In the course of the European Commission’s aim at planning for economic territorial cohesion, an increased accessibility of the European regions and a strengthening of the regions’ competitiveness, focus have been drawn on the improvement of infrastructure for transport. This research deals with what can be seen as a pre-discourse in the front end of a planning process for a future transport corridor between the cities of Hamburg and Stockholm, during which the actors are positioning themselves. This is done by a qualitative analysis of selected policy documents from the national, regional and municipal level in Sweden, Denmark and Germany and the European commission. The results indicate that the actors involved interpret the concept of a transport corridor in various ways, since the policy documents that have been analysed for this research reveal possible inherent conflicts. The most considerable differences can be seen between the authorities on the national level on the one hand and the authorities on the regional and municipal level on the other. However, the location of a municipality or region does also influence their interpretation of a future transport corridor.

This dissertation thesis is a critical assessment of the relationship of rural development policy within the second pillar of the EU CAP framework to aspects of territorial cohesion. The main aim is to analyse if the tools of rural development policy applied within the Czech Republic are in accordance with EU territorial cohesion goals and to assess the importance of the differences in the extent of regional support in accordance to the problems in rural areas. Within the main aim four hypotheses are formulated which are analysed in detail. For the verification of the hypotheses, introductory theoretical-methodological analysis of approaches to agriculture and rural development were prepared and their critical assessment was focused on historical issues of the EU CAP. The next part of the thesis is aimed at the verification of the rural development policy within the framework of the second pillar of the EU CAP to aspects of territorial cohesion using the example of the implementation of the EU Territorial Agenda in the programming period of 2007 -- 2013 in the Czech Republic. These issues are further studied in more depth with an institutional analysis of the EU CAP rural development policy role and its importance in the realisation of the EU Territorial Agenda in the Czech Republic, especially within the framework of urban-rural relations. For defining the territorial cohesion goals a methodological approach from the research project conducted by Prof. Mark Shucksmith (project ESPON, Shucksmith et al., 2005) was used who dealt with an assessment of the second pillar of the EU CAP in relation to aspects of territorial cohesion. In his research project the territorial cohesion goals were assessed by levels of selected indicators and their relevance to support from the second pillar of the EU CAP. This approach was adjusted and studied in depth by the author of this thesis according to the conditions of the Czech Republic. For the verification of the hypotheses, statistical data of the Horizontal Rural Development Plan CR was used which represented 73 % of the total expenditure of the second pillar of the EU CAP in the Czech Republic during the period 2004 -- 2006. With regards to scientific contribution, the main benefit of this thesis is in delivering an analytical framework of the rural development policy in relation to aspects of territorial cohesion by way of the EU Territorial Agenda and its implementation in the Czech Republic. The analysis and assessment of the HRDP programme in the Czech Republic and its relationship to socio economic indicators presents a concrete verification of the implementation of the second pillar of the EU CAP in the period 2004 -- 2006 with aspects of territorial cohesion. The results of this thesis will contribute to current research projects also aimed at the analysis of this theme.

“Territorial Cohesion” has been a topic of intense debate within the EU Policy lexicon. This has been partly because it’s still in cycles of interpretations and is in a quest for an acceptable and a discreet operational framework. However, parallel to ongoing discourses, Cohesion Policy for the period 2014-20 has been rolled out. The thesis is an attempt to examine and suggest, as to what extent, the current architecture of Cohesion Policy is contributing to achieve “Territorial Cohesion”, a Treaty objective, in its programmes, particularly the transnational programmes under the European Territorial Co-operation objective. “Territorial Cohesion” has been analyzed in specific Cohesion Policy regulations, programmes and validated by stakeholder inputs. A suitable theoretical outline, i.e. “conformance” and “performance” framework and a qualitative research approach have been employed to arrive at the conclusions. Cohesion Policy in its current cycle is focused on delivering Europe 2020 strategy’s priorities of “smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”. The articulation of “Territorial Cohesion” objectives therefore is inadequately done in the scope and theme as well as in “programming” of Cohesion Policy. Interventions are proposed in its architecture to finesse Cohesion Policy-Territorial Cohesion interface, key to meeting Cohesion Policy goals.

