ABSTRACT
The position of Barcelona is original in many respects, given that the city government has invested in a ‘colloquial’ system whereby Barcelona’s leading players meet to evaluate the city’s strengths and weaknesses in a debate with the representatives of its surrounding areas. In 2010 AMB (Area Metropolitana Barcelona) was created to improve public service provision in the Barcelona metropolitan area through citizen involvement and participation and by means of dialogue with economic and social players. The metropolitan government also supports the management of the town councils that make it up. This participatory process facilitates the coordination of various interventions and is characterised by a high level of consensus, and it is of great importance for the city, which economically depends on its urban region (Degan and Garcia 2012). Copenhagen is certainly the case study with the most complex governance problems, which are crucial to its internationalisation and attractiveness represented by the cross-border area of Øresund. Within this cross-border metropolitan region, Copenhagen and Malmoe could potentially cooperate on issues such as transport and regional planning, economic development, tourism, culture, research, education and employment. In the future Copenhagen and Malmoe should interact more, exchange experiences and learn from each other, forming a sort of twin-system. The Øresund Region is a technology hub with excellent innovation potential, world-class scientific infrastructure and a positive environment for start-ups. But this innovative and ambitious project continues to present real barriers to effective integration: bureaucracy, tax and policy obstacles continue to impede cross-border mobility (Nauwelaers et al. 2013). In 2007, the institutional structure of the bi-lateral Øresund Committee (Danish-Swedish) was strengthened, in parallel with an increased focus on policy formulation. This resulted in a strategic vision for Øresund in 2008 that will lead on to a common development strategy in the coming years (OECD 2009). In this case, too, the building of a new institutional capital evidently requires time for vertical and horizontal relationships (mutual trust, institutional settings), to develop, as well as the involvement of citizens and the private sector.
