Papers by Marjolein Spaans
The objective of this case study is to investigate EU Cohesion policy performance and communicati... more The objective of this case study is to investigate EU Cohesion policy performance and communication in Scotland and the impact on citizens' attitudes to the EU. The case study also contextualises comparative COHESIFY research findings and provides more in - depth insights into the performance and communication of Cohesion policy. The case study focuses on two ERDF and two ESF Operational Programmes in 2007-13 (covering two programme areas of the Highlands and Islands, and the Lowlands and Uplands of Scotland) and Scotland - wide ERDF and ESF Operational Programmes in 2014-20. The selection criteria for the case study included Cohesion policy eligibility and financial intensity, programme type, governance system and European identity.
Inaugural Symposium of the International Forum on Planning, Law and Propertyrights, 2007
This report presents the final results of a Targeted Analysis Project conducted within the framew... more This report presents the final results of a Targeted Analysis Project conducted within the framework of the ESPON 2013 Programme, partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The partnership behind the ESPON Programme consists of the EU Commission and the Member States of the EU27, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Each partner is represented in the ESPON Monitoring Committee. This report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the members of the Monitoring Committee. Information on the ESPON Programme and projects can be found on www.espon.eu The web site provides the possibility to download and examine the most recent documents produced by finalised and ongoing ESPON projects.
This report presents the final results of an Applied Research Project conducted within the framew... more This report presents the final results of an Applied Research Project conducted within the framework of the ESPON 2013 Programme, partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The partnership behind the ESPON Programme consists of the EU Commission and the Member States of the EU27, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Each partner is represented in the ESPON Monitoring Committee. This report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the members of the Monitoring Committee. Information on the ESPON Programme and projects can be found on www.espon.eu The web site provides the possibility to download and examine the most recent documents produced by finalised and ongoing ESPON projects.
European Planning Studies, 2020
EU Cohesion Policy has arguably the most tangible impact on the citizens' environment and livelih... more EU Cohesion Policy has arguably the most tangible impact on the citizens' environment and livelihoods and can potentially boost their attachment to the European project. Beyond the cross-national transactionalist hypothesis, Cohesion Policy spending has a local impact and may affect the lives of citizens who do not benefit directly from cross-national transactions, like education, work, investment and travel in other European countries. One could thus expect that Cohesion Policy has a significant positive impact on the ways in which citizens perceive the EU. But what happens when a country is a net contributor to the EU's budget receiving a relatively small amount of Cohesion Policy funding, the bulk of it being invested in poorer European territories? Building on the cases of two Dutch regions-Flevoland and Limburgthis paper investigates the extent to which the citizens are aware of Cohesion Policy interventions and how the features of communication on and implementation of Cohesion Policy affect this awareness.
RISE: Region Integrated Strategies in Europe - Final Report, 2012
This report presents the final results a Targeted Analysis conducted within the framework of the ... more This report presents the final results a Targeted Analysis conducted within the framework of the ESPON 2013 Programme, partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The partnership behind the ESPON Programme consists of the EU Commission and the Member States of the EU27, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Each partner is represented in the ESPON Monitoring Committee. This report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the members of the Monitoring Committee. Information on the ESPON Programme and projects can be found on www.espon.eu The web site provides the possibility to download and examine the most recent documents produced by finalised and ongoing ESPON projects.
ABSTRACT: Mega-event strategies and their impact on host cities have drawn increasing interest, a... more ABSTRACT: Mega-event strategies and their impact on host cities have drawn increasing interest, as organising large-scale urban events has become part of a deliberate urban policy strategy to promote local economic growth and put the host city on the world agenda. Thus far, the research addressing what strategies can be adopted and to what extent the strategies can produce a catalyst effect has been limited. Furthermore, while most mega-event studies have addressed the impact in a specific economic, spatial or environmental perspective, little research has been done on the extent to which mega-event strategies may lead to sustainable development, balancing economic, social and environmental perspectives in the long term. Using Sydney as a case study, this paper examines how the host city of the Summer Olympics in 2000 explored the mega-event strategy concept to create a catalyst for its urban regeneration programme.
The Randstad in the Netherlands is known for its polycentric configuration resulting in daily urb... more The Randstad in the Netherlands is known for its polycentric configuration resulting in daily urban systems and planning realities that do not match the formal government tiers. During the years many soft governance spaces have been put forward to address this issue. The situation is particularly complex in the South Wing of the Randstad, an area struggling to maintain its competitive position while at the same time improve spatial quality and social/economic cohesion. The paper will address the way in which governance in the southern Randstad has been organized in the domain of spatial planning. Applying the notion of soft spaces we will examine two overlapping governance arrangements: the South Wing Cooperation and the Metropolitan region Rotterdam The Hague. Often the rationale of a soft space is ‘to get things done’, to overcome the rigidness and inflexibility of hard administrative structures. The wider public does not even have a clue that networks as the South Wing Cooperatio...