Les relations entre l'utilisation, l'origine et les propriétés des matériaux de construction peuvent être définies comme des éléments de cohésion territoriale. Elles sont en outre des questions inhérentes à la conservation et restauration du patrimoine culturel. L'objectif de ce travail est d'évaluer cette relation dans le Pays rémois (Bassin Parisien, France). Ce dernier est un exemple concret de zone d'étude limitée (1 400 km², 140 communes) mais dotée d'une géologie et d'un patrimoine très variés. 26 matériaux de construction différents (craie, grès, calcaires, meulière et briques etc.) ont été décrits macroscopiquement et recensés afin de construire une base de données géoréférencées (via ArGis®). Leurs répartitions spatiales ont été analysées à l'aide d'outils de distribution et d'autocorrélation. Par ailleurs, des caractérisations pétrophysiques ont été réalisées en laboratoire sur une sélection de calcaires lutétiens. Les résultats montrent une cohésion territoriale d'utilisation des matériaux répartie selon 6 microrégions et une évolution de leur utilisation du XIe au XXe siècle. La diversité pétrophysique des matériaux du Lutétien est importante, avec différents niveaux de sensibilité aux sels et au gel. L'étude apporte des clefs pour comprendre les critères de choix des matériaux et des conseils pour la gestion du patrimoine dans le territoire d‘étude. / The relationship between uses, origins and properties of building materials can be defined as an element of territorial cohesion of. This is an inherent matter of the preservation and restoration of the cultural heritage. The aim of the study was to highlight this relationship in The Pays rémois (Paris Basin, France). This is a specific zone of 1400 km² with around 140 villages, with an important geological and historical background. Twenty-six building materials (chalk, sandstones, limestones, cherts and bricks) were macroscopically described and field observations werecompiled in a GIS-database (via Arcgis®). Repartition analyses were made with distribution and spatial autocorrelation tools. Petrophysical characterizations were realized on selected lutetian limestones. Results showed 6 areas of building material uses and temporal tendencies use from XIe to XXe centuries. Petrophysical datas were very different between and inside these four limestone groups. Their salt and freeze durability were variable too. The study highlighted some clues to understand choice criteria of building stones and provided guidance for the management and restoration in the Pays rémois.

Promue au même titre que la cohésion sociale et économique dans le Traité de Lisbonne, la cohésion territoriale est devenue un enjeu essentiel dans la définition d‟une politique commune d‟aménagement du territoire pour les pays membres de l‟Union européenne. La thèse vise comprendre dans quelle mesure la cohésion territoriale influence les politiques nationales d‟aménagement du territoire dans un pays candidat. Après avoir rappelé la lente construction d‟une politique territoriale commune au sein de l‟UE, les dynamiques territoriales de la Turquie contemporaine ont été confrontées aux exigences de la cohésion territoriale. Les plus grands défis identifiés sont la permanence de grandes inégalités régionales et l‟absence de structures territoriales pouvant favoriser l‟émergence d‟une gouvernance multi-niveaux. Alors que la Turquie est un pays fortement centralisé, l‟innovation majeure dans ce domaine réside dans la création de 26 agences de développement à l‟échelle régionale NUTS 2 qui n‟existait pas auparavant. En s‟appuyant sur trois exemples régionaux (Istanbul, Izmir, Diyarbakır-ġanlıurfa), la thèse analyse le découpage de ces nouvelles régions, le processus de constitution de ces agences, leur fonctionnement, leur intégration dans le contexte institutionnel local et les politiques spatiales qu‟elles entendent mettre en oeuvre. Trois grandes idées peuvent en être retenues. Elles marquent tout d‟abord une nouvelle étape dans les politiques nationales d‟aménagement du territoire, en introduisant des principes nouveaux, en vigueur également dans l‟Union européenne (appel à projets, co-financement, etc.). Elles contribuent ensuite à la transformation de l‟échelle régionale, en dotant des institutions nouvelles de moyens importants, leur permettant de construire petit à petit leur propre territoire d‟intervention. Enfin, l‟objectif de cohésion territoriale est dépassé par l‟articulation entre l‟échelle régionale et l‟échelle métropolitaine, la grande majorité des politiques publiques d‟aménagement visant à renforcer la compétitivité de cette dernière / Territorial cohesion, at the same level than social cohesion and economic cohesion, lies at the core of the European model of society. This thesis intends to understand how far is a national spatial planning policy modified by the europeanisation process. It appears that the main issues at stake in Turkey are the huge regional disparities between the East and the West of the country, but also at a regional scale between metropolitan major cities and