Regional Integrated StrategiesIn Europe

RISE

Stakeholders:• Birmingham City Council (Lead Stakeholder); • Regional Council of Västerbotten; • Region Zealand; • Randstad Region (Brussels Office)

Research Partners: • University of Birmingham – Department of Management• Delft University of Technology – Research Institute for Housing,

Urban and Mobility Studies (OTB)• University of Copenhagen – Forest & Landscape, Denmark (FLD)• University of Umeå – Centre for Regional Science (CERUM)

RISE – Regional Integrated Strategies in Europe

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RISE: Västerbotten (S), Randstad (NL),

Zealand (DK), W. Midlands (UK)

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Political Change:• Change of national policy emphasis• Reactions against traditional regional level or divisions• Commitment to greater territorial and policy flexibility• Fiscal retrenchment

Economic Crisis• Rebalancing of economies• Supply-side policies – taxes, regulation, flexibility• Business friendly• Support KBE and Innovation• Based upon - review, analysis, mapping, debate

Context

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Analyse the emergence and significance of RIS in different settings: • Professional, academic, ESPON literature, • data analysis and qualitative case studies of the RIS

contexts in four pilot regions• plus regional and EU wide web survey

Develop typologies of Regional Integrated Strategies: • Overview of different types of RIS• Style, aims and objectives, scope, stakeholder involvement,• vertical and horizontal integration, • implementation strategies, monitoring and evaluation.

Objectives

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Develop and test a RIS-toolkit applicable elsewhere: • Enhance integrated nature of regional strategies –

horizontally and vertically• Develop Integration indicators and monitoring and

evaluation indicators – ladder of integration• Describe financial models available to combine

instruments (European, national, regional, local)

Conclusions and recommendations: • Draw overall conclusions and recommendations for RIS • to be applied in the stakeholder regions and guidance

for other localities in Europe.

Objectives

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1. An overall schema for the literature review2. A design for the case studies3. A template for the Case Studies4. Interviews and Initial Case Studies5. Design of RIS toolkit – for analysis of Integration6. Initial Consideration of the Survey of Applicability of the

RIS toolkit7. An initial overview of the four stakeholder regions using

‘external’ public statistics  

Achievements

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In England regional development agencies (and regional level planning) have been replaced by voluntary cooperation between municipalities within LEPs.

In Denmark administrative reform in 2007 reduced regional planning almost to an advisory level, and divided metropolis and hinterland.

In the Randstadt, a change of the regional structure is currently being considered, with variable geometry.

In Sweden, regional strategies in a majority of counties, including Västerbotten, are being reorganised into relationally determined territories.

Findings

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• The concept of ‘region’ may be usefully be replaced by the concept of “territory”.

• “Integrated” should be replaced by “integrative” in order to stress that we deal with processes of integration.

• Delimitation of territories should be taken as part of the strategic conduct.

• Territorial delimitations is relational – connected by agents networking in trans-local settings – as well as functional and administrative

Findings

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The Changing Pattern of Territorial Policy Integration:

• Shift from sectorally to territorially-integrated policies • Shift from rational designed to flexible territorial geometries• Shift from centrally designed to locally emergent agencies

and policies• Shift from government-led policy making towards

public/private partnerships • Shift from quasi-permanent to short term integrations

COMMON THEMES

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