El papel ambivalente de las fronteras en la construcción de las metrópolis transfronterizas en Europa. Los casos de Basilea, Ginebra y Luxemburgo

Este artículo trata de analizar el papel de las fronteras en la construcción política de las metrópolis transfronterizas en Europa. En primer lugar, se lleva a cabo una reflexión sobre el proceso de emergencia de las metrópolis transfronterizas, con el fin de subrayar sus especificidades. Sobre la base de una reflexión teórica, se desarrolla un marco de análisis de las funciones atribuidas a las fronteras. A continuación, los casos de Basilea, Ginebra y Luxemburgo permiten examinar la forma como los actores metropolitanos movilizan ciertas funciones atribuidas a las fronteras para elaborar y llevar a buen puerto sus estrategias de desarrollo y de integración transfronteriza. Lejos de constituir únicamente un obstáculo a la cooperación, la frontera ofrece, a estas metrópolis de segundo rango, oportunidades para reforzar sus ventajas comparativas. La activación de estas oportunidades se basa en estrategias que articulan ciertas funciones de las fronteras según lógicas diferentes: la frontera puede ser movilizada como un recurso económico o, en un plano simbólico, como un objeto de reconocimiento y de afirmación del carácter internacional de la metrópoli. Se constata que, en el juego provocado por las mutaciones fronterizas, las metrópolis sostenidas por estados se ven favorecidas.Aquest article tracta d'analitzar el rol de les fronteres en la construcció política de les metròpolis transfrontereres a Europa. En un primer moment, es fa una reflexió sobre el procés d'emergència de les metròpolis transfrontereres, amb l'objectiu de subratllar-ne les especificitats. A partir d'una reflexió teòrica, es desenvolupa un marc d'anàlisi de les funcions atribuïdes a les fronteres. A continuació, els casos de Basilea, Ginebra i Luxemburg permeten examinar la manera com els actors metropolitans mobilitzen certes funcions atribuïdes a les fronteres, per tal d'elaborar i dur a bon terme les seves estratègies de desenvolupament i d'integració transfronterera. Lluny de constituir únicament un obstacle per a la cooperació, la frontera ofereix a aquestes metròpolis de segon rang oportunitats per reforçar llurs avantatges comparatives. L'activació d'aquestes oportunitats es basa en estratègies que articulen certes funcions de les fronteres segons lògiques diferents: la frontera pot ésser mobilitzada com un recurs econòmic o, en el pla simbòlic, com un objecte de reconeixement i d'afirmació del caràcter internacional de la metròpoli. Es constata que, en el joc provocat per la mutació de les fronteres, les metròpolis sostingudes pels estats s'hi veuen afavorides.Cet article vise à analyser le rôle des frontières dans la construction politique des métropoles transfrontalières en Europe. Dans un premier temps, une réflexion sur le processus d'émergence des métropoles transfrontalières est menée dans le dessein d'en souligner les spécificités. Sur la base d'une réflexion théorique, une grille d'analyse des fonctions attribuées aux frontières est ainsi proposée. Par la suite, le recours aux cas de Bâle, Genève et Luxembourg permet d'examiner la manière dont les acteurs métropolitains mobilisent certaines fonctions attribuées aux frontières pour élaborer et mener à bien leurs stratégies de développement et d'intégration transfrontalière. Loin de constituer uniquement un obstacle à la coopération, la frontière offre à ces métropoles de second rang des opportunités pour renforcer leurs avantages comparatifs. L'activation de ces opportunités repose sur des stratégies qui articulent certaines fonctions des frontières selon des logiques différentes : la frontière peut être mobilisée comme une ressource économique ou, sur un plan symbolique, comme un objet de reconnaissance et d'affirmation du caractère international de la métropole. Enfin, dans le jeu provoqué par la mutation des frontières, les métropoles soutenues par des Etats apparaissent avantagées.This article aims to analyse the role of borders in the political construction of cross-border city-regions in Europe. In a first step, a reflection on the process of emergence of crossborder city-regions is conducted with the aim to highlight their specific features. Based on theoretical analysis, an analytical framework of the border functions is proposed. Thereafter, the cases of Basel, Geneva and Luxembourg allows examining how the metropolitan actors mobilize some of the functions assigned to the border to develop and carry out their development and cross-border integration strategies. Far from being only an obstacle to cooperation, the border offers to these second order city-regions opportunities to strengthen their comparative advantages. The activation of these opportunities is based on strategies that articulate the function of border according to different logics: the border can be used as an economic resource or, on a symbolic level, as an object of recognition of the international dimension of the metropolis. Finally, in the game induced by the changing significance of borders, the cities-regions supported by states appear advantaged

