Challenges of governance in two cross-border city regions: ‘CENTROPE’ and the ‘EuRegio Salzburg – Berchtesgadener Land – Traunstein’

Since the 1970s, spatial planning and urban/regional development policies have increasingly paid attention to challenges of city regions. In the Austrian context, two city regions are interesting in this respect: CENTROPE and the EuRegio Salzburg – Berchtesgadener Land – Traunstein. CENTROPE is the largest city region in Austria and is located at the borders to three other European countries. Currently, four European Member States are taking part in this cross-border region (Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Czech Republic; in total eight partner regions and nine partner cities). EuRegio Salzburg – Berchtesgadener Land – Traunstein covers parts of Bavaria (two ‘Landkreise’) and parts of the federal provinces of Salzburg and Upper Austria. These are cross-border city regions, which are mainly constructed politically and have to deal with a range of governance challenges. Both city regions have developed a certain set of measures to establish city regional governance, particularly through fostering thematically oriented cooperation between different city regional actors. In this article, CENTROPE and the EuRegio Salzburg – Berchtesgadener Land – Traunstein will be analysed comparatively with regard to their efforts to establish cross-border city regional governance. The yardstick for depicting developments regarding governance is derived from the literature about governance and city regional governance as well as by a certain theoretical understanding of space. Accordingly, the article argues for defining and analysing city regions more as places of social and political conflict, as sites of actors’ interests’ formation, hence as places, which are socially produced and reproduced. Against that background, the article will mainly address the following: (1) the most evident challenges for further developing cross-border city-regional governance in both regions, (2) the differences between the two regions in terms of governance structures and (3) relation between certain spatial and governance theories to understand the making of city regions.     

The governance of urban shrinkage in cities of post-socialist Europe: policies,strategies and actors

This paper presents results of an international comparative research project ‘Smart governance of shrinking cities in a European context’. In recent years, many European cities have experienced urban shrinkage (population decline). Whereas there has been a wealth of research into the governance of growing cities, little consideration has been given to the governance of and policy responses to shrinking cities, particularly in relation to the declining cities of post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of this paper is to compare the governance responses to shrinkage in different national contexts and assess the policy responses applied. This is done through the comparison of case studies examining the governance of shrinkage in Leipzig (Germany), Bytom (Poland), Ostrava (Czechia) and Timisoara (Romania). Two different strategies have been identified. First, Leipzig – due to its inclusion in the (former Western) German welfare state – followed a reasonably holistic strategy implemented by strong public actors focused not only on economic growth, but also on tackling issues of falling housing demand and the need to strengthen the attractivity of city centre. Second, in Ostrava, Bytom and Timisoara strategies have been inspired by neoliberal thinking, denying the important role of public sector city planning and ignoring the fact of shrinkage. In these cities, the main reply to shrinkage has been to seek economic development through the attraction of private investment (especially FDI) into the cities and using pragmatically any EU structural funding.     

The regulatory governance of the telecommunication and electricity industries in small,island nations

In recent years a number of regulatory agencies have been established in small, island countries to regulate the utilities industry. These countries have limited resources available to them because of their small size, isolation and in some cases the developing nature of their economies. In terms of their structure and the governance of these agencies the issues of the coverage of regulators, the regulatory independence, and staffing and resourcing of the agencies are all important in determining their relative success or failure. In the case of the telecommunications industry – as opposed to the energy sector – these regulators have been most successful as in many cases relatively small markets now operate with a number of competing companies.     

Planning trajectories in post-socialist cities: patterns of divergence and change

This article explores the new planning regimes and planning processes in post-socialist countries and their ability to influence the spatial transformation of cities. It views planning institutions as culturally embedded in the overall process of economic, social, and political transition, while recognizing the power of specific local imperatives and market pressures to shape their response. The research draws on empirical evidence in four countries and their capital cities to highlight the links between the transition to democracy, markets, and decentralized governance on the spatial transformation in post-socialist cities. The main argument is that the new planning institutions have different ability to direct these processes of change, depending on the legal framework, the availability of plans, and the institutionalization of the plan-implementation process. Despite the diverse mosaic of urban experiences in Prague, Riga, Belgrade, and Tirana, planning institutions are viewed as path dependent, influenced by a common socialist legacy. Further, changes in the exogenous environment – economic, social, and institutional – are perceived to be important sources of convergence, but tend to shape different planning responses and policy choices. The research explores these differences as well as the new patterns of spatial transformation in three principal domains: (1) spaces of production/consumption reflecting the economic transition; (2) differentiation in residential spaces associated with the social transition; and (3) new approaches to planning and service delivery resulting from the transition in governance. Central to the arguments in the article is that transition of this magnitude has created a complex urban world in which the patterns of divergence are going to become more explicit in the future, producing spatial and temporal differentiation among post-socialist cities.     

