Regional aspects of European Cohesion Policy

Demeterova, Barbara (2023): Regional aspects of European Cohesion Policy: territorial cohesion, spatial justice and sustainable transitions in territorial practice. Dissertation, LMU München: Fakultät für Geowissenschaften

Abstract

European Cohesion Policy has gained significant influence on urban and regional development at different scales. Especially its third pillar, territorial cohesion, became central for the harmonisation of spatial planning across and beyond European borders. However, being also addressed as a policy ‘black box’, unable to navigate precise planning action, it gains its strength but also shows its greatest weakness by providing a canvas for differing projections. Current European funding has become an essential source in regional development, sought-after by territorial centres as well as peripheries across European member states and beyond. Considering the present academic discussion on European territorial cohesion, it remains largely unclear what the concept does in regional practice. Especially a more systemic, holistic perspective analysing the connection between local practices, heterogeneous regional processes and the wider discourse shaping dynamics is seldomly taken. With an ongoing growth-friendly focus on regional development - polarisation, disparities and uneven spatial development are often being reproduced. Combining critical academic perspectives, the present thesis aims to contribute to the discussion on how to move beyond growth-related narratives, towards an inclusive and sustainable territorial development. Therefore, it traces the context-specific policy translations of European territorial cohesion while looking for opportunities to move towards spatial justice and sustainable transitions. Focusing on the actors, the regional processes and the European policy framing of cohesion, territorial and environmental development, the thesis analyses the Austrian, Czech, Slovakian and Hungarian border region by looking at three European Interreg V-A cross-border cooperation programmes. Overall, using an empirical mixed-methods approach, combining stakeholder interviews, regional data and document analysis, the findings give deeper insights into the unequal development of border-regions while showing the different policy translations in line with regional needs. Furthermore, it identifies the need for alternative visions for regional ‘success’, pointing towards ‘the right to not catch up’ in the context of spatial justice and capabilities-oriented approaches to regional planning. Reflecting on current ‘performance goals’ directed development objectives in planning, it finally argues for a reorientation towards ‘learning goals’ instead. In conclusion, to allow for spatially just, green and transformative processes, there is the need to strengthen ownership, place sensitive and territorially just future policy frameworks, taking into account local mobilisation, learning and collective action. Thereby, the thesis adds new aspects to the interdisciplinary debate on European territorial cohesion and sustainable development, joining geographical research on European territorial planning, spatial justice and regional transitions.

• Dokumententyp: Dissertationen (Dissertation, LMU München)
• Keywords: Territorial Cohesion, Spatial Justice, Cross-Border Cooperation, Sustainable Transitions, Regional Development
• Themengebiete: 300 Sozialwissenschaften ; 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 320 Politik ; 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik ; 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 550 Geowissenschaften
• Fakultäten: Fakultät für Geowissenschaften
• Sprache der Hochschulschrift: Englisch
• Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 17. April 2023
• 1. Bericht­erstatter:in: Schmude, Jürgen