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Distributed for Campus Verlag

A Future for the European Patchwork

Cohesion through Spatial Planning since 1990

This volume explores the often-overlooked role of spatial and urban planning in fostering unity on the local, national, and international scales. 

The issue of spatial cohesion is a major concern not only for supranational entities such as the EU, but also for nation-states and regions. Spatial and urban planners have long relied on symbolic, economic, and social policies to foster cohesion in cities and regions. However, amid contemporary tensions at both the international and domestic levels, efforts to create or maintain spatial cohesion demand innovative approaches. This book asks to what extent spatial and urban planning—which the authors claim encompasses a broader set of institutions and attitudes than merely sectoral policies—have contributed to societal cohesion over the past thirty years. It considers how these changes have unfolded at European, intergovernmental, national, and regional levels, and during periods of profound transformation across all spatial scales.

The contributions demonstrate that spatial cohesion policies play a significant role in fostering societal unity, even beyond national borders, yet they have too often been overlooked or undervalued.


424 pages | 50 color plates | 5.91 x 9.06 | © 2026

History: Urban History


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Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction .........................................................9
Detlef Briesen and Wendelin Strubelt

I. History and Future of Cohesion Policies

Facing Polycrisis: Lessons from Fifty Years of Spatial Planning Practice and Research .............................................................25
Cliff Hague

Territorial Cohesion, the Magic Stick to Unite Europe ....................41 Klaus R. Kunzmann

The EU Territorial Cohesion Policy: A Win-Win or Zero-Sum Game? .......59 Luisa Pedrazzini

European Territorial Development Policy: An Unfinished Project ..........81 Karl Peter Schön

Visual Reflections and/or Observations about the Space of Europe, its History and Presence .................................................97
Wendelin Strubelt

Facing an Uncertain Future: The Reform of EU Cohesion Policy ...........115 John Bachtler, Carlos Mendez and Ruth Downes

II. Cohesion through Spatial Planning in National Contexts

The Value of Change in Italian Planning .................................137
Maria Prezioso

Public Sector Relocation Outside Paris: Paradoxical Spatial Planning Policy (1950s–2020s) ........................................................165
Guy Baudelle

The B-Side to Brexit? British Policy under the Banner of De-Europeanization ..................................................183
Victoria Grau

Planning for Independence – The Case of Scotland .......................199 Felix Leyendecker

Overcoming Cross-Border Disparities: Planning, Policies and Ideologies in the French-Luxembourg Territory ......................................217
Markus Hesse

III. Cohesion Policy within the Context of European Regions

Economic Resilience in European Regions: Going through Diverse Shocks between 1980 and Present .............................................235
Philipp Gareis

Rur-urban Partnerships for Ecological Transition in Europe beyond Second Tier Cities. ...........................................................255
Joaquín Farinós Dasí

Cohesion at the Margins: Addressing Territorial Inequality in Lazio’s Inner Areas ................................................................285
Anna Laura Palazzo, Romina D’Ascanio and Carmen Giannino

Transnational Retirement Migration towards the European Sunbelt. Reflections on Policy and Planning for German Senior Residents on Mallorca .............................................................305
Klaus Friedrich

Dilemmas of Cross-border Cooperation Policy on the Example of Poland ..317 Sylwia Dolzblasz

Transnational Cooperation for a More Spatially Inclusive Development? ...333 Philipp Gareis, Jens Kurnol and Sina Redlich

The Role of Small and Medium-sized Cities in European Union Spatial Planning Context .....................................................351
Eduarda Marques da Costa

Territorial Cohesion and Cross-border Regions, out of Territorialism? .....369 Jean Peyrony

IV. Aspects of Cohesion outside of Europe Regional and Urban Planning in Vietnam: Phases, Challenges and Significance of European Planning Concepts Today ......................387 Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang

Negotiating Post-Colonial Modernity: The Case of Socio-Spatial Transformation in India ...............................................405
N K Kumaresan Raja

In Memory of Patsy Healey ............................................417

About the Authors ....................................................419

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