Agglomeration economies, inventors and entrepreneurs as engines of European regional economic development

In economic agglomeration studies, the distinction of various externalities circumstances related to knowledge spillovers remains largely unclear. This paper introduces human capital, innovation and several types of entrepreneurship as potential drivers of regional economic performance with an impact of agglomeration economies. We use measures of specific types of entrepreneurship, discerned at the individual level, as well as human capital and invention through patenting activity for the period 2001–2006. The empirical application on 111 regions across 14 European countries investigates their relation with observed regional productivity rates in 2006. Our main findings indicate that (i) human capital, patenting activity and entrepreneurship are all linked to regional performance, more so in regions containing large as well as medium-sized cities; (ii) they act as complements rather than substitutes, facilitating productivity differently; and (iii) accounting for patenting activity and entrepreneurship captures agglomeration externalities effects previously subscribed only to the density of resources of regional performance. The particular role of regions with medium-sized cities next to regions with large cities complies with observed growth trends as well as recently proposed place-based development approaches that assume that interactions between institutions and geography are critical for regional economic performance.     

Culture counts: An empirical approach to measure the cultural and creative vitality of European cities

How can we measure culture in urban areas? Can empirical metrics on culture function as an urban planning tool for cities' well-being? This paper fits into the research path examining the role of culture as a resource for development, with a specific focus on empirical measurement aspects. A novel dataset (The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor – CCCM) gathering 29 indicators for 168 cities in 30 European countries is presented. The CCCM measures the presence and attractiveness of cultural venues and facilities (Cultural Vibrancy), the capacity of culture to generate jobs and innovation (Creative Economy), and the conditions enabling cultural and creative processes to thrive (Enabling Environment). Results show that cultural and creative assets are diversely distributed across European cities, which offer local authorities the opportunity to design context-specific development strategies. In particular, many medium-sized cities appear to have, on average, more cultural capital assets per inhabitant than larger cities. On the basis of these findings, we draw conclusions on the conceptual and methodological relevance of the CCCM and advance proposals on how to further use the CCCM data to drive culture-led and evidence-based urban policy design.     

Medium-sized cities and renewal strategies

This paper presents a general overview of strategies relevant to strengthen the network potential of Swedish medium-sized cities. In several respects, these cities have reached dominant positions in their regional framework. In the emerging network economy, industrial firms and service institutions become increasingly exposed to competition, not only within the national framework but also in the international context. Several medium-sized cities in Sweden are in a vulnerable position. They are in need of the development of new types of strategies. The most vital aspects are to develop an entrepreneurial urban governance, to strengthen import links which promote new specialization efforts, to establish strategic alliances with other cities, and to finance the renewal of infrastructure.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 31st European Congress of the RSAI, Lisbon, Portugal, August 1991.     

What We Argue About When We Argue About Regionalism

A new debate emerged in the 1990s about regional solutions to urban problems. The debate has been carried out overwhelmingly within a welfare economics framework that stresses the economic costs and benefits of regional governance structures. Unlike earlier debates about regional reforms, the new regionalists emphasize not just that more collaborative regional governance structures will improve local services but that they will enhance the competitiveness of regions in the global economy as well. The article surveys the evidence on two propositions put forth by the new regionalists: 1) whether fragmented regional governance harms economic growth; and 2) whether suburbs are dependent on cities for their economic well‐being. Neither proposition is well supported by research and even if they were, the author concludes, this would not necessarily persuade citizens to support regional reforms. Research on the economic effects of regional governance needs to be supplemented with research on its political effects. The article concludes by examining the effects of regional governance structures on three core American political values.     

基于管治思维的中国城市建设行政管理体制

首先扼要说明对管治概念的理解 ;接着叙述了城市建设行政管理在城市中的地位 ;之后说明了我国城市当前面临的城市建设环境状况 ,着重说明了区域环境所面临的现状 ;然后重点论述了目前我国城市建设行政管理存在的问题 ;最后结合实例提出了基于管治思维的我国城市建设行政管理改革的对策。     

Megacity governance and the state

In the debate on governance in city regions, the role of the state is currently an open question. Drawing on our own and secondary research on governance of large city regions across the world, we argue that nation-states (in unitary systems) and federate states (in federalist systems) are crucial protagonists of governance in megacities – defined as city regions of 10 million or more. Megacity governance thus provides a stark contrast to the prominent narrative of a retreating state conveyed in some of the new regionalist literature. It is concluded that megacities are a category of urban settlements in which the state is not withering away but continues to play a leading role in addressing urban policy problems.     

