ABSTRACT
At the start of the twenty-first century, Europe indeed the entire developed world faces multiple challenges of economic and spatial reorganisation. The basic phenomena are well-known and well-rehearsed. The most basic is the shift to a service-based economy in which manufacturing forms a negligible part of employment and even the gross domestic product (GDP); services dominate and the distinction between producer and consumer services becomes critical; advanced producer services not just financial and business services, but also the media and the design professions become the main economic driver, and even the distinction between manufacturing and services erodes through the critical role played by logistics. This fundamental shift has major spatial impacts on cities and regions. Differences emerge both between regions and within them. National governments and the European Union Commission seek to reduce core-periphery differences by such measures as improved transport and communications, and the improvement of human capital through education and training programmes.
