REGIONAL PLANNING
REGIONAL PLANNING
TOPICS
I. Regional science paradigms
• The physics
• The biological
II. Focus of regional planning
III. Regional planning revisited
IV. Conclusions
REGIONAL PLANNING PARADIGMSTHE PHYSICS • Regional science shape its practice in the mirror image of
physics (social physics)• Regional science focused on the discovery of laws of
human settlements (similarities & regularities) • The methods and concept used by regional scientist are
derived in great part from physics (gravity law, friction, mass, distance, energy, force, etc.)
• Function and flows taking place in human settlements are important concepts used by regional scientists
• Focus on explaining human settlements form (central place theory, urban hierarchy, etc.)
• Emphasizes functional differentiation (comparative advantage)
THE BIOLOGICAL
• Regions are analogous to living organisms
• Explaining adaptation and survival of people are key issues of regional science (social Darwinism)
• Instead of assuming behavior (rational) studies behavior (the purpose of the action)
REGIONAL PLANNING PARADIGMS
FOCUS OF REGIONAL PLANNING
• Decentralization policies (urban primacy vs. rank size rule)
• Reduction of regional disparities (growth poles)
• Redistribution (regional convergence) • Alonso argues that large cities or
concentration have been proven to be inefficient. They continue to attract investment, people, etc.
Regional Planning Revisited
According Barnes & Ledebur the field of regional economics has gone through a paradigm shift
• Nationalist view (old paradigm)
• Common market of local economies (new paradigm)
The new paradigm focuses not only on economics but also incorporates politics (political economy of regions)
THE NATIONALIST VIEW
• Its roots are based on the political notion of the “nation-state”
• The economy is thought to be a “national” economy
• The role of macroeconomic policy is to “manage” the national economy (monetary & fiscal policy) to promote growth
• Regions often are defined through political jurisdictions (federal, state, local, regional)
• There exists a mismatch between political units and economic regions
Common market of local economies
• The US economy is a common market of local economies
• Local economies are interrelated nationally as well as a globally
• Linkages and functional relationships are not constrained by jurisdictional boundaries
• The fact that linkages spill across political jurisdictions makes affects the efficiency and effectiveness of economic policy
• Multiple stakeholders and jurisdictions converge in a single local economy. It poses the dilemma of the commons. The regional economy is a collective good
INTERDEPENDENT ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
REGIONAL POLITICALECONOMY
NATIONAL POLITICALECONOMY
GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
Source: Barnes & Ledebur (1998: 80)
A SCHEMATIC VIEW OF REGIONS
Source: Barnes & Ledebur (1998: 116)
El PASO DEL NORTE REGION
EURO-REGIONS• The Association of European Border Regions sets the
following criteria for the identification of euroregions http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Local_and_regional_Democracy/Transfrontier_co-operation/Euroregions/2Definition.asp:
• An association of local and regional authorities on either side of the national border, sometimes with a parliamentary assembly;
• A transfrontier association with a permanent secretariat and a technical and administrative team with own resources;
• Of private law nature, based on non-profit-making associations or foundations on either side of the border in accordance with the respective national law in force;
• Of public law nature, based on inter-state agreements, dealing among other things, with the participation of territorial authorities.
EURO-REGIONSAims
• The Council of Europe's policy on the promotion of transfrontier co-operation is based on:
• confidence-building to increase tolerance, understanding and good-neighbourly relations between populations, especially in border regions where minorities exist (transfrontier co-operation in cultural and linguistic spheres and local and regional media are important factors in this regard)
• improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the provision of public services through the sharing of facilities and services across frontiers
• dealing with problems that spill over the frontiers: air and water pollution, natural and other disasters, such as floods and fire;
EURO-REGIONS
• co-ordination of policies for mutual interest, such as in the field of regional planning, urban and rural development
• dealing with specific needs of border populations, such as the question of taxation and social security rights of transfrontier workers, arrangements for facilitating local border traffic
• establishing transfrontier co-operation bodies to ensure that transfrontier relations are sustained and improved.
• The Council of Europe is working with the Assembly of European Regions (www.are-regions-europe.org), on collecting and disseminating good-practice examples in interterritorial co-operation.
http://www.are-regions-europe.org/VICARDS/index.html