1st Edition
Urban Change and Regional Development at the Margins of Europe Evaluating the Effects of the EU Policy
Since the beginning of the 1990s, regions and urban areas have become a primary target of EU Cohesion Policy. For a number of European cities, especially in the less developed regions, this has resulted in a unique opportunity for the implementation of extensive development projects, as well as delivering innovations in urban policy and local governance.
Through the detailed observation of planning processes which took place in four European cities – Porto (PT), Malaga (ES), Palermo (IT), and Thessaloniki (EL) – this book explores the different ways that EU intervention can affect the policy process locally, from the regeneration of decayed neighbourhoods and the creation of key services for improving the quality of life, to the establishment of new governance relations and increasing the institutional capacity in local government.
The book also provides a critical reflection on the impact of EU urban policy in reducing regional disparities and the extent to which Cohesion Policy has helped cities to open new pathways for local development. With a special focus on the EU’s marginal regions, this book is a guide to understanding how EU policy has affected urban change and local development across Europe.
The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Urban Research & Practice.
Introduction
Ignazio Vinci and Paula Russell
1. Cities and regional disparities in the European Union: evolving geographies and challenges for Cohesion Policy
Ignazio Vinci
2. The influence of EU policy on local policy-making, governance and urban change. Evidence from Porto, Portugal
João Igreja and Paulo Conceição
3. Transferring sustainability: imaginaries and processes in EU funded projects in Thessaloniki
Evangelia Athanassiou
4. Understanding the influence of EU urban policy in Spanish cities: the case of Málaga
Sonia De Gregorio Hurtado
5. How the EU regional policy can shape urban change in Southern Europe: learning from different planning processes in Palermo
Ignazio Vinci
Biography
Ignazio Vinci is Professor of Urban Planning in the Department of Architecture at the University of Palermo, Italy. His research activity focuses on urban development in Europe, urban policy, spatial planning, and territorial governance. He is Vice President of the European Urban Research Association (EURA).
Paula Russell is Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture Planning and Environmental Policy at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her main area of research relates to the role of civil society in the planning process, looking at issues of engagement and influence. She is a member of the board of the European Urban Research Association (EURA) and Associate Editor of the journal Urban Research & Practice.
