Spatial evolution of cross-border regions. Contrasted case studies in North-West Europe

Abstract

The building process of cross-border territories in the EU is addressed in this paper with a geographical and political approach. The spatial evolution of institutionalized cross-border cooperation is investigated comparatively on two borders: the Cross-Channel Euroregion between France, Belgium and the United Kingdom, and the Upper Rhine region between France, Germany and Switzerland. Data collection on these case studies categorize the spatialization of cross-border cooperation. The links between the set of partners and the perimeter raise questions about the territorialisation process. The emergence, adjustments and even the disappearance of cross-border regions are examined, leading to a new quantitative and qualitative understanding of the spatial evolution of crossborder regions. Phenomena of juxtaposition and scaling fuel the multiplication of cross-border regions, while processes of shrinkage or disappearance are the exception. Adjustments of the cross-border perimeter are primarily due to enlargement, expansion and fusion. A few cross-border cooperation initiatives are developing a new relationship to their cross-border region, distinguishing the institutional perimeter of the partnership from the functional perimeter of projects.In an uncertain European context, cross-border regions tend to multiply and extend. Showing similarities with 'soft spaces', they prove themselves to be very adaptable in their spatial (re-)definition.

Moravian–Slovak Borderland: Possibilities for Rural Development

“…In some cases, it is simply a matter of overcoming the psychological barriers that were created in the past. The cooperation is directed from the cultural level-creating sub-state diplomacy [27], and in others, it may be the cooperation of a more complex level, including economic life [28]. The economic strength of neighboring regions is probably also important-whether these are economically developed or marginal regions, or how large the economic differences are between them.…”

Mapping the cross-border cooperation ‘galaxy’: an exploration of scalar arrangements in Europe

“…In her analysis, she differentiates three spatial structuring principles: 'concentric circles/babushka', 'overlapping' and 'continuous/complementary'. Another interesting contribution to a better understanding of the scalar relationships between different CBC initiatives is the analysis of two crossborder regions by Pupier (2020). She distinguishes 'layering' processes (the overlapping of several CBC initiatives in the same cross-border region), 'scaling' processes (the embedding of differently sized CBC initiatives) and 'juxtaposition' processes (adjoining CBC initiatives).…”

“…Examining the scalar layering of governance arrangements within European borderlands is of course not new (see notably Deas and Lord 2006;Jessop 2003). A number of case studies focusing on particular border regions have also drawn attention to the implications of this articulation of CBC scales (ESPON 2010;Fricke 2015;Pupier 2020;Sohn and Reitel 2016). That said, of the few initiatives studying the phenomenon of CBC at the European level (see Dura Guimerà et al 2018;Wassenberg and Reitel 2015), none have addressed this issue in a systematic and comparative way.…”

Soft Spaces as a Traveling Planning Idea: Uncovering the Origin and Development of an Academic Concept on the Rise

“…The concept of soft spaces was considered suitable to understand the creation of new spatial delineations through EU policies and European integration. Many of such new spaces resulted from European Territorial Cooperation initiatives, such as the formation of cross-border regions or transnational regions (Nienaber and Wille 2020; Pupier 2020; Walsh, Jacuniak-Suda, and Knieling 2015; Metzger and Schmitt 2012; Olesen 2012) or large-scale macroregional strategies, for example, for the Baltic Sea Region and the Danube Region (Allmendinger, Chilla, and Sielker 2014; Sielker 2016; Stead 2014). These new spatial delineations share a common objective to reduce the separating force of national borders and increase territorial cohesion through the creation of new cooperation spaces.…”