Memo: Accessibility of European regions and cities has improved during 2001-2006

ESPON has recently published "Territorial Observation No.2". This publication is looking into Territorial Trends in Accessibility in Europe and its regions. The aim is to provide updated facts to policy makers engaged with regional competitiveness and territorial cohesion for their policy development process.

The ESPON Territorial Observation No.2 opens with a summary of 10 key points, among them are:

· Transport infrastructure and transport service development during 2001-2006 has increased the overall accessibility of European regions and cities, with the highest improvement for rail accessibility.

· New high-speed rail and air services have improved the accessibility of some regions outside the core area (Pentagon) supporting a polycentric pattern.

· Road transport developments have improved the situation for many regions, particularly in Eastern Europe, benefiting from reduced border waiting times and from new infrastructure endowment.

· Economic development of a region is often related with potential accessibility. In general, regions with a high accessibility are most often also economically and competitively successful.

ESPON: Territorial Dynamics in Europe: Trends in Accessibility http://www.espon.eu/mmp/online/website/content/programme/1455/2175/2176/2890/index_EN.html

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