declining rural areas, and the lack of regional adminisrative units fostering multi-level governance. The creation of regional development agencies at regional scale in Turkey introduces new actors within the centralised development process of the country. Established at the NUTS 2 level, they are supposed to be the first step on the adaptation of the territorial system to EU standards, and to anticipate the European funds management in case of full membership. The thesis analyses the creation process of these RDAs, their internal organisation, their funding and their spatial policies through strategic planning. They lie at the core of the creation of regional growth coalitions by supporting regional business communities, which are supposed to enhance endogenous capital and promote regional capacities in order to promote economic growth and social well-being. This thesis shows that the creation of a new territorialised actor does not necessary mean apparition of a new territorial administrative level: the new institutions are not a piece of evidence of a devolution process. On the contrary, they appear as new bodies of the centralised spatial planning process. The so called regionalisation process under europeanisation pressure is actually a new way of territorial management, closer to international neoliberal standards than to regional policy implementation demands. Moreover, the territorial cohesion policy is challenged by the mismatch between regional and metropolitan scale, the latter being the main frame of implementation for the national policies of innovation

This dissertation offers insights into the use of ideas in policies designed to address uneven territorial development in regions outside metropolitan areas in the European Union (EU). The focus is on integrated territorial development policies which draw on the notion of territorial cohesion in two different national contexts within the EU: Germany and Romania. The theoretical background of the thesis traces how territorial disparities are addressed in key theoretical paradigms which have influenced regional development thinking. Integrated territorial development is singled out as a key policy approach designed to overcome development disparities by tapping into underutilised endogenous assets and knowledge as part of a cross-sectoral vision within a defined space (be it an urban, rural, or regional context). Forward-thinking as this approach strives to be, it faces fundamental challenges in places which have been grappling with a rise of economic, social, and political disparities for many years. Understanding these processes through the relational concept of peripheralisation steers research towards engaging with people’s perceptions of spatial disparities and policies designed to address them. The conceptual framework of the thesis is designed around principles which enable an interpretive analysis of public policy. This mode of inquiry is based on an anti-foudnationalist ontology and a constructivist epistemology. The cornerstone of this approach is understanding policy actions as indeterminate, prone to unintended consequences, and fundamentally shaped by the backtalk of the complex social system it seeks to influence. Policy-making and implementing is hence viewed as a setting in which disparate and contingent beliefs and actions of individuals come together to shape a temporarily concerted course of actions. Different types of policy ideas (in many cases belonging to different schools of thought) hence come together in a process of policy framing where policy substance, actors’ identities and relationships, and the policy process are shaped. To operationalise this framework, the methodological design of this research follows an abductive mode of scientific inquiry which pursues an iterative engagement with the field and the theory. The empirical research is designed around two case study regions – the Chemnitz Region in The Free State of Saxony (one of Germany’s 16 federal states) and the North-West Region in Romania. The rationale behind the selection of the case studies was to choose regions in starkly different policy contexts, yet which are as similar as possible in terms of their socio-economic development trajectories. The study analyses three policy instruments: integrated urban development funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), integrated rural development funded through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and regional development planning initiatives. The primary data stems from 43 semi-structured expert interviews conducted with 46 policy practitioners and experts. Policy documents, local and regional strategies, and statistics have served as a source of secondary data. The analytical approach draws on principles of grounded theory for inductively developing theoretical categories and establishing causal explanations in the form of mid-level, provisional theories. The first block of the analysis engages with the substance of integrated territorial development policies and strategies, showcasing different