Researching the Greater Region: A conversation with a UniGR-CBS Fellow

During his UniGR-CBS Fellowship at LEPUR – University of Liège in November and December 2025, Francisco Lara-Valencia conducted a research stay focusing on the Greater Region as a cross-border socio-spatial and governance context. In an interview with the UniGR-CBS, the professor from the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University (USA) reflects on his analytical approach, methodological perspectives, and the relevance of his work for understanding cross-border dynamics in the Greater Region.
 

Your research stay at the University of Liège as part of the UniGR-Center for Border Studies has now come to an end. What were your main research activities during this period?

The core focus of my stay was to engage with the Greater Region both as an institutional and political construct and as a cross-border social space. I was particularly interested in understanding how historical trajectories, cultural specificities, and governance arrangements intersect to produce a highly distinctive cross-border region within the European context.
 

^{Francisco Lara-Valencia works on the US-Mexico border at Arizona State University's School of Transborder Studies (United States). Photo: ©️ Francisco Lara-Valencia} 

How did you approach this research from a methodological perspective?

I began with an extensive review of documents and academic literature. Examining policy papers, project reports, and scholarly publications was essential to developing a solid contextual understanding. In parallel, I conducted qualitative interviews in order to complement this document-based analysis with experiential and expert knowledge from policy, administration, and academia.

Who did you speak with during your stay?

In total, I conducted seven to eight formal interviews. These included representatives from the Government of Wallonia, the Secretariat of the Summit of the Greater Region, QuattroPole, and the Interreg Greater Region programme, as well as researchers from the Universities of Liège, Luxembourg, Lorraine, and Saarland. Several interviewees also shared additional documents, datasets, and maps, which I reviewed and integrated into my analysis.
 

^{Francisco Lara-Valencia visiting UniGR-CBS at Saarland University in Saarbrücken (Germany)}

Your research focuses strongly on water governance and spatial planning. Why are these issues particularly relevant in border regions?

Cross-border water management is a particularly revealing field of inquiry because river basins systematically transcend political and administrative borders. Questions of sustainable and resilient water governance cannot be addressed without cross-border cooperation. In the Greater Region, this complexity becomes especially visible, as long-term spatial planning must reconcile diverse legal frameworks, institutional settings, and political priorities.

You also took part in several academic and policy-related events. How did these contribute to your work?

They were extremely valuable. I attended, among others, the 11th UniGR-CBS Forum of the Greater Region, a meeting of the Associated Partners of ResiRiver, the NL2120 Expert Webinar on the quality and impact of nature-based solutions, and a workshop of the UniGR-CBS working group Border Temporalities. These events allowed me to situate my research within ongoing scholarly and policy debates and to further refine my research questions.

Were there any actors you were unable to include?

Despite several attempts, I was not able to interview representatives from the International Meuse Commission, EU institutions, or the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Nevertheless, I am confident that the interviews conducted and the material collected provide a robust basis for analysing key dynamics of cross-border water governance.
 

^{Francisco Lara-Valencia presenting his research conducted at UniGR-CBS at the University of Liège in Liège, Belgium.}

What concrete outcomes do you envisage emerging from this research stay?

In the short term, I planned to prepare a policy briefing on innovation in the management of cross-border river basins in the Greater Region. In addition, I identified strong potential for a comparative academic article on cross-border water governance in Europe and North America.

You also explored new avenues for collaboration during your stay. Could you tell us more about that?

During my visit of the UniGR-CBS in Metz, we discussed several collaboration opportunities. One particularly promising idea was a comparative survey of geography students’ knowledge and understandings of borders, involving the Université de Lorraine, Arizona State University, and potentially partners in African contexts. This initiative aimed to strengthen institutional links between the UniGR-CBS and the ASU School of Transborder Studies.

Finally, how would you reflect on your time in Liège overall?

Very positively. The intellectual exchange with colleagues, my affiliation with LEPUR and LEMA, and the support provided by the UniGR-CBS were extremely enriching. The research stay significantly advanced my work, both empirically and conceptually, and enabled me to consolidate a network of contacts across institutions in the Greater Region. It also provided a strong foundation for future research outputs and collaborations that align closely with the UniGR-CBS’s focus on cross-border governance and spatial planning. Before returning to the United States at the end of December, I presented my research in the Midi du LEPUR conference series at the University of Liège.
 

The UniGR-CBS thanks Francisco Lara-Valencia for the exchange.

More information about the research stay here.