Thinking and planning in areas of territorial cooperation

Programme 2014 - 2020 ESPON 2020

Date of latest update: 2024-05-18

Description

Description (EN):

Based on the Swiss experience in defining the so-called “action areas”, this service contract is aiming at exploring the added value and potentials of new forms of cooperation areas. In particular it should analyse for which tasks and territorial/political context “action areas” do make sense in terms of territorial cooperation. The main outcome should be a comparative analysis of existing cooperation areas in Europe, practical guidance on how to implement and coordinate the implementation of policies in these areas in relation to existing levels of governance, including examples of existing good practices. A central part of the analysis is to find out if there are similar, politically defined areas of territorial cooperation in Europe and if there are comparable approaches in other European countries or at European level. If so, it is important to identify the lessons that can be learned. Good practices, threats and opportunities will be documented and discussed.

Website: https://archive.espon.eu/

Expected Results (EN):

More concretely, the objective of this activity is to satisfy the stakeholders’ knowledge need as defined below. A key point of the TA will be to find out wherein the specificities of these “action spaces” lie. They do not have legally assigned rights or duties, they don’t have democratically legitimized competencies and are not always (or just partially) functional areas. This leads to the following key questions: - For which areas of intervention and political context do “action areas” make sense in the light of polycentric territorial development? - What are the main topics to be dealt with in these “action areas”? - How can these areas become operational in practical terms and in policy implementation?- How to support them in terms of governance in order to make them work and to ensure they will be useful in the future? - What are the potentials, advantages, risks and challenges if compared to existing political-administrative entities?- How can ideas and initiatives aimed at by the “actions areas” be implemented and how do they relate to “regular” administrative bodies and existing planning instruments?- What kind of spatially relevant tasks can (or must) be addressed in areas or regions that are not congruent with administrative boundaries? This includes “action areas” but other, more functional defined areas as well. What are the governance structures that enable or at least support common action in such larger regions?- Can/will cooperation regions like the Swiss “action areas” actually change territorial development and actors’ behaviour?A central part of the analysis is to find out if there are similar, politically defined areas of territorial cooperation in Europe and if there are comparable approaches in other European countries or at European level. If so, it is important to identify the lessons that can be learned. Existing approaches in relation to the definition of cooperation areas should be taken into consideration via comparative analyses in ESPON countries. Good practices, threats and opportunities need to be documented and discussed.The envisaged Targeted Analysis should also aim to describe the potentials of these territorial cooperation areas, in general, but also specifically for each one of the 12 Swiss “action areas”. In other words: how can each action areas “profit” from this new approach?Many of these areas involve territories from different countries, as they are situated near or along the Swiss border. Therefore cross-border aspects will play an important role in this targeted analysis.The results of this targeted analysis are important for operational use. In order to deal with the growing complexity of spatial development and a multitude of divergent interests, cross border collaborations in different regions in Europe become increasingly important to generate common visions for the spatial development. Thus in Switzerland, each canton has to develop its own spatial concept. This is only efficient if done considering a larger context. This service contract should explore different ways how action areas do (or could) work and show different ways of fruitful collaborations (drivers, factors of success,…). Such results would be applicable in other countries, not only in Switzerland.Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that in order to put together a set of measures that will help or support cooperation in “action areas”, more knowledge concerning governance-government interrelations is needed. For example: how are overarching goals and strategies „implemented“within the existing multi-level-system? Furthermore, it is important to focus on the question how cooperative planning methods can be further developed. Other countries, in particular Partner or observing Stakeholders from Austria, Liechtenstein and Germany can learn in a very direct and immediate way from the results of this service contract and make use of them in policy development in their own countries and regions.The results of the TA will provide useful support for the implementation of spatial strategies in Switzerland but also in in other countries.

Thematic information

Institutional cooperation and cooperation networks Regional planning and development

Specific Objective: Upgraded knowledge transfer and use of analytical user support

Thematic Objective:

(11) enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration through actions to strengthen the institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administrations and public services related to the implementation of the ERDF, and in support of actions under the ESF to strengthen the institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administration.

Investment Priority: (11 ETC) ETC specific for transnational cooperation: enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration by developing and coordinating macro-regional and sea-basin strategies

Partners (3)

Lead Partner: Spatial Foresight Gmbh

Address: Rue de Luxembourg 7, L-7330 Heisdorf, Luxembourg

Legal status: private

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Name: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Address: Schlossplatz 4 , 91054 Erlangen, Germany

Legal status: public

University of Geneva

Name: University of Geneva

Address: rue du Général Dufour CH, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland

Legal status: public

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Thinking and planning in areas of territorial cooperation

Project acronym: ACTAREA

Project start date: 2016-11-08

Project end date: 2018-05-18

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 222 350.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 181 816.48

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 181 816.48.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

Thinking and planning in areas of territorial cooperation - Final Report

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.espon.eu/actarea

Publication date: 2021-01-25

Document date: 2017-11-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Implementation of the Swiss Spatial Strategy and Atlas of Swiss Action Areas

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: https://www.espon.eu/actarea

Publication date: 2021-01-25

Document date: 2017-11-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Brochures / magazines / manuals

Guide to developing soft territorial cooperation

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.espon.eu/actarea

Publication date: 2021-01-25

Document date: 2017-12-31

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

European Atlas of Soft Territorial Cooperation

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.espon.eu/actarea

Publication date: 2021-01-25

Document date: 2017-11-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Policy brief - Soft territorial cooperation areas: Renewed territorial governance through the promotion of communities of intent

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Brochure / magazine / manual

Data source: https://www.espon.eu/actarea

Publication date: 2021-01-25

Document date: 2017-11-30

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 ESPON 2020

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2024-03-04

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

68 / 69 (98.55%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

353 / 370 (95.41%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Data from 3 projects ((MRS. ESPON TOOL, SoET and CPS 2.0) was retrieved by Interact from the programme´s website on the 2024-03-01. Regarding partners only data only main partners is available. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.espon.eu), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-09-21 and 2023-01-03.

Languages

Contact Form

Thinking and planning in areas of territorial cooperation

Description

Thematic information

Partners (3)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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