> Architect and Town Planner > Deputy Director of Physical Planning Strathclyde Regional Council 1976- 1996 > Strathclyde Structure Plan 1976-1996 > First EU Award for Regional Planning > Secretary General METREX 1996-present ROGER READ
Mar 27, 2015
> Architect and Town Planner
> Deputy Director of Physical Planning Strathclyde Regional Council 1976-1996
> Strathclyde Structure Plan 1976-1996
> First EU Award for Regional Planning
> Secretary General METREX 1996-present
ROGER READ
> Metropolitan dimension to European affairs
> Climate change/Urban change
> Metropolitan dimension
> Key issues and governance
> Integrated metropolitan strategies
> Steps to a metropolitan Europe
> InterMETREX and PolyMETREXplus
> METROPOLITAN
OVERVIEW
> Founded at the Glasgow Metropolitan Regions Conference in 1996
> Network of practitioners (politicians, officials and their advisers) in spatial planning and development
> Twin purposes are the exchange of knowledge and the contribution of the metropolitan dimension to planning at the European level
METREX
> Members from 40 of the 120 recognised European metropolitan regions and areas (500k+)
> Meets twice a year in the spring and autumn> Holds a biennial Conference> Works through Expert Groups on key issues> Promotes Interreg IIIC projects> Details at www.eurometrex.org
METREX
> 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 or earlier
> Efficiency savings and renewable energy will not achieve this
> Must include changes in urban life (personal and corporate)
> Carbon light urban life is the necessity for survival
> Effective metropolitan governance will be a key factor in achieving this
CLIMATE CHANGE/URBAN CHANGE
> Carbon heavy activities (energy generation and use/travel) decline
> Emphasis on the local, metropolitan and regional> Better European urban balance will have to be
carbon light> Territorial cohesion will have to be carbon light
CLIMATE CHANGE/URBAN CHANGE
> Europe’s metropolitan regions and areas contain 60%, or 280m, of the 470m population of the EU27+
> Their prosperity and wellbeing are central to the achievement of the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas, the objectives of the ESDP and the EU Constitutional objective of territorial cohesion
METROPOLITAN DIMENSION
> Balancing urban redevelopment with urban expansion
> Integrating transport, land use and infrastructure> Sustaining the vitality and viability of city and
town centres> Enabling economic competitiveness> Promoting social inclusion> Assessing the environmental impact of
development> Safeguarding natural and heritage resources> Achieving a carbon light future
METROPOLITAN DIMENSIONKEY METROPOLITAN ISSUES
> Such key issues can only be addressed effectively at the level of the Functional Urban Area (FUA) or Region or Metropolitan European Growth Area (MEGA)
> These are the key building blocks for any European spatial perspective or strategy
> They are recognised in the ESDP, by ESPON, by the CoR and in the Third Cohesion Report
> They need to be made operational through effective metropolitan governance
METROPOLITAN DIMENSION
> Subsidiarity in Europe will only become a reality if there is effective governance at the metropolitan level
> Without effective metropolitan governance the populations of metropolitan areas are unable to influence some of the key issues affecting their future and its sustainability
> Without effective metropolitan governance the EU will be without a key level of partnership to implement its wider strategies
> An integrated approach to key metropolitan issues requires effective governance
METROPOLITAN GOVERNANCE
INTEGRATED METROPOLITAN STRATEGIESAND HORIZONTALVERTICAL
> The mechanisms for governance may range from the statutory and comprehensive, through the selective, to the voluntary, depending on the range of key strategic issues that need to be addressed and their severity
> Effective metropolitan governance and economic competitiveness and sustainability are interrelated
METROPOLITAN GOVERNANCE
ELECTED METROPOLITAN AUTHORITY WITH CORE PLANNING, OPERATING AND MANAGING POWERS22 Primary stakeholders in the Metropolitan strategic planning and development process [denotes privatised].
> Effective metropolitan governance requires the three key functions of competence, capability and process
> Competence means having the authority to adopt, implement and safeguard an Integrated Metropolitan Strategy
> Capability means having the knowledge and understanding to take informed decisions
> Process means having the means to regularly monitor, review and update the strategy
COMPETENCE, CAPABILITY AND PROCESS
An assessment process that can provide the basis for informed decision making on those aspects of the Metropolitan Spatial Plan that are market related, that is, industry and business, offices, retailing, housing and transportation.
The diagram summarises an approach to balancing supply and demand for sectoral issues.
