The Institutionalisation Of European Spatial Planning

The Institutionalisation of European Spatial Planning aims to clarify the enterprise of European spatial planning. The emphasis of the book lies on the need for a better understanding of the process of European integration in general. It particularly points at the emerging middle range theories that used concepts that were showing similarity to those that academics –those writing about planning– were accustomed to, such as networks, discourses and governance. The focus of this book is mostly on the post-European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP)– the Committee of Spatial Development – from 1999 until now. As it is collection of articles, it has a different gestation process and does not tell a story from A to Z. What this book is about, however, is merely the issue concerning the institutional capacity of the ESDP and whether this has evaporated or not. The fact that this book exists at all suggests it has not.

Making European Space crystallises and critically examines the key policy ideas emerging in the new field of European spatial planning, and explores the arguments surrounding policy themes such as polycentric development, sustainability,

The 1990s ended with the birth of the concept of European spatial planning, which became a unique catalyst of change in Europe and in EU member states and regions.This book examines both the evolution of territorial governance at a European and transnational level and how this new type of governance affects planning at the local and regional level. It not only brings together a number of papers written by academic scholars but also several reflective contributions by practitioners. As such, this book seeks to contribute to various theoretical and empirical discussions: the institutionalization of European policy and integration; the Europeanisation of policy and planning; multi-level and multi-actor policy making; the contested nature of the knowledge base of European territorial governance and the role of visualization in politics and planning.

This book examines some of the evolving challenges faced by EU regional policy in light of enlargement and to assess some of the approaches and trends in terms of territorial development policy and practice that are emerging out of this process. Focusing on the experiences on Central and Eastern Europe, these chapters reflect on the diversity of approaches to spatial planning and the the politics of policy formation and multi-level governance operations – from local to trans-national agendas. Promoting increased awareness and understanding of these issues is the main purpose of the book, as well as harnessing the extensive capacity and ‘knowledge’ within these countries that can greatly enrich the discourse within an enlarged ‘epistemic community’ of European spatial planning academics, practitioners and policy-makers. The recently acquired CEE dimension provides a unique opportunity to examine the evolution of existing ‘epistemic communities’ as well as to explore the potential emergence of new ones..

First Published in 1998. A number of future paths of European spatial evolution are developed and discussed in this book. It applies unconventional economic approaches to spatial policy, and in particular to EU-spatial policies. It is concluded that a) the answer to spatial development challenges should not be geo-design but rather strategic guidelines for sectorial policy measures; b) regional policy on the EU's external border has to involve the cities as regional centres in a cross-border network; c) the new perspective on European spatial policy requires a network approach to regional cooperation, which in turn needs an institution monitoring and evaluation continuously the fuctioning of the net.

There is a strong international dimension to spatial planning. European integration strengthens interconnections, development and decision-making across national and regional borders. EU policies in areas such as environment, transport, agriculture or regional policy have far-reaching effects on spatial development patterns and planning procedures. Planners in the EU are now routinely engaged in cooperation across national borders to share and devise effective ways of intervening in the way our cities, towns and rural areas develop. In short, the EU has become an important framework for planning practice, research and teaching. Spatial planning in Europe is being ‘Europeanized’, with corresponding changes for the role of planners. Written for students, academics, practitioners and researchers of spatial planning and related disciplines, this book is essential reading for everybody interested in engaging with the European dimension of spatial planning and territorial governance. It explores: spatial development trends and their influence on planning the nature, institutions and actors of the European Union from a planning perspective the history of spatial planning at the transnational scale the planning tools, perspectives, visions and programmes supporting European cooperation on spatial planning the territorial impacts of the Community’s sector policies the outcomes of European spatial planning in practice.

The European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) is published in eleven official EU languages and so is the most international planning policy document that exists. This book is the only comprehensive account of the process of preparing, negotiating and adopting this document. It outlines the differing perspectives of the European member states and shows that the last thing its proponents wanted is a masterplan. The Making of the European Spatial Development Perspective is a unique book offering a snapshot of contemporary European spatial planning.

The expansion of the European Union in 2004 has had significant consequences for both existing and new members of the Union. New member states are assimilating into a new institutional and policy framework, while the changing geography of Europe provides a different context for policy development in pre-2004 member states. One of the more important fields in which these changes are impacting is regional development. The admission of the new countries changes patterns of economic and social disparities across the territory of the European Union, which in turn demands that existing approaches to regional development are reconsidered. An approach which has proved to be one of the most innovative is spatial planning. This book brings together a team of academics and policy makers from across the new Europe involved in regional development and spatial planning. Providing insights into different approaches, it offers a valuable opportunity to compare experiences across European borders.