From Territorial Cohesion to Regional Spatial Justice: The Well‐Being of Future Generations Act in Wales

Abstract

The European Union's flagship Cohesion Policy faces evidence of dubious economic effectiveness and growing political and philosophical critiques of the very ideals of furthering European integration. This article examines ambitions for territorial cohesion as they have been operationalized through regional development in Wales. We argue that a potential alternative to the failed realization of territorial cohesion lies in the principles of spatial justice. While territorial cohesion has typically emphasized the redistribution of funds to ‘lagging’ regions, spatial justice, as we define it, is premised upon enabling regions to assert their own capacity to act and pursue positive visions of regional futures, consider the implications of space and scale for the achievement of justice, and define well‐being, development and the ‘good life’ in ways that reflect regional priorities. We examine three ways in which recent political discourses and policy mechanisms in Wales resonate with these ideals. We focus on attempts to envision a progressive Welsh future, develop alternative spaces and scales of governance, and redefine and pluralize understandings of progress and well‐being. The article concludes by reflecting on the practical and conceptual implications of rescaling spatial justice to regional contexts.

LEADER and Spatial Justice

“…Until very recently, the concept of spatial justice ‘has been overwhelmingly approached through reference to cities and the urban scale’ (Jones et al . 2020, p. 897), even though ‘there is no logical reason to confine the notion of spatial justice to the urban space’ (Weckroth et al . 2017, p. 7).…”

“…2019; Jones et al . 2020; Nordberg 2020) have begun to interrogate how a relational approach to spatial justice might be applied to rural and regional contexts and scales. Drawing on these papers, we have identified four key themes.…”

“…Jones et al . (2020, p. 909) consider that ‘at the very least, spatial justice calls for approaches to be tailored to each specific region's distinctive values and capacities to act’, reflecting pluralist understandings of what is fair and what constitutes well‐being. This echoes Shucksmith's (2018) contention that place‐based deliberation is necessary to allow each rural place‐community to reach, and be guided by, a collective vision for its own future: what constitutes ‘a good countryside’ will depend on the values and the assets of each place‐community.…”

Transitioning towards a Sustainable Wellbeing Economy—Implications for Rural–Urban Relations

“…Rather than solely quantitative economic indicators, the act foregrounds seven wellbeing goals, including 'A healthier Wales' and 'A Wales of vibrant culture and Welsh language', which collectively envision 'the Wales we want' beyond a solely economic sphere. Instead of determining that so-called 'lagging' regions must 'catch-up' according to narrowly quantified criteria [37], the seven wellbeing goals offer "the art of the possible" (https://futuregenerations.wales/the-art-of-thepossible/ (accessed on 26 April 2021)). Notably, the act has provoked the publication by Oxfam Cymru, an NGO, of "The Welsh Doughnut-A framework for environmental sustainability and social justice" [38], which is an explicit attempt to link the new national policy context to the emerging theorization of doughnut economics.…”

Reading EUropean borderlands under the perspective of legal geography and spatial justice

“…They have also emphasized that spatial justice allows one to shift perspective on development, i.e. considering how the locale can be empowered rather than have a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to development imposed on it (Jones, Goodwin-Hawkins, and Woods 2020;Blondel and Evrard 2019). What about crossborder areas?…”