Quality of government and regional resilience in the European Union. Evidence from the Great Recession

This paper examines the relationship between quality of government and regional resilience in the European Union during the Great Recession. The results show that the quality of government is an important factor when shaping the regional reaction to the crisis. Our estimates reveal that higher quality of government is associated with greater regional resilience over the Great Recession. This is partly due to the role played in this context by spatial spillovers induced by the quality of government in neighbouring regions. The observed link between governance and regional resilience is robust to the inclusion in the analysis of different explanatory variables that may affect both government quality and regional resilience. Likewise, our findings do not depend on the specific dimension of governance considered, the estimation method or the econometric specification employed to capture the nature of spatial spillovers.     

Capital city dynamics: Linking regional innovation systems,locational policies and policy regimes

We propose a tentative theory linking economic and innovation dynamics with the ways capital cities try to develop and position themselves through the formulation of locational policies. Global and world city theories challenge the traditional role and centrality of capital cities. Capital cities that are not the economic centers of their nations – so-called secondary capital cities – tend to be overlooked in the fields of economic geography and political science. Consequently, there is a lack of research and resulting theory analyzing their political economy. We put forward an interdisciplinary perspective that is informed by theories of economic geography and political science, as processes of economic development and political positioning are interrelated and need to be examined together. By linking three different theoretical strands – the regional innovation system approach, the concept of locational policies, and the policy regime perspective – this paper proposes a framework to study the economic and political dynamics in secondary capital cities. Examples of secondary capital cities such as Bern, Canberra, Ottawa, The Hague and Washington D.C. illustrate our theoretical arguments throughout the paper.     

Four challenges for a new science and technology park: AvePark in Guimarães,Portugal

Science and technology parks are investments primarily focused on achieving economic and innovation outcomes, but may also serve urban and perception change objectives. Inaugurated in the autumn of 2008, the new science and technology park in Guimarães – AvePark – carries opportunities for regional economic diversification, but brings challenges calling for innovative and integrated policymaking, multi-layered regional governance and proactive management. Will AvePark primarily become an academic centre of excellence and a real estate venture, or will it steer broader regional objectives of economic diversification and image change?     

Social Housing Agencies and the Governance of Anti-social Behaviour

Current policy and discourse concerning the governance of anti-social behaviour in the UK has emphasised the spatial concentration of disorder on particular social housing estates. Policy has sought to respond by devolving management of the processes of social control to local neighbourhoods. Local authorities, and social housing agencies in particular, are being given an increasing role within multi-agency partnerships aimed at governing local incidences of anti-social behaviour. This paper places this emerging role for social housing agencies within theories of governmentality and wider trends in urban governance and suggests that present developments may be understood through a paradigm of housing governance. Drawing on studies in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the paper examines the role of social housing agencies in the governance of anti-social behaviour. It argues that social housing agencies face a number of dilemmas in reacting to their emerging role and that such dilemmas reflect wider concerns about the new urban governance.     

Recent urban development and gentrification in post-Dayton Sarajevo,Bosnia and Herzegovina

It is just over two decades since Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, emerged from a bloody war that included a three-year siege of the city, killing thousands of its citizens, forcing many more to flee the city and inflicted major damage to buildings and infrastructure. This paper focuses on the ongoing redevelopment of the city under the unusual circumstances provided by governance arrangements imposed under the Dayton Peace Agreement of 1995. It builds on earlier overviews of the city's development provided by Gül and Dee (Cities, 43) and Aquilué and Roca (Cities, 58), by focusing on the consequences of the interplay between a weak urban planning system, the post-socialist transition towards a market economy, economic stagnation and globalizing forces. It notes that some broad characteristics of the new developments are shared with other east European cities following the demise of socialism post-1989, but there are also changes reflecting the impact of specific circumstances prevailing since the war. Many of the most recent new developments are the product of foreign investment, in part linked to post-war reconstruction and redevelopment, but also to the growth of international tourism which is increasingly affecting the housing market and ‘gentrifying’ some areas. New hotel and retail complexes around the old city center are increasing housing rentals, driving young people towards outlying suburbs, and contributing to housing shortages. These recent population movements are mapped and further analyzed to reveal the city's distinctive evolving character.     

Capturing the Castle: Tenant Governance in Social Housing Companies

In the contemporary landscape of social housing in Britain, the role of tenants on the governing boards of housing companies continues to be seen as deeply problematic. While tenant directors are recruited to bring a market-like influence to social housing governance, they appear to be approaching their positions as directors in a way that is contrary to the drive towards management efficiency. This paper adopts a social constructionist approach in order to recast the institutions of housing governance as contested articulations of ideology and the ‘problem’ of tenant board members as a hegemonic clash between discourses of governance. It concludes that tenant directors act as a significant dynamic in the political construction of social housing today.     

