Abstract
This is the second version of Deliverable 6.2.3 (Short summary report on the relevance of the emerging results to the policies at the EU, national, regional and local level) indicated in the Description of Work for month 35.
The main aim of this report is to link the PLUREL projects focus and results to policies and policy development at the EU-level, as well as the national and regional level. PLUREL has peri-urban land use relationships as its main focus. This includes analysis of drivers, consequences, policies and scenarios for the future. Even though PLUREL aims for pan-European coverage the principal focus is at the sub-regional level and balance between urban and rural land uses within Rural-Urban Regions.
The current version of the report is structured in two parts. Chapter 1 – 3 present an overview of: European principles and guidelines, EU legislation funding, and EU policy areas and their relevance for urban-rural relationships. Chapter 4 is based on issues of sustainable development stated by stakeholders involved in the project. For each issue the contribution of current and expected project results are discussed.
The EU has no explicit competence in spatial development, but goals like the Lisbon and Gothenburg agenda set the overall framework aiming for Economic growth and employment; and Sustainable development. The European ministers responsible for spatial planning have developed a set of territorial policy goals and priority topics during the last decades, documented in the ESDP, the CEMAT guidelines, and recently in the Territorial Agenda which include : Territorial cohesion, balanced development; Polycentric development; Territorial governance; Risk-management; and Ecological structures and cultural and natural resources. These are all important issues in the context of Peri-urban land use relationships.
Furthermore, several EU policies also have an indirect influence on spatial development. E.g. the rural development policy is explicitly targeting “peri-urban areas under increasing pressure from urban centres”, providing funds for the agrifood sector, protection and enhancement of natural resources as well as an attractive development in general. Besides these spatial relevant sector policies, the EU enforces legislation which is translated into spatial explicit instruments on sub-regional level. E.g. the Habitat and Birds Directive caused the development of Natura 2000 areas, an EU-wide network of nature protection areas. The implementation of Trans-European Networks through funding programmes is another sector policy having an impact on land-use change and rural-urban relations.
On the sub-regional scale the perception on overall goals like sustainability can be very different, depending on the viewpoint, e.g. urban or rural and conservation or development. PLUREL is not developing an ideal agenda of sustainability in peri-urban areas, but is providing a broad range of tools allowing end-users to use their own perspective on sustainability. Different agendas can then be approached in combination or even an integrated way depending on the user’s value system.
Stakeholders involved in the project have raised several issues including growth management, economic, social and environmental processes, impact assessment and knowledge exchange which PLUREL is contributing to with several results. The project work is not finished yet, but a broad range of tools and methods have been investigated and developed throughout the project already now, contributing to an improved knowledge-base and extend toolbox when approaching sustainable development in peri-urban areas. This report will support the dissemination process by highlighting the connections of policies and the project results.
The main aim of this report is to link the PLUREL projects focus and results to policies and policy development at the EU-level, as well as the national and regional level. PLUREL has peri-urban land use relationships as its main focus. This includes analysis of drivers, consequences, policies and scenarios for the future. Even though PLUREL aims for pan-European coverage the principal focus is at the sub-regional level and balance between urban and rural land uses within Rural-Urban Regions.
The current version of the report is structured in two parts. Chapter 1 – 3 present an overview of: European principles and guidelines, EU legislation funding, and EU policy areas and their relevance for urban-rural relationships. Chapter 4 is based on issues of sustainable development stated by stakeholders involved in the project. For each issue the contribution of current and expected project results are discussed.
The EU has no explicit competence in spatial development, but goals like the Lisbon and Gothenburg agenda set the overall framework aiming for Economic growth and employment; and Sustainable development. The European ministers responsible for spatial planning have developed a set of territorial policy goals and priority topics during the last decades, documented in the ESDP, the CEMAT guidelines, and recently in the Territorial Agenda which include : Territorial cohesion, balanced development; Polycentric development; Territorial governance; Risk-management; and Ecological structures and cultural and natural resources. These are all important issues in the context of Peri-urban land use relationships.
Furthermore, several EU policies also have an indirect influence on spatial development. E.g. the rural development policy is explicitly targeting “peri-urban areas under increasing pressure from urban centres”, providing funds for the agrifood sector, protection and enhancement of natural resources as well as an attractive development in general. Besides these spatial relevant sector policies, the EU enforces legislation which is translated into spatial explicit instruments on sub-regional level. E.g. the Habitat and Birds Directive caused the development of Natura 2000 areas, an EU-wide network of nature protection areas. The implementation of Trans-European Networks through funding programmes is another sector policy having an impact on land-use change and rural-urban relations.
On the sub-regional scale the perception on overall goals like sustainability can be very different, depending on the viewpoint, e.g. urban or rural and conservation or development. PLUREL is not developing an ideal agenda of sustainability in peri-urban areas, but is providing a broad range of tools allowing end-users to use their own perspective on sustainability. Different agendas can then be approached in combination or even an integrated way depending on the user’s value system.
Stakeholders involved in the project have raised several issues including growth management, economic, social and environmental processes, impact assessment and knowledge exchange which PLUREL is contributing to with several results. The project work is not finished yet, but a broad range of tools and methods have been investigated and developed throughout the project already now, contributing to an improved knowledge-base and extend toolbox when approaching sustainable development in peri-urban areas. This report will support the dissemination process by highlighting the connections of policies and the project results.
| Original language | English |
|---|
| Publisher | EU-FP6 project PLUREL |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 33 |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Keywords
- Urban landscapes
- Land use and management
- Urban planning