Mega-event strategies and their impact on host cities have drawn increasing interest, as organisi... more Mega-event strategies and their impact on host cities have drawn increasing interest, as organising large-scale urban events has become part of a deliberate urban policy strategy to promote local economic growth and put the host city on the world agenda. Thus far, the research addressing what strategies can be adopted and to what extent the strategies can produce a catalyst effect has been limited. Furthermore, while most mega-event studies have addressed the impact in a specific economic, spatial or environmental perspective, little research has been done on the extent to which mega-event strategies may lead to sustainable development, balancing economic, social and environmental perspectives in the long term. Using Sydney as a case study, this paper examines how the host city of the Summer Olympics in 2000 explored the mega-event strategy concept to create a catalyst for its urban regeneration programme.
In the last few years individualisation, globalisation, and developments in the field of informat... more In the last few years individualisation, globalisation, and developments in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) have left their mark on the spatial organisation of society and, partly as a consequence of that, on spatial forms. The spatial patterns of social and economic interactions within the physical space have become increasingly complex. The level of uncertainty to be anticipated concerning spatial developments has increased considerably. This insecurity is related to an increased freedom of choice that leads to an enlarged variety of spatial outcomes. One of the most striking developments is the disappearance of the hierarchical planning (based on central place theory) of interaction patterns. There is evidence in society and in the economy of a continuous spatial increase in scale. As a result of more advanced and more widely applied ICT and the development of transport technology and transport systems, the significance of distance and transport costs ...
This paper discusses the role of meta-governance in developing integrative territorial strategies... more This paper discusses the role of meta-governance in developing integrative territorial strategies at regional level. Evidence is drawn from analysing three cases in the Randstad (Netherlands) of regional strategy making within the context of the long-term central government investment programme on infrastructure and spatial development, in short: MIRT. A novelty of the MIRT programme as opposed to its predecessor, the MIT programme (without the ‘R’ of ruimte, or territory), is that it asks for developing a territorial agenda as a basis for further project implementation. The territorial agenda is developed in order to provide a strategic framework to assess which programmes and projects should be taken up. The agendas are drawn up cooperatively by central and lower tier government in each region. They constitute the underpinning with respect to central government investments in new programmes and projects. They are also meant to stimulate the coherence between the different policy f...
Dutch spatial planning policy and practice are moving towards a more balanced and – even more tha... more Dutch spatial planning policy and practice are moving towards a more balanced and – even more than before – comprehensive approach of spatial developments (Ministry of VROM et al., 2004). Together with trends such as the public cuts in housing and agricultural budgets, new partnerships between public and private stakeholders in spatial planning, a call for more quality of space (public space in particular), this has led to a search for new creative financing constructions (De Jong and Spaans, 2009). In this context new concepts and mechanisms to approach spatial developments are developed. Red-for-green is such a new mechanism which is increasingly used in Dutch spatial developments (Ministries of LNV & VROM, 2009). The revenues from urban developments such as housing, offices and industrial estates, are partly used to finance investments in the rural landscape. Often it concerns complex, long-term projects at the supra local level in which several land-uses have to be realised. In ...
The Randstad, 2020
This chapter focuses on the nature and powers of governance arrangements in two Dutch metropolita... more This chapter focuses on the nature and powers of governance arrangements in two Dutch metropolitan areas, both situated in the Randstad: the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam (Metropoolregio Amsterdam) and the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam The Hague (Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag ). It considers the power of process by analysing the actor network and relations. The chapter deals with an overview of recent international trends in metropolitan governance. It then presents a summary of trends in sub-national governance in the Netherlands. Territorial governance is being redefined in the light of important societal challenges, new powers and responsibilities and new attempts to increase the societal relevance of planning. Metropolitan governance bodies – bodies aiming at organising responsibilities among public authorities in metropolitan areas – are extremely common in most OECD countries. Amidst the economic recession of the 1980s cooperation between the three Randstad provinces picke...
This paper analyses how the Olympic Games have been integrated into the spatial planning process ... more This paper analyses how the Olympic Games have been integrated into the spatial planning process to reach social, spatial and environmental objectives since the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. It will focus on the motives for hosting the Games, on the urban development strategies to implement the formulated motives and the effects which are expected from these strategies. Based on the empirical case of Barcelona, the paper elaborates on the changing approach of spatial planning and urban governance in the integration of short-term spatial interventions and long-term urban development perspectives, from resolving problems of the past to getting ready for the future. The city of Barcelona wanted to influence its destiny by using its local potential and change its urban configuration. The socio-economic and urban effects of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games are evaluated, in order to define the extent to which the original objectives have been realised by using the mega-event strategy.
Social, economic, and technological developments — e.g. individualisation, globalisation and deve... more Social, economic, and technological developments — e.g. individualisation, globalisation and developments in information and communication technology — have repercussions on spatial planning. There is evidence in society and in the economy of a continuous increase in spatial scale (reinforced by increasing mobility), which has repercussions for the level at which spatial issues are addressed. This will increasingly be the supralocal and the regional level. This is paralleled by a debate on urban governance: Hemphill et al. (2006) bring forward that urban governance has become the catchword of modern urban policy despite lacking precise meaning and often being used in a variety of different discourses. Whereas Hemphill et al. deal in their article with the move from state control and regulation of urban policy towards local empowerment and decentralised decision-making, in some cases of this phenomenon we are also seeing scaling-up to the regional level. This paper discusses the chan...
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Papers by Marjolein Spaans