Urban history and cultural resources in urban regeneration: a case of creative waterfront renewal

In recent decades, the role of culture and history has often become a driving factor in the process of urban regeneration. The focus on culture and history as factors in regional transformation has been particularly extensive in response not only to competitiveness among cities but also to sustainability requirements in the cultural sector. In the same perspective of this approach, culture in its broadest sense assumes a decisive role in constructing a system of interventions where employment and social and sustainable development become the product of the integration of places, people, economies and traditions. Creative cities are currently working on how to improve the interaction between regeneration building, economic development and social renewal in order to achieve more comprehensive development of the city. Existing creative cities may be seen to revolve around the design, promotion and activation of urban areas established due to their particular local characteristics. Such areas become creative clusters as a result of economic and structural innovations, related to the realization of innovator projects achieved with the help of local development strategies based on the economies of excellence, culture and territorial quality. Starting from such premises, this article aims to show the main factors which condition creativity in cities – such as new policies, participation, history, place identity, cultural resources and sustainability – and an emblematic case study of creative regeneration. This concerns the HafenCity district in Hamburg, where the history has assumed an important role in re-constructing the maritime identity and for many choices of urban nature.     

Measuring and comparing local sustainable development through common indicators: Constraints and achievements in practice

Many efforts have been made to standardize indicators that aim to assess, monitor and compare sustainable development at different territorial levels. Arguments in favor and against the need to design common indicators are many and highly contested, which is why this article intends to contribute to the study on the outcomes for cities that put common local indicators to practice. This article aims to discuss the constraints and achievements of standardizing these indicators. It first explores and analyzes the efforts of European institutions and research projects supported by them towards the harmonization of local sustainable development indicators. In a second stage, it analyzes a Portuguese initiative that uses common indicators to benchmark sustainable development across cities and municipalities – ECOXXI. Evidence is gathered from two case study municipalities, Oeiras and Cascais, that have applied this indicator set, through a review and analysis of documents and semi-structured interviews with relevant public officers. The lessons learned point to major benefits on the sharing of guidelines and the delivery of a top-down but flexible indicator approach in the absence of national or European official guidelines. The main constraints are linked to issues of communication and to limited political support and use of such indicators.     

Urban Policy And Telecommunications

ABSTRACT: An examination of the evolving information economy reveals several major shifts in employment and types of work that affect city development and activities. Telecommunications systems are the backbone of these changes. Cities are ill-equipped to measure and predict these impacts and are even less equipped to control them. The developer community and regional Bell operating companies are at the helm of telecommunications deployment; lacking guidelines or models from federal or state government agencies, cities will be at a disadvantage in dealing with the outcomes associated with increased utilization of new communication technologies. Several recommendations are made that may help the city administrator or planner exert policymaking power over these developments.     

Thinking about governance in global and local perspective

Conclusion  This paper has tracked the parallel evolution of two discourses on governance over the past decade, one which has evolved largely in the work of the World Bank and in a global context shared with other international donor agencies, and the other by development scholars external to the international agencies, and in particular at a local level in the context of cities in the developing world. Key points of dissonance and resonance between the two discourses have been examined with a view to understanding the debate on governance, particularly in terms of whether the notion is, and can remain, a potent idea in development thinking. While the two discourses demonstrate dissonance in that they have evolved from very different starting points, and have a tendency to be differentially weighted in terms of analytical concentrations in their state-market-society relationships, the points of resonance which have been identified here, and demonstrated through the issue of improved capacity in local government, tend to suggest that there are potent ways of employing governance to frame development work in the future. The paper has also demonstrated that the highly varied meaning associated with the term governance is understandable from the distinct definitional paths of evolution of the term, globally and locally. While more work is demanded, the at least tentative conclusion here is that the discourse on governance is not so divergent as to render the notion weak. Indeed, in certain important circumstances, the two discourses can be mutually enhancing, and this tends to empower the notion of governance itself. However, this is only possible when the notion is considered less in economistic, neo-liberal terms associated with the Bank’s discourse, and re-cast in a more local context concerned with the political-economy of cities, and which situates local government in a pivotal position in the governing relationship. Governance in this respect can not only help to fill an important gap in development discourse, but as an ideational framework can help to overcome the singularity of approach to current and key development efforts as decentralisation, local government strengthening, public sector reform, democratisation and empowerment of civil society in the governing relationship.