The spatial development of cities and regions is influenced by trends such as climate change, demographic shifts and structural change, which do not stop at administrative boundaries but shape the development of larger territories. Additionally, often functional and thematic interrelations exist across national borders that lead to frequent exchanges and interdependencies of territories and its citizens. Therefore, the coordination of the cross-border territorial development is crucial for a future-oriented and sustainable spatial development. Due to its great importance, this topic is examined from different perspectives by European scientists in the first issue of “Borders in Perspective”.
- Interview with the editors
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UniGR-CBS: Ms Caesar, you are a postdoc researcher in the spatial planning and environment department at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. What would you say are the most important opportunities and challenges in cross-border territorial development?
BC: Cross-border territorial development is vitally important, as there is a risk, if there is a lack of coordination between national policies, that contradictory aims will be pursued, leading to conflicts in the border areas. Cooperation offers the possibility of being involved in the spatial planning policies implemented in neighbouring regions and of conducting sustainable actions together. The challenges lie in the fact that at the present time, there are really only informal instruments that can influence cross-border territorial development, since the legal bases and the division of competences differ widely from one country to another. This is why the cross-border strategies that are drawn up are not directly binding. In addition, differences between systems, processes and planning cultures also make cooperation more difficult.
UniGR-CBS: Are there any differences in the way these opportunities and challenges are perceived in the different territorial components of the Greater Region?
BC: The opportunities and challenges are perceived in all the territories, for sure. However, there are divergences in the weight of what is at stake. Due to its considerable flows of cross-border workers, Luxembourg, for example, is very committed to cooperating with its neighbours, whereas other countries, regions and municipalities situated further way from the border feel the need to attune the development of their territory with that of their neighbours less, and they also have less practical experience of the subject.
UniGR-CBS: Could you briefly describe how spatial planning cultures differ in the territories of the Greater Region?
BC: Spatial planning cultures depend on paths taken in the past and they are highly influenced by paradigms, education, instruments as well as by other factors that are more difficult to pin down. At the moment, in the spatial planning working group, we are looking closely at the dimensions of spatial planning cultures through the exchanging of practices. We have formulated our initial conclusions in a Policy Paper. Others will follow soon.
UniGR-CBS: What significance do you give to inter-regional exchanges of different spatial planning instruments, processes and policies for the development of the Greater Region?
BC: For me, these exchanges are essential. In the past, too little importance was given to them, with the result that the people in charge of spatial planning often did not how planning worked in the neighbour country or what its objectives were. Exchanging on these matters is the first step towards cross-border territorial development and will automatically lead to the establishment of contacts between specialists in the field in neighbouring countries.
UniGR-CBS: Last question: Why have you become so fascinated by this subject?
BC: I find it fascinating to exchange with spatial planning specialists from other countries who are influenced by other cultures, and to learn how they react to similar challenges. Cooperation within the EU is something I feel very strongly about.
UniGR-CBS: Ms Caesar, thank you very much for speaking to me and I wish you every success in your continuing work!
Contents
- Foreword: Marie-Josée Vidal (MDDI Luxembourg)
- Editorial (Karina Pallagst / Beate Caesar) Spatial Development Concepts – A cross-border planning instrument with a future?! Experiences from the German borderlands (Beate Caesar / Karina Pallagst)
- Cross-border territorial cooperation in non-EU member countries – Evidence from Albania and Switzerland (Alys Solly / Erblin Berisha / Giancarlo Cotella)
- Safeguarding services in health provision and health care in rural border areas – An investigation using the example of the Greater Region (Kirsten Mangels / Robert Riethmüller)
- Steering the cross-border transport development in the cross-border region between Brandenburg and Lubuskie (Beate Caesar)
- Spatial integration of cross-border mobility structures – The ‘space-time-line’ analysis in the Greater Region and the Czech-Bavarian border region (Tobias Chilla / Anna Heugel)
- The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation: Challenges and Opportunities for the German-Polish cooperation – The case of the TransOderana EGTC (under construction) (Peter Ulrich)
Bibliographical references and download
Caesar, Beate / Pallagst, Karina (eds.) (2018): Cross-Border Territorial Development – Challenges and Opportunities. Borders in Perspektive – UniGR-CBS thematic issue 1.
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