ULYSSESUsing applied research results from ESPON as a yardstick for cross-border

spatial development planning

ESPON Open SeminarAalborg, Denmark

14 June 2012

European Territorial Evidence for EU Cohesion Policy and

Programming

ULYSSES overview

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Using applied research results from ESPON as a yardstick for decentralised cross-border spatial development planning.

Targeted analysis: use of existing ESPON results with different stakeholders from 13 cross-border areas:

•7 data fact sheets

• 6 multi-thematic territorial analyses•Greece-Bulgaria•Extremadura-Alentejo•Pyrenees•Upper Rhine•Pomerania•Karelia

Methodology - Territorial analysis (T 2.2)

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•Border effect: fertility rate; urban network; accessibility (train-road vs. air); GDP (catching-up analysis 1997-2008 in Spanish regions steady or slow catching –up regions, while all French are as diverging); economic downturn latter in France.

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French sector of the CBA

Spanish sector of the CBA

Task 2.2 – Task 2.2 – PyreneesPyrenees case study case study

•Demographic attractiveness (immigration).•Hierarchic distribution of urban areas.•Decreasing of primary activities, also in land cover. Relevant natural assets.•Peripheral regions in terms of accessibility, poor internal connectivity.•Different economic orientation on both sides of the border / medium income.

Rank-size distribution of the FUA population

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Working Community of the Pyrenees

Results - Spatially explicit conclusions from territorial analyses (T 2.2)

Task 2.2 –Task 2.2 –Upper RhineUpper Rhine Case Study Case Study

•High demographic attractiveness of the CBR but strong intra-regional disparities.

•Polycentric urban system.

•Marginal but solid added value of agricultural activities.

•High GPD per capita and low unemployment (accessibility, R&D, industry and patents)

•Great potential for cross-border research and educational activity

•High share of commuters.

•Development mainly in plain parts of the Rhine Valley conflicts in land-use

• Border effect visible in commuter patterns (LAU level; FR DE)

• Intra-regional accessibility, esp. regarding public transport, to be enhanced (bound to national networks)

Results - Spatially explicit conclusions from territorial analyses (T 2.2)

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Trinational Metropolitan Area Upper Rhine

Task 2.2 – Task 2.2 – KareliaKarelia case study case study

• Data gaps on the Russian side.• Only 9 FUAs. A relatively polycentric urban

structure concerning population, large differences in GDP.

• Sharp socio-economic differences between the Finnish and Russian regions of the CBA.

• All the regions are classified as predominantly rural, but the share of agricultural areas is significantly lower than European average (forests).

• Very low accessibility by land transport.• Demographic analysis on LAU 1 (annual

population growth between 2001-2010, population density and distance to the border), with no significant ”border effect”.

• Migration on LAU 1 and LAU 2 show that Finnish border regions are attracting population from Russia.

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Greece-Bulgaria CBA

Results - Spatially explicit conclusions from territorial analyses (T 2.2)

Results - General conclusions from the territorial analysis (T 2.2)

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1. Differences among CBAs appear to be very much a consequence of their overall EU location and not so much of their border position.

2. Borders keep playing a major role in explaining the behaviour of the different regions by dividing different national realities.

3. The border condition seems to be more relevant at the regional than at the local level.

4. Cross border commuting levels between different regions still tend to be low.

5. Borders seem to keep functioning as a limit for the diffusion effects of development poles

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Methodology - Institutional Performance Analysis (T 2.3)

Dimensions covered within Task 2.3 - Institutional Performance Analysis:

• Structural dimension• Political Status of the border• Planning system• Physical status• Languages

• Activity dimension• Historicity of cross-border cooperation in general• Maturity of cross-border cooperation• Institutional thickness in cross-border cooperation

Results - Spatially explicit conclusions from the governance analysis (T 2.3)

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Results - General conclusions from the governance analysis (T 2.3)

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1. The internal EU borders are, from a structural point of view, still more favourable for cross-border governance than, for example, external EU borders.

2. the degree of institutionalisation cannot be directly linked to any specific status or socio-economic level.

3. Socio-economic development alone does not determine cross-border governance.

4. All regions have to develop their own ways and mechanisms in order to exploit their cross-border potential.

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Integrated analysis

Scenario analysis+

Multithematic analysis

Governance analysis +

Identification of policy

alternatives:

Alt 1Alt 2…

Alt n

Identification of challenges:

Ch 1Ch 2

…Ch n

Practical guide

Conclusions

T2.4

T2.5Integrated analysis and scenarios

Conclusions and policy recommendations at EU level

SWOT

SWOT

Methodology - Integrated analysis and policy recommendations (T 2.4 6 2.5)

Methodology - Integrated analysis and scenarios – SWOT (T 2.4)

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Objectives of Task 2.4:

• To Integrate the outputs of tasks 2.2 and 2.3:

• Territorial profile analysis (task 2.2)• Territorial performance analysis (task 2.2)• Institutional analysis (task 2.3)

• To overlay ULYSSES results with scenarios developed by ESPON 3.2 - Spatial Scenarios and Orientations:

• The integrated baseline scenario.• The cohesion-oriented scenario.• The competitiveness-oriented scenario

Methodology - Conclusions and policy recommendations (T 2.5)

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Derived from a qualitative feedback with stakeholders

• CBAs Conclusions:

• a summary of different issues analysed, presented as key findings;

• a summary of the main challenges detected at different scales and policy options for each CBA (crossed SWOT: strategies phase).