Cross-border metropolitan integration in Europe (Luxembourg, Basel and Geneva)

This article questions the integration processes in three small cross-border metropolitan areas: Luxembourg, Basel and Geneva. By referring to an original analysis framework, it evaluates the nature and intensity of the functional and institutional integration and highlights the elements that structure the cooperation between the actors. The analysis shows that there is not necessarily a reciprocal link between the size of the functional area and the extent of the cooperation. Whilst no metropolitan-sized project is on the agenda in Luxembourg, the example of Basel and Geneva shows that the presence of a national border offers an opportunity to invent original forms of governance, increase the autonomy of the local authorities by different types of cooperation which transcend the institutional and territorial divides, and enable the international character of the metropolitan centre to be valued for what it is. In a context of global competition, these features represent an undeniable benefit.Metropolitan regions ; Governance ; Border studies ; Integration ; Europe

Spatial integration in European cross-border metropolitan regions: A comparative approach

This article analyses the process of spatial integration in ten European cross-border metropolitan regions. On the basis of three indicators, relating to flows of cross-border commuters, gross domestic product and the housing market, it suggests that spatial integration can be viewed as a process of convergence between distinct territories, resulting from the intensification of interaction between social, political and economic actors. Our results allow, firstly, confirmation of the hypothesis that the greater the economic disparities, the greater the level of interactions measured by cross-border commuting. Our work also shows that strong economic interactions have an impact on the cross-border integration of communities, measured by the proportion of residents based on the other side of the border. Finally, this article leads to three models of cross-border integration being proposed: by specialisation, by polarisation and by osmosis.cross-border; metropilitan regions; spatial integration; commuters; gross domestic product; housing market; Europe

The urban development of European border regions: a spatial typology

Border regions have long been considered as economically disadvantaged areas that are not conducive to urban development. The European Union enlargement and integration processes and the subsequent relative opening of borders have had a profound impact on border regions, resulting in new patterns of urban development. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence for effects of urbanisation in all European border regions. Based on a functional approach that delineates border regions according to their propensity to be influenced by the relative proximity to a border, the resulting typology brings to the fore eight categories of urban border regions and highlights their geographical pattern at the European scale. The use of demographic data allows for better assessment of the importance of the urban development of border regions, including their cross-border dimension, and to underline national specificities.Grenzregionen gelten seit Langem als wirtschaftlich benachteiligte Gebiete betrachtet, deren urbane Entwicklung zudem beeinträchtigt ist. Die Erweiterungs- und Integrationsprozesse der Europäischen Union und die relative Öffnung der Grenzen in Folge, haben sich maßgeblich auf die Grenzregionen ausgewirkt, wodurch neue Muster der urbanen Entwicklung entstanden sind. Mit dieser Studie sollen empirische Nachweise für die Auswirkungen der Urbanisierung in allen europäischen Grenzregionen vorgelegt werden. In einem funktionellen Ansatz werden die Grenzregionen danach eingestuft, wie stark die jeweilige Tendenz zur Beeinflussung durch die relative Nähe zu einer Grenze ist. Die daraus resultierende Typologie weist acht Kategorien urbaner Grenzregionen auf und beleuchtet ihr geografisches Muster auf europäischer Ebene. Demografische Daten werden herangezogen, um die Bedeutung der urbanen Entwicklung von Grenzregionen einschließlich ihrer grenzübergreifenden Dimension besser beurteilen und nationale Ausprägungen hervorheben zu können

