«Making Europe Open and Polycentric»
Vision and Scenarios for the European Territory towards 2050
A political reading of ET2050 results
Andreu Ulied
ulied@mcrit.com
1. What would be the benefits of a Territorial Vision for
Europe in 2050?
2. Is the proposed open and polycentric Europe the right
vision?
3. How should the Territorial Vision 2050 be promoted?
Growth and growing regional disparities
GDP a.a.:
1,89 %
45 regions bellow 1,00 %
Absolute disparities will likely remain
Making Europe Open and Polycentric
First Policy-aim: Openness
• Connecting Europe globally
• Promoting co-development with Neighbouring regions
Second Policy-aim: Polycentricity
• Unleashing regional diversity and endogenous development
• Supporting a balanced urban structure
• Sustainable management of natural and cultural assets
Connecting Europe globally
Opening up European
markets to global
competition and
promoting global
sustainability
Enhancing the efficiency
of transport &
telecommunication
networks and
decentralising EU
intercontinental
gateways
Developing an
integrated TransEuropean Electric Grid
and promoting energy
efficiency and renewal
energy sources
Promoting co-development with Neighbouring regions
Linking TransEuropean Networks
with the Neighbouring
countries’ networks
Supporting crossborder integrated
development
Unleashing regional diversity and endogenous development
Sufficient accessibility
to open up regional
potentials.
Universal access to
services of general
interest
Supporting a balanced urban structure
Promoting secondary
city/regions as
engines of growth
Smart and inclusive
renewal of cities and
neighborhoods
Integration of
functional urban
regions
Sustainable management of natural and cultural assets
Protecting strategic
landscapes from urban
sprawl and
renaturalising cities
Sustainable management
of green infrastructures
for biodiversity and
resilience
1. What would be the benefits of a Territorial Vision for
Europe in 2050?
2. Is the proposed open and polycentric Europe the right
vision?
3. How should the Territorial Vision 2050 be promoted?
1. What are the benefits of a Territorial Vision for Europe in 2050?
• Promote the territorial dimension of European sectorial policies
Blue Banana (Brunet 1989) / Bunch of grapes (Kunzmann & Wegener, 1991)
1. What are the benefits of a Territorial Vision for Europe in 2050?
• Visualise common European interest beyond“national interest”
1. What are the benefits of a Territorial Vision for Europe in 2050?
• Focuse on long-term goals instead of short-term positions
• Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy 2050
• Roadmap to Resource Efficient Europe 2050
• Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area 2050
• Roadmap for Energy 2050
• Roadmap for maritime spatial planning in the EU
2. Is the proposed open and polycentric Europe the right vision?
• Supported by European political visions:
• “An open community of equals with strong common institutions”
Rome Treaty (1956)
• “The Union shall promote economic, social and territorial cohesion,
and solidarity among Member States. It shall respect shall ensure
that Europe's cultural heritage is safeguarded and enhanced” Treaty
of Lisbon (2007)
• “In a changing world, we want the EU to become a smart,
sustainable and inclusive economy” Europe 2020 (2010)
2. Is the proposed open and polycentric Europe the right vision?
• Based on Spatial Planning concepts shared by regions and
States in Europe
• Compact, socially inclusive settlements
• Polycentric regional structures
• Sustainability and resilience
• ...“Open Endogenous Development” paradigm.
2. Is the proposed open and polycentric Europe the right vision?
• Updates ESDP and the Territorial Agenda to the crisis aftermath
• European Outline Convention (1968)
• European Spatial Planning Charter (1983)
• Europe 2000: Outlook for the development of the Community's
territory (1991)
• Europe 2000+, Cooperation for European territorial development
(1994)
• ESDP: European Spatial Development Prospective (1999)
• SPSP: Study Program on Spatial Planning (2000)
• Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion (2008)
• Territorial Agenda 2020 (2007, 2011)
3. How should the Territorial Vision 2050 be promoted?
• By adopting a New Generation of Cohesion Policies after 2020:
• Place-based
• Sensible to macro-economic conditions.
• By reforming European Policies:
• Harmonizing market conditions in Europe
• More open to the neighborhood and the rest of the world
• Internalising environmental costs
• By further developing new Territorial Governance
• Emphasising local and European geographic scales
• Emphassing Cross-border Integration/cooperation
«Making Europe Open and Polycentric»
Vision and Scenarios for the European Territory towards 2050
Andreu Ulied
ulied@mcrit.com
Further information:
www.espon.eu
www.et2050.eu (working documents)