THE INTERRELATED ACTION INVOLVED IN THE PREPARATION OF AN INTEGRATED METROPOLITAN SPATIAL PLANNING STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ON A POLYCENTRIC BASIS
> An integrated strategy always involves a balanced judgment of the relative environmental impact of a package of policies, programmes and projects
> An integrated strategy can demonstrate environmental impact avoided or compensated for as well as impact judged acceptable
> Assessing the impact of specific development proposals individually does not allow such an overall judgment to be made
> The process of producing an Integrated Metropolitan Strategy is the only effective means of assessing the relative environmental impact of the spatial planning and development choices available
STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT [SEA]
1 Population mass and proximity/connectivity
8 Identity
3 Definition of Functional Urban Region/Area or Metropolitan European Growth Area (MEGA)
4 Recognition
8 Marketing
8 Influence
7 Support
STEPS TO A METROPOLITAN EUROPE
8 Governance
9 Strategic issues and the longer term view
10 Visions and strategies to engage stakeholders
11 Competencies related to issues
12 Capability for informed decision making on the issues
13 Processes to implement strategies, policies, programmes and projects
14 Processes to regularly roll forward a longer term view
STEPS TO A METROPOLITAN EUROPE
> Policy drives data collection> EU policy to address disadvantage> Role and remit of Eurostat> NUTS statistical areas> Objective 1,2,3 areas etc.> League tables> Statistical exclusion> Either in or out of policy framework
STEPS TO A METROPOLITAN EUROPEINFORMED EU POLICY MAKING
> Not only NUTS but also FUA/R or MEGA (metropolitan dimension)
> Definition…..labour markets/journey to work areas……and comparability
> Recognition, governance, issues, information, informed policy decisions, effective action
> A policy issue…….polycentricity> Based on specialisation (complementarity) for
collective competitiveness (clusters, corridors)
STEPS TO A METROPOLITAN EUROPEINFORMED METROPOLITAN DECISION MAKING
> Territorial cohesion is now a European constitutional objective
> The ESDP is concerned about the longer term urban balance of a Europe where over 50% of the GDP is produced in the core area around the London/Paris/Rhine axis
> Metropolitan regions and areas have a central role to play in achieving territorial cohesion and better urban balance
TERRITORIAL COHESIONWHAT MIGHT BETTER URBAN BALANCE LOOK LIKE?
> Recognised inner core (GIZ) and related outer core bridging areas linking to the periphery
> Balance between the inner core and the Mediterranean and Danubian/Baltic transnational areas
> Improved East/West, North/South and peripheral connectivity
> Good connectivity from all areas to the core area> Good connectivity to European gateways> Recognition of Europe’s metropolitan regions and
areas> In consequence, strong polycentric
relationships within European inter regional areas and between them
TERRITORIAL COHESIONWHAT MIGHT BETTER URBAN BALANCE LOOK LIKE?
> InterMETREX seeks to enable them to become as individually strong as possible through effective spatial planning and development practice within metropolitan regions and areas
> PolyMETREXplus seeks to enable them to become as collectively strong as possible though the development of effective polycentric relationships between metropolitan regions and areas
> A polycentric Europe cannot be built without strong metropolitan regions and areas
> InterMETREX enables PolyMETREXplus
INTERMETREX AND POLYMETREXPLUS
> METREX has received approval of the InterMETREX project, under the Interreg IIIC programme, to apply and develop the METREX Practice Benchmark across the wider Europe
> Led by Glasgow, involves 32 metropolitan partners and will run from 2003-2006 with a budget of €1.16m
> Purpose is to assist the function of spatial planning and development to become as effective as possible within metropolitan areas
INTERMETREX
> METREX has also received approval to the PolyMETREXplus project under the Interreg IIIC programme
> Led by Catalunya with 19 partners, will run from 2004-2007 and has a budget of €1.84m
> A Framework for a Polycentric Metropolitan Europe, a related Action Plan, a programme of representative interregional networking activities (RINA's) and a Polycentric Practice Benchmark
> Purpose is to respond the challenge in the ESDP to develop a better urban balance across Europe through the promotion of polycentric relationships, including social, economic, transportation and environmental linkages
POLYMETREXPLUS
> Facilitate metropolitan recognition and definition
(data collection and comparative indicators)> Promote mechanisms for appropriate and
effective metropolitan governance> Promote the production of key issue based
Integrated Metropolitan Strategies (with stakeholder involvement)
> Actively support the implementation of such Strategies through the Structural funds
> Actively support the exchange of practitioner knowledge on metropolitan affairs
METROPOLITAN