Abstract
A vast literature has investigated processes of spatial reconfiguration, contributing to the emergence of a ‘new urban question’ that not only reframes traditional urban issues but also challenges our understanding of what cities are today. Be that as it may, the ‘European city model’ still remains current, particularly with regards to the institutional role of cities as they are increasingly considered to be relevant policy actors. This urban paradox gives new emphasis to the urban regional scale and urgently calls for the two dimensions to be connected both in terms of territorial dynamics and policy formulation. This paper addresses the topic by focusing on the functional area approach promoted by the European Union regional policy discourse, and by discussing how it shapes and legitimates new spatial configurations, with implications for urban analysis and policy approaches. The paper is based on the analysis of a database which gathers nearly 1000 strategies for Sustainable Urban Development funded by the EU between 2014-2020, and features a significant number of functional areas. The analysis reveals that the functional area approach does not only apply to metropolitan areas, big cities, or Functional Urban Areas, but can also be used for different types of territories, beyond metropolitan areas. It also underscores the need for more extensive research on what spatialities and territorial arrangements emerge from this process.
Highlights
Since the 1990s, European urban discourse has been characterised by the upsurge of urban regionalisation.The focus has shifted from urban areas to city regions and functional areas (Davoudi, 2008)
This paper explores the concept of Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) at a pan European level because they are considered as relevant spatial units to tackle emerging urban challenges
European Union (EU) urban policy discourse seems to have acknowledged the emergence of new spatialities
Summary
Since the 1990s, European urban discourse has been characterised by the upsurge of urban regionalisation. The paper is based on the mixed methodology of the URBADEV project This methodology entails a review of academic literature and grey literature on urban regionalisation and on the urban dimension of EU policy, as well as quantitative analysis of the STRAT-Board database, and qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis of the STRAT-Board database offers a unique pan-European understanding of the integrated approach to SUD as supported by Cohesion Policy, through data on more than 900 strategies implemented between 2014-2020 in 28 countries. Sustainable Urban Development as defined in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 1301/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on the European Regional Development Fund and on specific provisions concerning the Investment for growth and jobs goal and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006 It includes strategies of Sustainable Urban Development (SUD), Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI) and Community-led Local. Case studies were built using secondary and primary sources such as literature reviews, and interviews and workshops with policy-makers, experts, and relevant stakeholders (the Urban Development Network peer-review workshops and two URBADEV workshops)
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