REGIONAL PLANNING

TOPICS

I. Regional science paradigms

• The physics

• The biological

II. Focus of regional planning

III. Regional planning revisited

IV. Conclusions

REGIONAL PLANNING PARADIGMSTHE PHYSICS • Regional science shape its practice in the mirror image of

physics (social physics)• Regional science focused on the discovery of laws of

human settlements (similarities & regularities) • The methods and concept used by regional scientist are

derived in great part from physics (gravity law, friction, mass, distance, energy, force, etc.)

• Function and flows taking place in human settlements are important concepts used by regional scientists

• Focus on explaining human settlements form (central place theory, urban hierarchy, etc.)

• Emphasizes functional differentiation (comparative advantage)

THE BIOLOGICAL

• Regions are analogous to living organisms

• Explaining adaptation and survival of people are key issues of regional science (social Darwinism)

• Instead of assuming behavior (rational) studies behavior (the purpose of the action)

REGIONAL PLANNING PARADIGMS

FOCUS OF REGIONAL PLANNING

• Decentralization policies (urban primacy vs. rank size rule)

• Reduction of regional disparities (growth poles)

• Redistribution (regional convergence) • Alonso argues that large cities or

concentration have been proven to be inefficient. They continue to attract investment, people, etc.

Regional Planning Revisited

According Barnes & Ledebur the field of regional economics has gone through a paradigm shift

• Nationalist view (old paradigm)

• Common market of local economies (new paradigm)

The new paradigm focuses not only on economics but also incorporates politics (political economy of regions)

THE NATIONALIST VIEW

• Its roots are based on the political notion of the “nation-state”

• The economy is thought to be a “national” economy

• The role of macroeconomic policy is to “manage” the national economy (monetary & fiscal policy) to promote growth

• Regions often are defined through political jurisdictions (federal, state, local, regional)

• There exists a mismatch between political units and economic regions

Common market of local economies

• The US economy is a common market of local economies

• Local economies are interrelated nationally as well as a globally

• Linkages and functional relationships are not constrained by jurisdictional boundaries

• The fact that linkages spill across political jurisdictions makes affects the efficiency and effectiveness of economic policy

• Multiple stakeholders and jurisdictions converge in a single local economy. It poses the dilemma of the commons. The regional economy is a collective good

INTERDEPENDENT ECONOMIC SYSTEMS

REGIONAL POLITICALECONOMY

NATIONAL POLITICALECONOMY

GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY

Source: Barnes & Ledebur (1998: 80)

A SCHEMATIC VIEW OF REGIONS

Source: Barnes & Ledebur (1998: 116)

El PASO DEL NORTE REGION

EURO-REGIONS• The Association of European Border Regions sets the

following criteria for the identification of euroregions http://www.coe.int/T/E/Legal_Affairs/Local_and_regional_Democracy/Transfrontier_co-operation/Euroregions/2Definition.asp:

• An association of local and regional authorities on either side of the national border, sometimes with a parliamentary assembly;

• A transfrontier association with a permanent secretariat and a technical and administrative team with own resources;

• Of private law nature, based on non-profit-making associations or foundations on either side of the border in accordance with the respective national law in force;

• Of public law nature, based on inter-state agreements, dealing among other things, with the participation of territorial authorities.

EURO-REGIONSAims

• The Council of Europe's policy on the promotion of transfrontier co-operation is based on:

• confidence-building to increase tolerance, understanding and good-neighbourly relations between populations, especially in border regions where minorities exist (transfrontier co-operation in cultural and linguistic spheres and local and regional media are important factors in this regard)

• improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the provision of public services through the sharing of facilities and services across frontiers

• dealing with problems that spill over the frontiers: air and water pollution, natural and other disasters, such as floods and fire;

EURO-REGIONS

• co-ordination of policies for mutual interest, such as in the field of regional planning, urban and rural development

• dealing with specific needs of border populations, such as the question of taxation and social security rights of transfrontier workers, arrangements for facilitating local border traffic

• establishing transfrontier co-operation bodies to ensure that transfrontier relations are sustained and improved.

• The Council of Europe is working with the Assembly of European Regions (www.are-regions-europe.org), on collecting and disseminating good-practice examples in interterritorial co-operation.

http://www.are-regions-europe.org/VICARDS/index.html