interpretations of territorial cohesion in national contexts. Governments in both contexts view territorial cohesion as a means of strengthening the governance and coordination of policies, with a focus on local development conditions. Nonetheless, little emphasis is put on the competitive polycentric development approach, balanced development, and the environmental dimensions. In both studied contexts, polarised development is grasped as an inevitable approach for overcoming broad regional structural weaknesses. The second analytical block engages with policy processes which underpin the implementation of integrated territorial development strategies. This serves to highlight the settings in which policy-relevant actors apply the integrated instruments available to them. The analysis centres on the separation of urban from rural development, the ownership of the goals pursued through integrated development and the ensuing impact on actors’ motivation to engage with complex policy procedures, and the role of experts in guiding policy beneficiaries The final block of the analysis touches on the problematisation of peripheralisation in relation to integrated development instruments in four domains: demographic change, structural economic shifts, infrastructures and services of general interest, and place identity and marketing. These domains are not tied to any specific policies, but have rather emerged as salient in the inductive analysis. The research concludes with a number of open questions and suggestions for policy makers. A key observation is that the notion of territorial cohesion itself tends to bring little value added to policy programmes, as many topics are already addressed in bespoke national normative concepts and policy programmes. Far from being an end-state, territorial cohesion comes across as a process which is shaped by contrasting perceptions on competitive and balanced development; by centralised and devolved modes of governance; by functional territorial planning or network-based development windows of opportunity. The added value of policies which draw on territorial cohesion to address territorial disparities may lay in bringing the perspective of peripheralised policy communities to the forefront of the debate and enabling innovative forms of cooperation.:Preface and acknowledgments – iii Table of contents – vii List of figures and tables – xi Abbreviations – xv Introduction – 1 PART I: THEORETICAL, CONCEPTUAL, AND METHODOLOGICAL GROUNDS 1. Theoretical insights into territorial cohesion and disparities in the EU – 15 1.1. Key shifts in regional development policy thinking – 15 1.1.1. The neoliberalisation of regional and local development – 16 1.1.2. The neoliberalising logic of strategic spatial planning – 23 1.1.3. New approaches towards development policies – 24 1.2. Normative and policy dimensions of territorial cohesion – 26 1.2.1. Establishing European planning concepts – 27 1.2.2. Dimensions of territorial cohesion and its integrative role – 30 1.3. Towards a relational understanding of territorial disparities – 36 1.3.1. Understanding territorial disparities through peripheralisation – 36 1.3.2. Ideational dependency in development policies – 39 1.4. Territorial cohesion and peripheralisation: research perspectives – 40 2. Conceptual framework – 43 2.1. Policy analysis: a constructivist perspective – 44 2.1.1. The case for an anti-foundationalist ontology of public policy – 45 2.1.2. Policy analysis in an interpretive epistemology – 49 2.2. Understanding the role of prominent policy ideas – 52 2.2.1. Decentering political science – 53 2.2.2. Prominent policy ideas: an interpretive perspective – 54 2.3. Reflexive agency in public policy – 56 2.3.1. Putting travelling ideas to use in policy design processes – 56 2.3.2. Policy frames and policy framing – 61 2.4. Guiding principles – 64 3. Methodology – 67 3.1. Interpretive analysis in spatial policy research – 68 3.2. Research design – 72 3.2.1. Key principles – 72 3.2.2. Comparing two case studies – 75 3.2.3. Generating theory: principles and quality criteria – 79 3.3. Methods – 85 3.3.1. Qualitative interviewing – 85 3.3.2. Policy and document analysis – 90 3.4. Case and respondent selection – 91 3.4.1. Selecting regions in Germany and Romania – 91 3.4.2. Selecting respondents – 95 PART II: CONTEXT 4. The administrative context of integrated territorial development policies – 105 4.1. The ESI funds and the Cohesion Policy: a brief overview – 106 4.1.1. The key aims of the ESI funds – 107 4.1.2. EU priorities for the Cohesion Policy – 108 4.1.3. Integrated territorial development – 110 4.2. Planning and regional development in Saxony and Romania – 112 4.2.1. Saxony – 113 4.2.2. Romania – 114 4.3. Policy instruments for integrated territorial development – 115 4.3.1. Saxony – 115 4.3.2. Romania – 120 4.4. Policy directions – 125 5. Territorial structures of, and development trends in the studied regions – 127 5.1. Territorial structures – 127 5.1.1. The Chemnitz region in Saxony – 127 5.1.2. The North-West region in Romania – 130 5.2. Population