regional and urban planning' can be seen as echoing Bruce Milan`s statement in the foreword to Europe 2000 that planning in isolation is no longer possible. Informed by this context, the focus of this paper is the application of the principles of 'Europeanisation' and 'spatialisation' to Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) documents in the UK. The paper will evaluate the extent to which the ESDP and the wider European context for planning are being used to inform and shape the development of RPG for the English regions. National policy on regional planning in England: PPG 11 - Regional Planning (DETR: 2000), makes clear that the European context and the ESDP provide an important context for the preparation of regional plans, and that they should be taken into account when developing the spatial strategy for the region and where appropriate in relation to any relevant policies. Consideration will be given to the way in which the spatial planning policy messages and approach of the ESDP have been integrated into the regional planning process and how they have helped to inform the development of substantive objectives for regional planning policy. The paper is based on work commissioned by the UK Planning Officers Society from the Department of Civic Design at Liverpool University and work completed towards ESRC supported PhD research.

Economization of spatial planning. The case of Poland’s Spatial Development Concept

At the regional (subnational) level spatial planning has remained firm mainly in its land use aspects. Despite of pretty advanced legislation in Poland requiring each self-government region to prepare spatial planning outlines based on regional-socio economic strategies (both of indicative nature) the regional governments have gradually moved (in terms of human resources, interest of regional politicians) from think-tank (strategy making) position to bodies managing structural funds for given territories. More efficient communication of spatial planning messages, making spatial planning concepts better understood by those who shape the space by their routine decisions is only the first step towards combating the so-called stalemate of spatial planning. Despite of being very interdisciplinary spatial planning must become more opened to the co-operation and use the results from different fields of science.regional policy, spatial development, Poland

Researching Social Services of General Interest: an Analytical Framework Derived from Underlying Policy Systems

This paper discusses Social Services of General Interest, a political term of the European Union, which lies at the heart of the European Model of Society and Cohesion concepts. How and why is the organization and provision of services across Europe rooted in, and shaped by, the prevailing national constitutional components of social welfare and spatial planning systems? A high degree of interrelation between these two systems is confirmed and Social Services of General Interest are detected and conceptualized as a substantiation of components of both systems. In a concluding step, an analytical framework is introduced which enables us to research Social Services of General Interest from different angles for the purpose of deploying promising policy solutions

The legal, administrative, and governance frameworks of spatial policy, planning, and land use: Interdependencies, barriers, and directions of change

The article provides an overview of the legal and administrative aspects of spatial governance and planning and of the related challenges. The legal dimension of spatial planning, administrative spatial planning traditions, as well as different frameworks and conditions for the governance of territorial regions are briefly introduced. On this basis, the various contributions that compose the special issue are framed and presented to the readers. In conclusion, a number of directions for further research are identified. Overall, the article serves as an editorial introduction and the various issues it touches upon are further specified in the individual contributions the compose the special issue

Global crisis, spatial justice and the planning systems: a European comparison

Inadequate regulation of spatial development is at the origin of the current global crisis and increases, in years of crisis, the unequal distribution of global wealth. The importance of the related risks draws attention to the systems of spatial governance and planning, through which States regulate the spatial development. In Europe, the countries most affected by the crisis have spatial planning systems that are traditionally based on the preventive assignation of rights for land use and development through the plan. The systems of the States that are less affected by the crisis have established rather that new rights for land use and for spatial development are assigned only after the public control of development projects and their distributional effects. More generally, the fact that the former model is still widely prevalent in the world may help to explain the global scale and the duration of the crisis. Despite the evidence that some models can operate better than others, the improvement of spatial planning systems is however limited by their complex nature of “institutional technologies”. In such a context, planners are especially responsible for the increase of public awareness concerning the role of spatial governance in economic and social life

Efficient transport and economic development: A transport survey analysis

Efficient transport and economic growth in a city or country are inter-related. The overall focus of the survey conducted was to find the travel habits of the residents in the city of Kuching (Malaysia), so as to weigh the prospects of economic development in future. The three objectives were to evaluate the efficiency of the local bus transportation system, to confirm on the usage of car as the preferred mode of transport, and to identify areas of improvement to the system as well as analyzing the need for an alternative mode(s) of transportation. The quantitative and qualitative analysis is done on data to find the relationships between various variables measured. Car has been confirmed to be the popular mode of transport across the age groups, across the income groups and across the professions, whereas the bus transport was really not significant. The study identified the important characteristics and priorities in the travel behavior of Kuching residents. The results of the study will be significant in the planning of new economic developments that encourages the use of public transportation in Kuching city

