ABSTRACT
From the early 1990s, spatial planning in Europe has experienced rapid and sometimes radical reform. This is especially true for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The enlargement of the European Union, economic globalization, increasing competition, the sustainable development agenda, and demographic change have been key factors in shaping the speed and direction of change. At the same time, European-wide policy statements on spatial planning and the recognition of the critical spatial impacts of sectoral policies have been important in stimulating reforms. A wide range of transnational interregional and cross-border networking initiatives have influenced thinking about alternative approaches by exposing planning professionals to planning practices and policies in other countries. The result has been the ‘Europeanization’ of spatial planning in various ways, although this is not synonymous with the convergence of planning systems or planning approaches.