• Inputs to the Practical guide, including:

• Guidelines for future implementation (transferability), reflecting on the obstacles that emerged along the way in this project;

• Policy recommendations at other scales.

• Silicon Rhine Valley: Innovative urban centres as the basis for further economic development pivoting around knowledge driven technologies of the existing SMEs and research centres and universities, the enhanced communication channels and integrated cross-border transport systems.

• Christaller 2.0: The polycentric structure of the CBA should be enhanced based on the principle of decentralised concentration. By providing a dense network of settlements, the provision of goods and services in the whole region can be secured also in rural areas. These areas profit from gastro-, agro- or wellness tourism as well as using the potentials of renewable energies as additional forms of Added Value.

• Trademark Upper Rhine: The Upper Rhine shall be marketed as a recognisable image/trade mark, focussing on few, but recognisable strengths of the Upper Rhine. This marketing is targeted internally within the CBA, as well as external by coherent external presentation. The aim is to foster attractiveness and cross-border cooperation and bind human and social capital into the region through active network management and identity building.

Example of the proposed strategies for the Upper Rhine (T 2.5)

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Example of strategies related to demographic change:

• Retain and/or consolidate acceptable levels of demographic dynamism, social cohesion and wellbeing in the WCP, both within urban and rural contexts though:

• (i) the application of family and smart migration policies aimed at retaining demographic dynamism and attracting young population,

• (ii) the promotion of the integration of minorities, in particular in metropolitan areas, and

• (iii) the adoption of a proactive approach towards existing social welfare systems. Lastly,

• (iv) the exploitation of new business opportunities related to population ageing.

Example of the proposed strategies for Working Community of the Pyrenees (T 2.5)

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• Cross-border trade and the provision of services should be intensified, obstacles in the legal workforce mobility should be removed, labour market legislation over the CBA should be gradually harmonised and cross-border exchanges in the field of research, education and vocational training should be promoted. Cross-border health care provisions should be introduced for the citizens living at the border areas.

• All economic activities especially at the rural and environmentally-sensitive CBA parts should diminish their ‘environmental footprint’, intensive agriculture, forestry and mass tourism should be penalised and living quality standards should be harmonised over the CBA. Climate change risks as water shortage, forest fires, floods and animal stock diseases should be confronted in an integrated and combined manner involving authorities from both sides of the border. Local traditions and cultural exchanges should be promoted.

Example of the proposed strategies for Greece-Bulgaria CBA (T 2.5)

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• Adaptation of many of the ESPON data and concepts to lower geographical scales: many of the ESPON projects have been established at the European level and are not easily suited for evaluating local or even regional realities out of the broader context.

• Data updates. Much of the ESPON data has been produced by the 2006 projects and uses data from the late nineties and early two thousand.

• Further improvement of the data coverage on some of the main themes that have been analysed by ULYSSES. As the ESPON programme is not focused on primary data collection, data insufficiency cannot really be attributed to the programme, but is more related: (i) to general difficulties in guaranteeing uniform procedures in data collection and treatment at the European level; (ii) the simple absence of data on some themes even at the national levels, and; (iii) difficulties in getting major agents to share the data they possess

Issues and drawbacks emerged from the analysis

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• Economic flows that occur between the different sides of the border

• Significance, direction and motivation of cross-border commuting at low geographical scales

• Urban-rural relationship at a cross border level

• Further data on joint public service provision

Additional data needs

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Contribution of ESPON programme to cross-border cooperation - lessons learnt from ULYSSES project:

• ESPON offers relevant concepts and comparable data at the European level, which serves as reference to understand how specific cross-border areas are positioned.

• ESPON contributes to the development of a shared view of cross-border reality, by means of:

– The achievement of a common understanding of key aspects of territorial cooperation through policy and academic discussion.

– The generation of a basic consensus on the main challenges currently faced by cross-border areas and those expected in the years to come.

• ESPON allows identifying those topics that require further analysis and specific focus at lower spatial levels

Value added of ESPON programme for cross-border cooperation

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Project experience (policy and territorial dimension)Project experience (policy and territorial dimension)

•Data limitations (scale, covera, time series, updated …)

•Unequal existence of regional analysis and data within the same CBA.

•Need for more detailed analysis.

•Different interest about specific topics among CBAs.

•Are we providing new knowledge? Or …..

•….. good systematisation and organizing it in a coherent way ……

• …. as a starting point for cross-border territorial strategic processes.

Thank you for your attention

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