Le périmètre du SCOT de la région de Strasbourg

Dans un contexte de recomposition territoriale marqué par la montée en puissance de l’intercommunalité et la multiplication des territoires de projets, l’établissement d’un périmètre de SCOT constitue un moment privilégié pour analyser les dynamiques en jeu. Dans la région de Strasbourg, la mise en place de ce nouvel outil de planification éclaire les stratégies territoriales des acteurs locaux et les enjeux auxquels ils font face. Bien que liées par un destin partagé, la communauté urbaine et les intercommunalités périphériques poursuivent des stratégies divergentes dans le cadre des recompositions territoriales à l’œuvre. Le recouvrement partiel des différents territoires de projets et l’enchevêtrement des limites qui en résulte posent la question de l’articulation des périmètres et de leur cohérence.In the context of territorial recomposition marked by the rise to power of inter-communality and the multiplication of projects’ territories, the establishment of a SCOT perimeter provides an ideal moment for analysing the dynamics at work. In the Strasbourg region, the implementation of this new planning tool clarifies the territorial strategies of the local stakeholders and the issues which they face. Although bound by a shared destiny, the metropolitan authority and the peripheral districts pursue divergent strategies for territorial recomposition. The partial recovery of the various projects’ territories and the entanglement of resulting boundaries poses the question of the articulation of the perimeters and their coherence.Im Rahmen einer territorialen Umstrukturierung durch den Anstieg des Einflusses der Gemeindeverbände und die Vervielfachung der Projektterritorien stellt die Einrichtung eines SCOT einen bevorzugten Zeitpunkt dar, um die Dynamik in einem Gemeindegebiet zu analysieren. In der Region Straßburg beleuchtet die Einführung dieses neuen Planungswerkzeuges die territorialen Strategien der lokalen Handelnden und die Aufgaben, die zu bewältigen sind. Gebunden durch ein gemeinsames Schicksal verfolgen die Stadtgemeinde und die peripheren Gemeindeverbände unterschiedliche Strategien während der territorialen Umstrukturierung. Die partielle Abdeckung der verschiedenen Projektterritorien und die Verwicklung der Grenzen die sich daraus ergibt, stellen die Frage nach Konnexion der Umkreise und ihrer Kohärenz

Do national borders really matter? The influence of border perceptions on cooperation in trans-boundary water quality management

The resource water crosses national and regional borders, making coordination among different stakeholders and jurisdictions a relevant condition for successful trans-boundary water quality management. While cooperation is a well-studied issue in political science when it comes to conflict resolution or the management of so-called common pool resources, less attention is given to the actual causes of cooperation – and even less so to the influence borders might have on cooperation. We address this issue by combining insights from policy and border studies and by asking a) how actors involved in trans-boundary water quality management perceive the impact of borders on cross-border cooperation; and b) whether border perceptions have an impact on cooperation between such actors. Drawing on data from a survey in the cross-border region of Basel in the international catchment area of the river Rhine, we analyze border perceptions of and cooperation patterns among actors who are involved in water quality management of surface water of the river Rhine. Through a descriptive analysis we reveal actors’ perception pattern of border effects; via an inferential network analysis applying a statistical model of the family of exponential random graph models (ERGM) we test the influence these border perceptions have on cooperation among our set of actors. Our findings show that the perception of borders does have an impact on the emergence of cooperation, thereby enhancing common theories of cooperation

Energy-band engineering for improved charge retention in fully self-aligned double floating-gate single-electron memories

We present a new fully self-aligned single-electron memory with a single pair of nano floating gates, made of different materials (Si and Ge). The energy barrier that prevents stored charge leakage is induced not only by quantum effects but also by the conduction-band offset that arises between Ge and Si. The dimension and position of each floating gate are well defined and controlled. The devices exhibit a long retention time and single-electron injection at room temperature

Antileishmanial High-Throughput Drug Screening Reveals Drug Candidates with New Scaffolds

Drugs currently available for leishmaniasis treatment often show parasite resistance, highly toxic side effects and prohibitive costs commonly incompatible with patients from the tropical endemic countries. In this sense, there is an urgent need for new drugs as a treatment solution for this neglected disease. Here we show the development and implementation of an automated high-throughput viability screening assay for the discovery of new drugs against Leishmania. Assay validation was done with Leishmania promastigote forms, including the screening of 4,000 compounds with known pharmacological properties. In an attempt to find new compounds with leishmanicidal properties, 26,500 structurally diverse chemical compounds were screened. A cut-off of 70% growth inhibition in the primary screening led to the identification of 567 active compounds. Cellular toxicity and selectivity were responsible for the exclusion of 78% of the pre-selected compounds. The activity of the remaining 124 compounds was confirmed against the intramacrophagic amastigote form of the parasite. In vitro microsomal stability and cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibition of the two most active compounds from this screening effort were assessed to obtain preliminary information on their metabolism in the host. The HTS approach employed here resulted in the discovery of two new antileishmanial compounds, bringing promising candidates to the leishmaniasis drug discovery pipeline