Sustainable territorial development and concepts of polycentricity in Slovak territorial development
This paper presents the situation and potentials for the development of polycentric structures within the Slovak settlement system in the context of spatial development in Central Europe. The trajectories in the development of the morphological and relational features of settlement structures are compared with official conceptual documents at the national and regional levels. The limits and potentials concerning the development of spatial structures at different hierarchical levels, resulting from the specific situation in Slovakia, are examined with a particular focus on trans-border development perspectives, including the appearance of new spatial–temporal patterns. The concepts brought forward in the ESPON analyses are critically discussed with an attempt to provide a more contextualized view of the nature of polycentric organization in the current phase of development of integration and transformation processes in Slovakia.
Potentials for polycentric development in Europe: The ESPON 1.1.1 project report
This is the first in a number of planned reviews of the outputs of the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) (see http://www.espon.lu). The work of ESPON carries forward the Study Programme on European Spatial Planning coordinated by Nordregio (http://www.nordregio.se) in seeking a better understanding of spatial development trends across Europe. The research complements the European Spatial Development Perspective (Committee on Spatial Development (CSD), 1999) and its related action programme which identified the need for more knowledge of spatial development trends at this scale and their relationship with other community policies and actions. ESPON comprises about 30 projects being undertaken by more than 100 partners in transnational teams and to a large extent emerge from the policy options promoted in the ESDP. The programme differentiates between thematic, policy impact and cross-thematic projects. Many of the projects are now completed and their findings potentially provide a rich source of data, information and understanding for planning practice and research. The projects deal with many spatial planning-related issues including, among others: the impacts of enlargement on spatial development; the management of natural and technological hazards; the management of the natural heritage; the territorial impact of Structural Funds; and the creation of scenarios for the future spatial development of Europe. This first review examines findings from the project on polycentric and balanced spatial development in the European Union (EU).
EUROPEAN BRIEFING: Polycentricity in European spatial planning: from an analytical tool to a normative agenda
The notion of polycentricity is gaining widespread currency in both academic and professional debates. It has opened its way in the spatial policy documents of the European Union and member states alike, and has become one of the key components of the integrated spatial development strategy promoted by the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP). Whilst polycentricity is increasingly shaping the spatial policy discourses both in the Commission and in member states, the precise meaning of the term has remained elusive. The first two sections of this article aim to unpack the concept of polycentricity, trace its origin and its development and clarify the confusion over its multiple interpretations at various spatial scales. The third section of the article explains how the concept of polycentricity which has traditionally been used as an analytical tool to explain an existing or emerging reality is now increasingly being used to determine that reality. This is based on the analyses of the use of polycentricity within the European spatial planning framework and in particular the ESDP. Here, the article raises a number of questions regarding the promotion of the polycentric urban regions as one of the ESDP's key policy options for a balanced territorial development across Europe.