Forschungsabteilung 1
ESPON
ESPON and its objective
So far, two ESPON (European Spatial Planning Observation Network) programmes have been initiated: The ESPON 2006 Programme and the ESPON 2013 Programme are programmes financed under EU Structural Funds, the Community Initiative INTERREG III (2006) respectively Objective 3 for European Territorial Cooperation (2013).
Research and studies on spatial development and planning seen from the national, regional and local points of view, have been partly existing and available prior to the initiating of ESPON. However, they have only covered smaller parts of the European territory. With the ESPON 2006 Programme and by addressing an enlarged EU territory and larger territorial entities the Commission and the Member States expected to have at their disposal:
- a diagnosis of the principal territorial trends at EU scale as well as the difficulties and potentialities within the European territory as a whole;
- a cartographic picture of the major territorial disparities and of their respective intensity;
- a number of territorial indicators and typologies assisting a setting of European priorities for a balanced and polycentric enlarged European territory;
- some integrated tools and appropriate instruments (databases, indicators, methodologies for territorial impact analysis and systematic spatial analyses) to improve the spatial co-ordination of sector policies.
Complementing these aims of the prior ESPON programme, the mission of the ESPON 2013 Programme is to: “Support policy development in relation to the aim of territorial cohesion and a harmonious development of the European territory by (1) providing comparable information, evidence, analyses and scenarios on territorial dynamics and (2) revealing territorial capital and potentials for development of regions and larger territories contributing to European competitiveness, territorial cooperation and a sustainable and balanced development”.
For more information on the ESPON programmes see www.espon.eu
The IRS was so far involved in the following projects
- ESPON 2.2.2 – Territorial Effects of Applying the EU 'Acquis' and Community Policies as well as Pre-Accession Aid and PHARE (03/2003 - 03/2005) mehr
- ESPON 2.4.2 – Integrated Analysis of Transnational and National Territories Based on ESPON Results (11/2004 – 12/2006) mehr
- ESPON 1.2.3 – Identification of Spatially Relevant Aspects of the Information Society (06/2005 – 05/2006) mehr
- ESPON 4.1.3 – Feasibility study on monitoring territorial development based on ESPON key indicators (06/2006 – 10/2006) mehr
- ESPON Typology Compilation (03/2009 – 01/2010) mehr
Aufbauend auf den Ergebnissen der Projekte des ESPON Programms 2006 hat das IRS die Studie
- Deutschland in Europa – Analyse der Ergebnisse des ESPON-Programms 2006 aus deutscher Sicht (11/2007 – 10/2008) mehr
durchgeführt.
