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..

This insightful book provides a comprehensive and comparative account of the current state and trajectories of spatial planning in 32 European countries. The book also explains how European governments are reforming spatial planning to meet new challenges, and how the European Union and its Cohesion Policy have shaped change through the Europeanisation of territorial governance.

"Territorial cohesion" strives for a more balanced spatial development and seeks to improve integration throughout the EU. The scientific articles in this volume examine the interpretations of this term, the challenges of European spatial development policy, and the problems and concepts involved in achieving territorial cohesion. Two short reports illustrate the implementation of territorial cohesion on the basis of two research projects.

This monograph analyses the role of border cities in promoting territorial development processes in border regions across the world. It not only embraces the scientific fields of regional and urban studies but also addresses territorial (urban, local, regional) development and planning theories, as well as the effects of development policies applied to border regions in both Europe and North America. In essence, the book offers a full toolkit of border regions' territorial development knowledge and, in particular, advances a range of policy development proposals. It provides a comprehensive introduction to contemporary thinking about how border cities can play a decisive role in boosting territorial development processes in border regions. The book is divided into three parts. Part I presents a theoretical framework on the role of border cities in promoting territorial development and planning in border regions. Part II debates current mainstream policies focusing on supporting border regions and specifically border cities in the EU, the UK, and North America. Finally, Part III presents a wealth of updated knowledge, based on the analysis of several concrete case studies: border cities from both Europe (north, south, east and west) and North America (Canada, the United States, and Mexico). The chapters are written by some of the most renowned authors on the subject, including scholars from several European and North American countries, as well as the secretary generals of three European border regions associations (AEBR, MOT, and CESCI). The book will thoroughly prepare students and provide knowledge to academics and policymakers in the fields of urban and regional planning and development studies, human geography, economic development, EU policies, border regions, and policy impacts.

Since its foundation the European Union has gradually developed policies that are aimed at achieving increased economic and social cohesion. This book examines the coming of age of the most recent of these, the concept of territorial cohesion. With this book Andreas Faludi brings together years of research and expertise into a definitive single volume on spatial planning at the European level.

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.

This book offers a multifaceted overview of the evolution of spatial development, governance and planning in the Western Balkans from an institutionalist perspective. Written by experts in the field, it features various regional and national studies covering topics such as regional and spatial planning, territorial development and governance, and regional and cross-border cooperation in the Western Balkans. Offering a wealth of national, regional and local insights on territorial cooperation, development and planning, this book will appeal to scholars in regional and spatial sciences and related fields alike.

Discussing the ongoing and future challenges of EU Cohesion Policy, this book critically addresses the economic, social and territorial challenges at the heart of the EU’s policy. It identifies the multifaceted and dynamic nature of the policy as well as the cohesions goal interlinkage with other policies and considers unresolved questions of strategic importance in territorial governance, urban and regional inequalities, and social aspects and wellbeing.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of several urban related aspects that are of central importance to successful territorial cohesion processes. In essence, it sheds new light on issues concerning urban polycentrism, functional urban regions, integrated sustainable urban development, and the EU Urban Agenda; and on how they can help to achieve territorial cohesion policy goals. As an elusive and fairly recent concept, territorial cohesion has to date only been vaguely debated in the available literature, which for the most part focuses on its historical origins and its relevance for EU policymaking. Instead, this book synthesizes, for the first time, a range of perspectives that place urban elements and policies at the core of territorial cohesion analysis. As such, and given the fact that territorial cohesion is a holistic concept, the book will appeal to a broad readership from both the academic and policymaking arenas.

In this second book in a series on European spatial planning, the authors examine territorial cohesion as a successor concept to the European Spatial Development Perspective. Fundamental ideas about Europe and its distinct "model of society" lie behind the concept of territorial cohesion, which can be understood as a goal of spatial equity that tends to favor development-in-place over selective migration to locations of greater opportunity. This approach contrasts with an American social model that views the equity principle behind territorial cohesion to be diametrically opposed to the efficiency principle based on free mobility of labor.