and demography – 133 5.3. Transport infrastructure – 135 5.4. Economic profiles – 139 5.4.1. Employment concentration – 139 5.4.2. Commuting – 142 5.4.3. Economic sectors - 142 PART III: EMPIRICAL FINDINGS 6. The substance of integrated territorial development policies and strategies – 149 6.1. Normative positions on territorial cohesion – 149 6.1.1. Normative Positions – 150 6.1.2. Linking the storylines – 152 6.1.3. Key remarks – 153 6.2. The substance of governmental policies – 155 6.2.1. Categorising space: the inevitability of polarised development – 157 6.2.2. The role of integrated territorial development policies – 163 6.3. The substance of local and regional strategies – 169 6.3.1. Integrated Rural Development Plans – 169 6.3.2. Integrated Urban Development Plans – 174 7. Ideas in action: making sense of integrated territorial development – 189 7.1.Practical constraints and affordances of using integrated instruments – 189 7.1.1. The urban-rural split in ESI-funded instruments – 189 7.1.2. Centralising the ownership of European goals – 196 7.2. The role of experts in framing integrated responses – 203 7.2.1. Experts’ roles beyond bureaucracies – 204 7.2.2. Attuning expertise to local conditions – 204 7.2.3. Conveying expertise at a regional level and beyond – 208 7.3. From ideas to action – 210 7.3.1. Fostering motivation – 210 7.3.2. Eroding trust through complex bureaucracies – 215 8. Problematising integrated development: a local-regional perspective – 219 8.1. Demographic change – 219 8.2. Structural economic shifts – 225 8.2.1. Regional economies in transition – 226 8.2.2. Towards competitive territories – 231 8.3. Infrastructures and public services – 235 8.3.1. In-between adaptation and expansion – 236 8.3.2. Key remarks – 240 8.4. Place identity and marketing – 240 8.5. From problems to perceptions of cumulative disadvantages – 247 PART IV: CONCLUSIONS 9. Conclusions and implications – 255 9.1. Summary of the research approach. Key findings – 255 9.1.1. Research approach and theoretical anchors – 255 9.1.2 Policy ideas and their role in policy framing 258 9.2. Reflections and implications – 264 9.2.1. Methodological reflections – 265 9.2.2. Policy implications – 266 9.2.3. Perspectives for further research – 269 References – 271 APPENDICES Appendix 1: Analysed policy documents – 301 Appendix 2: Analysed strategies – 303 Appendix 3: Details about the interviews – 305 Appendix 4: List of original quotes – 311

British Columbia is characterized by a relatively hierarchical urban system. This study aims to identify areas of potential for the development of Polycentric Urban Regions (PURs) to provide a counterweight to the dominant urban core and to develop higher functions in peripheral areas to increase their long-term viability. Three methods are employed to assess the spatial-functional and political-institutional dimensions of organizing capacity for the development of PURs: spatial analysis to determine proximity between population centres by driving time and distance; Pareto analysis to measure the existing degree of polycentricity in regional districts; and a survey of regional planners to assess their knowledge, current planning activities and attitudes towards polycentricity. Eleven areas with potential for PUR development were identified, which each have unique spatial and political challenges and opportunities. In general, many areas have good spatial conditions, but differences in the role of the regional district as a planning coordinator will make a common approach to PUR development challenging. In future studies of these regions, it is recommended to focus on the outcomes of PUR development and the benefits that could be realized in each region according to more specific local conditions.

This dissertation deals with the concept of territorial cohesion and place-based approaches that are understood as a tool to achieve territorial cohesion. Specific attention is paid to Territorial Impact Assessment, which is most frequently designed as a method for adjustment of place-based approaches in order to reflect specific needs of particular types of regions. The theoretical part discusses interpretations associated with territorial cohesion in academic literature. It also analyses arguments of proponents and opponents of place-based approaches as a tool for considering territorial specificities in sectoral policies. Further, the dissertation focuses on the evolution of the Territorial Impact Assessment at the European level and its position within other impact assessment tools. The main aim of the empirical part is, first, to identify ways in which EU member states interpret and fulfil the EU goal leading to territorial cohesion and, second, to define how EU member states use place-based approaches to achieve territorial cohesion. Specific attention is given to Czechia, its understanding of territorial cohesion, and its experience with the implementation of place-based approaches. Research shows that EU member states do not deal with territorial cohesion uniformly; instead, they project...

