ABSTRACT
In the last two decades, spatial planning in Europe has been wrestling with the implications of the Single European Project, recognized in the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP – CEC 1999) as well as in the spatial agenda for European territorial development, both documents envisaging a polycentric territorial structure with a multi-level urban hierarchy (DE Presidency 2007). Central to the ‘polycentrism’ concept is the fact that subordinate territories benefit from connections to node cities, even across borders reflecting a reality that many border areas are actual or potential urban hinterlands for foreign cities. Therefore, cross-border planning lies at the heart of a successful territorial agenda for European competitiveness and cohesion.
