ABSTRACT
During the 1990s the need to consider a European or even a global dimension to spatial development has become increasingly recognised by spatial planners and policy-makers. The spatial impacts of large-scale spatial development trends (explained in Chapter 4) and EU sector policies (Part V) on domestic territories are considerable. Recognising the European dimension to spatial planning has prompted cooperation on pan-European and transnational spatial strategies (discussed in Part IV). Spatial planners have also given more consideration to the geographical and socio-economic position of their own territory within the EU and the globalised world. The interest in better understanding the main characteristics of the spatial structure of Europe and the key development trends that affect the territory has led to the emergence of a number of new European spatial concepts, images and metaphors.
