Governance of Europe’s city regions. Planning, policy and politics

Book abstract:

The role of the nation state is perceived to be under perpetual challenge by proponents of the European State, but at the same time we see a growth of influence by city regions within Europe. Could this 'new regionalism' herald a reversion to the 'city state'? This work seeks to explore the evidence of 'new regionalism' in the EU.

Organised over eight chapters, the book begins with an overview of regional issues in the EU, exploring the territorial and institutional aspects before moving to more detailed studies of city-regional structures, governance and territoriality across a broad spectrum of EU experience. Chapter two discusses the theoretical issues of territory and the linkage with scale, and the relationships with government which have impact on the operational capacity of the groups. That capacity for growth in operational effectiveness is taken up in chapter three which looks at the city regions as active economic cores requiring different policy outcomes from the EU in respect of funding and an effective voice in the EU corridors of power.

Chapter four considers this increasing shift of power from centrally directed policy and presents an overview of the various and differing national responses to the clamour for increased regional self-determination and policy making. These national responses are considered in greater detail in chapter five by the comparison of regional policy in England and Germany. The impact of these different approaches is examined in chapter six. Analysis by comparison is employed again in chapter seven to evaluate differing forms of city regions - monocentric or polycentric - and the competitive forces at work between regions of the same type or with one of a different type. The concluding chapter eight draws together the evidence of earlier chapters, presenting both the similarities and differences of the various responses to these new city regions and asserting that the regionalism process is set to grow in influence and scale in the EU and will necessarily move from the largely symbolic status it has so far achieved in England.

The work will interest scholars, students, policy researchers and practitioners engaged in the fields of EU studies, regional development and economics.

Tassilo Herrschel is Senior Lecturer in Economic Geography, Department of Social and Political Studies, University of Westminster.

Peter Newman is Senior Lecturer in the School of the Built Environment at the University of Westminster.