L'"Estratègia territorial europea" : una anàlisi des d'una perspectiva anglesa

Tot i que la Unió Europea no té una competència explícita pel que fa a la planificació territorial, una bona part de la seva política i dels seus programes estan tenint un impacte considerable en la pràctica de la planificació territorial en tots els nivells de govern tant dins com entre els estats membres (Wilkinson et al, 1998). A Modernising Planning, el govern laborista reconeix explícitament el fet que la Gran Bretanya hauria de conèixer més profundament la dimensió europea pel que fa al desenvolupament de les estratègies de planificació territorial (Tewdr-Jones, 1998). En aquest article ens centrarem en algunes de les conseqüències de l'europeïtzació de les activitats territorials estratègiques a escala regional. L'Estratègia Territorial Europea, un document intergovernamental sense status formal, està tenint un impacte cada vegada més considerable en el desenvolupament de diversos documents de planificació territorial. Aquest article estudia com i per què aquestes noves influències europees estan determinant el pensament estratègic regional en el context anglès.A pesar de que la Unión Europea no tiene una competencia explícita sobre la planificación territorial, buena parte de su política y de sus progamas están teniendo un impacto considerable en la práctica de la planificación territorial en todos los niveles de gobierno tanto dentro como entre los estados miembros (Wilkinson et al, 1998). En Modernising Planning, el gobierno laborista reconoce explícitamente el hecho de que el Reino Unido debería conocer más profundamente la dimensión europea en relación con el desarrollo de las estrategias de planificación territorial (Tewdr-Jones, 1998). En este artículo nos centraremos en algunas de las consecuencias de la europeización de las actividades territoriales estratégicas a escala regional. La Estrategia Territorial Europea, un documento intergubernamental sin status formal, está teniendo un impacto cada vez más considerable en el desarrollo de los diversos documentos de planificación territorial. Este artículo estudia cómo y por qué estas nuevas influencias europeas están determinando el pensamiento estratégico regional en el contexto inglés.Whilst the European Union does not have an explicit competence to deal with spatial planning matters, many of its policies and programmes are having a considerable impact on the practice of planning at all levels of governance within and between member states (Wilkinson et al 1998). In Modernising Plannin, the Labour Government explicitly acknowledged the fact that the UK should take much more cognisance of the European dimension in the development of spatial planning strategies (Tewdr-Jones, 1998). In this paper we wish to focus on some of the implications of the Europeanisation of strategic spatial activities at the regional scale. Increasingly the European Spatial Development Perspective, an informal intergovernmental document with no formal status, is having a considerable impact on the development of various spatial planning documents. This paper explores how and why these new European influences are shaping strategic regional thinking in the English context.Bien que l'Union Européenne n'ait aucune compétence explicite en ce qui concerne la planification territoriale, bonne part de sa politique et de ses programmes ont un impact considérable dans la pratique de la planification territoriale à tous les niveaux de gouvernement tant à l'intérieur comme entre les États membres (Wilkinson et al, 1998) A Modernising Planning, le gouvernement travailliste reconnaît explicitement que la Grande Bretagne devrait connaître plus profondement la dimension européenne en ce qui concerne le développement des stratégies de planification territoriale (Tewdr-Jones, 1998). Dans cet article nous nous centrerons sur certaines conséquences de l'européisation des activités territoriales stratégiques à échelle régionale. Le Schéma de développement de l'Espace Européen, document intergouvernemental sans statut formel, a un impact chaque fois plus considérable dans le développement de divers documents de planification territoriale. Cet article étudie comment et pourquoi ces nouvelles influences européennes déterminent la pensée stratégique régionale dans le contexte anglais

The Use of University Research in Planning Decision Making in Jordanian Municipalities

• the first Jordanian study to examine the use of academic research for planning decision making • presents evidence of how Jordanian municipal laws and practices act as barriers to engagement with academic researchers • Statistical analysis of how key issues (centralization, finance, self-efficacy, administrative culture) affect the use of research in decision making processes. • Makes recommendations on how many of the problems identified can be mitigate