Cette étude prétend analyser et apporter une meilleure connaissance du processus de coopération territoriale dans deux régions contigües de la frontière luso-espagnole, la Beira Interior Norte et la Province de Salamanque (BIN/SAL), pour in fine mesurer l’impact réel du programme communautaire INTERREG - A pour le développement socio-économique et territorial et la redynamisation de ces régions. La cohésion de l’Espace Européen constitue un leitmotiv impliquant différentes actions pour le rattrapage du retard accumulé de quelques régions frontalières. L’appréhension d’un territoire transfrontalier et la valorisation de ses caractéristiques communes, supposent une connaissance des ressources, une réduction de l’effet-barrière et une coopération des plus accrues. Nous verrons dans quelle mesure et jusqu’à quelle limite, la BIN/SAL s’insère dans cette problématique transfrontalière. Le PIC INTERREG sera analysé à travers les projets et financements développés au long des différentes périodes de programmation. Les deux régions, qui présentent un fort caractère périphérique, seront mises en avant par le biais d’un schéma analytique multidisciplinaire et multiscalaire. Il s’agira somme toute, de confronter les apports de la coopération territoriale à la cohésion des deux régions, et d’identifier les obstacles récurrents qui entretiennent ces territoires dans une déréliction pérenne et alarmante, pour finalement proposer quelques hypothèses de développement. / The aim of this study is to analyse the territorial cooperation process in two contiguous regions of the luso-spanish border, Beira Interior Norte and the Province of Salamanca (BIN/SAL), and to measure in fine the INTERREG - A community program’s real impact on the socioeconomic and territorial development of these regions. The cohesion of the European space constitutes a leitmotiv involving different actions that aim at the reduction of the gap between border regions. The awareness of a cross-border territory and the appreciation of its common characteristics imply knowledge on the available resources, reduction of the barrier-effect and better cooperation. In this study, we will see to what extent, the BIN/SAL region fits into this cross-border problem. In this study, the different stages of the CIP INTERREG - A are analysed. Both regions, present a strong peripheral character and will be studied according to a multidisciplinary and multiscalar analytical plan. Lastly, the contributions of the territorial cooperation for cohesion between both regions will be discussed, as well the identification of recurring obstacles responsible for territorial long-lasting and alarming dereliction, in order to propose some hypotheses of development.

This work focuses on evaluation of possible impacts of structural and regional EU policy applied in the Czech Republic. Besides preliminary assessment of the use of economic, social and territorial cohesion policy in the Czech Republic, its aim is to put our national specific approach in the context of the whole European Union. It required not only a general appraisal of single priorities but also direct comparison with impacts of similar measures on the economies of the EU in the past. For this objective, an important part of the work consists in four case studies, analysing the application and impacts of the EU cohesion policy instruments in cohesion countries (Spain, Portugal, Greece, Ireland) since the first programming period 1989--1993 until the current period 2007--2013. With respect to the starting point of these economies and societies I would consider the convergence process to the EU relatively successful. Nevertheless, there are some important differences in the use and impact of the cohesion policy in these four member states. The results show that the impact of the Structural Funds in Spain has been quite sizeable in terms of its contribution to the economic growth and reduction of unemployment. Spain as a whole is approaching the EU average in most of the economic indicators. The convergence of the Portugal economy was markedly less substantial and the disparities increased on the regional level. The significant side effect of spending of Structural Funds in Greece consists mainly in the improvement of the institutional framework and strategic planning. The Irish example points to the importance of using the assistance rather for public goods than for supporting the private sector. The Czech Republic should take an example from this experience. Effects of the EU cohesion policy on the domestic economy could be very significant -- not only for a short-term but also for a long-term perspective. However, it is necessary to be aware of the fact that we are still talking about possible impacts, whose real successful fulfilment depends on individual participants -- whether on the strategic or the final beneficiaries levels.