European Territorial Evidence for
EU Cohesion Policy and Programming
ULYSSES
Using applied research results from ESPON as a yardstick for cross-border
spatial development planning
ESPON Open Seminar
Aalborg, Denmark
14 June 2012
ULYSSES overview
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
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Methodology - Territorial analysis (T 2.2)
Territorial profile
EU27
average
Leading
region in the
EU27
Countries of
the CBR
Others units
Compare the
CBR on
different
scales
(whole CBR,
NUTS II, III &
IV)
Demography
Rural-urban relashionship
Accessibility and
connectivity
Polycentric development
Factor
analysis
Multiple
linear
Regression
Territorial performance
Lisbon /EU 2020 objectives
Gothenburg strategy
Identify relations between the
territorial profile and the
territorial performance
3
Factor
analysis
Rank-size distribution of the FUA population
Spanish sector of the CBA
Slope = -1.38
Carcassonne
Rodez
Mont-de-Marsan
Eibar
Arcachon
Auch
Lunel
Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Sitges
Cambrils-Salou
Huesca
Vendrell, El
Mataro
Montauban
AlèsPérigueux
Girona
Lerida
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tarragona
Pau
Donostia-San Sebastian
Pamplona
Nîmes
Perpignan
Béziers
Albi
Vic
Slope = -1.06
Primacy rate = 0.57
Tarbes
French sector of the CBA
Bayonne
100000
Bordeaux
Population
Toulouse
1000000
Zaragoza
Primacy rate = 1.4
Bilbao
10000000
Montpellier
Barcelona
Task 2.2 – Pyrenees case study
10000
1
10
100
Rank
•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.
•Border effect: fertility rate; urban
network; accessibility (train-road vs.
air); GDP (catching-up analysis 19972008 in Spanish regions steady or slow
catching –up regions, while all French
are as diverging); economic downturn
latter in France.
Results - Spatially explicit conclusions from territorial analyses (T 2.2)
Working Community of the
Pyrenees
5
Task 2.2 –Upper Rhine Case Study
•High demographic attractiveness
of the CBR but strong intraregional 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)
Trinational Metropolitan Area
Upper Rhine
7
Task 2.2 – Karelia 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.
Results - Spatially explicit conclusions from territorial analyses (T 2.2)
Greece-Bulgaria CBA
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Results - General conclusions from the territorial analysis (T 2.2)
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
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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)
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 crossborder governance.
4.
All regions have to develop their own ways and mechanisms in order
to exploit their cross-border potential.
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Methodology - Integrated analysis and policy recommendations (T 2.4 6 2.5)
Governance
analysis
+
Multithematic
analysis
Integrated
analysis
Integrated
analysis and
scenarios
+
Conclusions and policy
recommendations at EU
level
Scenario
analysis
T2.5
Identification of
challenges:
Ch 1
Ch 2
…
Ch n
T2.4
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Identification
of policy
alternatives:
Conclusions
Alt 1
Alt 2
…
Alt n
Practical
guide
Methodology - Integrated analysis and scenarios – SWOT (T 2.4)
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
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Methodology - Conclusions and policy recommendations (T 2.5)
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.
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Example of the proposed strategies for the Upper Rhine (T 2.5)
•
•
•
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.
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Example of the proposed strategies for Working Community of the Pyrenees
(T 2.5)
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.
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Example of the proposed strategies for Greece-Bulgaria CBA (T 2.5)
•
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.
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Issues and drawbacks emerged from the analysis
•
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
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Additional data needs
• 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
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Value added of ESPON programme for cross-border cooperation
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
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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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