Forschungsabteilung 1
ESPON Typology Compilation
An international research project funded by the European Commission under the framework of the ESPON 2013 Programme within the Scientific Platform
Duration: March 2009 to January 2010
The Issue
The policy development in relation to EU Cohesion Policy (the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion), the Treaty of Lisbon and the description of the new European aim of territorial cohesion, stress the need for a better understanding of principal regional typologies. Various themes considered by official documents like the ESDP, Territorial Agenda, the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion etc. affect different types of regions to different extents and in different ways. In order to find a common understanding of regional typologies, especially for those territories receiving particular attention by policy makers, it is useful to define basic regional typologies for the types of territories mentioned in § 158 of the Lisbon Treaty.
The Project
The project aimed to provide a compilation of existing territorial typologies and proposed a set of eight territorial typologies which can be used throughout the ESPON 2013 programme. These typologies needed to be relevant and acceptable in the context of European cohesion policy. Furthermore, they had to be based on sound methodologies, built on robust data, have a high explanatory power and communicative value and should be of policy relevance.
In accordance with the types of territories mentioned in § 158 of the Lisbon Treaty, the development of the following typologies was envisaged:
- Urban / metropolitan regions
- Rural regions
- Sparsely populated regions
- Regions in industrial transition
- Cross-border regions
- Mountainous regions
- Islands
- Coastal regions
Besides the development of such territorial typologies the project also provided examples on how the results could be used to cross-analyse other ESPON results.
For more information on the project see http://www.espon.eu/main/Menu_Projects/Menu_ScientificPlatform/
typologycompilation.html
The Partnership
- Spatial Foresight GmbH – Luxembourg (Lead Partner)
- Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning (IRS) – Germany
- Eurofutures Finland – Finland
Contact at the IRS
Dr. Sabine Zillmer
Phone +49-3362/793-186
e-mail: zillmers_at_irs-net.de
Kai Pflanz
Phone +49 3362 793 286
e-mail: pflanzk_at_irs-net.de
