ABSTRACT
While the previous chapter has looked at the role of place identity at the transnational and sub-national scales in Europe (i.e. within the North Sea Region and the regions involved in the NoordXXI Project), this chapter investigates the relationship between place identity and territorial identity in more detail at a sub-national, or meso-regional level, and how this is affecting planning. Again, the empirical basis for this chapter is primarily work undertaken through the NoordXXI project, one component of which focused on participation across six local authorities in the four participating countries. While the initial intention of this research component was to investigate innovation in public participation in planning as undertaken by some of the project partners, in practice the investigation also discovered considerable innovation in inter-institutional collaboration. In many situations this was in fact probably the dominant factor in creating the 'arena' of participatory activity or negotiation.
