Territorial Perspective Research Articles

Bridging the Divide Between Structural and Actor-Oriented Explanations of Populism: A Research Agenda for the Study of Populist Euroscepticism Through a Territorial Perspective

This article explores the intersection of structural and actor-oriented explanations of populism through a territorial perspective, focusing on populist Euroscepticism. It builds on findings from the ‘Local Mobilisation Against the EU. Territorial Dimensions of Populist Euroscepticism’ (EULOC) project, which examined local drivers and manifestations of populism and Euroscepticism across Europe. The article highlights the importance of analysing both the supply and demand sides of populist Euroscepticism, emphasising the role of geographic inequalities, local socio-economic trajectories and collective identities. By integrating national, regional and local case studies, the article aims to bridge the divide between structural and actor-oriented approaches, offering a more comprehensive understanding of populist Euroscepticism. This approach seeks to prevent reductionist arguments and contributes to broader discussions on political participation, representation and the dynamics of populist movements in Europe. The article underscores the need for nuanced, multi-layered research that considers the unique socio-political dynamics of different regions and the impact of local contexts on the development of Eurosceptic sentiments.

THE NEW ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY AND TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

This article investigates the intersection between economic theory and sociology through a qualitative methodology, aiming to deepen the interdisciplinary debate between economics and the New Economic Sociology (NES). The analysis focuses on the contributions of Granovetter, Fligstein, and DiMaggio, highlighting how NES concepts can enrich the understanding of territorial development, especially regarding the role of social relations in territories. Sociologists, in turn, demonstrate diligence and creativity in addressing cultural and political issues concerning collective representations and social coercion, fundamental concepts that define institutions. Based on a robust set of authors and bibliographic references, the article seeks to complement the debate on NES. The research reveals that NES offers valuable insights for analyzing territorial dynamics and reinforces the importance of a territorial approach in formulating development strategies. In the end, the article demonstrates that the themes discussed by NES confirm the need for a more integrated territorial perspective in constructing sustainable development projects.

Paving the way for low-carbon hydrogen supply chain deployment by exploring the potential of renewable energies and multisectoral hydrogen demand: Case study of France

France has set ambitious targets for hydrogen production in its National Roadmap, aiming to install at least 6.5 GW of electrolyzer capacity and produce 700,000 tons of hydrogen annually by 2030. The country is focusing on producing renewable or low-carbon hydrogen primarily through electrolysis. However, it faces significant barriers in rapidly scaling up renewable energy infrastructure and may need to consider import strategies to address potential shortages. Addressing these challenges requires investigating whether the availability of renewable energy for the production of electrolytic hydrogen could become a limiting factor for hydrogen adoption and potentially act as a bottleneck in its market integration. The methodology merges forecasts from the public and private sectors to address both renewable and non-renewable electricity production and the energy needed for rising hydrogen demand. The approach developed involves estimating France’s renewable energy supply up to 2050 and determines how much of this energy can be allocated to hydrogen production to ensure it remains carbon-free and genuinely renewable. Unlike many existing roadmaps that take a more general approach, the innovative part of this study is developing a territorial perspective to conduct a detailed analysis of potential mismatches between hydrogen supply and demand.Three distinct sources of electricity are considered for the electrolyzers, which could be connected to the grid or directly to renewable power plants: low-carbon electricity from the French grid, renewable electricity from re-powered solar and wind farms, and renewable electricity from newly installed power plants. Total electricity demand is projected to rise from 475 TWh/y in 2020 to 754 TWh/y in 2050, with the share of renewable energy increasing from 19% in 2020 to 69% in 2050.The study evaluates the demand for hydrogen in two key sectors, industry, which is heavily dependent on hydrogen, and mobility, which currently has a more modest contribution. Hydrogen demand is expected to increase from nearly 310 ktons per day in 2025 to over 2650 ktons per day by 2050.Given an average specific consumption of 55 kWh of electricity per kg of hydrogen produced, the total electricity demand for electrolytic hydrogen production is projected to grow from 17 TWh/year in 2025 to 146 TWh/year in 2050.It can be concluded that allocating the entire anticipated production from re-powered solar and on-shore wind farms in the coming years will not be sufficient to meet the electricity demand required for electrolytic hydrogen production. To prevent renewable energy from becoming a bottleneck for hydrogen market integration and to avoid the need for hydrogen imports, it is crucial to allocate 5% to 10% of the projected renewable output from newly installed plants to address the increasing hydrogen demand. This result is key to creating an optimal design model for hydrogen supply chains.

Territorial Images of Yorùbáland Cartographic Styles and Symbolic Representation in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

In the nineteenth century, Euro-American maps of Africa in the cultural contact of Europeans and Africans were also rhetorical devices, which articulated the politics of territorial conceptions of the geographical space. I contend that cartographic styles visually prompt alternative territorial perspectives with insights into past geographies. The paper examines three nineteenth-century maps of Yorùbáland in West-Central Africa highlighting cartographic styles, symbolic representations and territorial politics. Through a historical-stylistic analysis, I explore the cultural motivation of map production, their composition and the semiotic evaluation of their representations to stress alternative map appearances. These maps worked in territorial power relations, which highlight map styles as a persuasive element in the social construction of territorial identities and interests. Overall, the paper stresses maps are vital devices in the nineteenth century territorialisation of Yorùbáland, which exemplify the cultural interdependence of Europeans, Americans and Africans.

Operationalizing spatial justice in urban planning: bridging theory with practice

ABSTRACT This research explores the challenges of using spatial justice as a basis for public policy and urban planning. Philosophical principles of justice are useful for systematic reasoning but lack objective criteria for evaluating spatial justice. We propose a framework based on criteria from social psychology – strict equality, need, merit, and entitlement – to a territorial perspective to determine the most appropriate distribution of amenities. We aim to provide a foundation for policy evaluation and urban interventions based on a selected spatial justice criterion.

Revisiting wildfire resilience from a territorial perspective: insights from Mediterranean Spain

Wildfires are increasingly recognized as a complex socioecological phenomenon, yet their linkages with territorial development are not clearly spelled out. This article seeks to unveil the sociopolitical and sociospatial ramifications of wildfires by framing them as a territorial issue, and understanding fire-prone territories as dynamic entities that emerge in essentially political processes, defined by socioecological relations that unfold across different spatial and temporal scales. Against this backdrop, building resilience is considered a territorially embedded and continuous process, driven by mechanisms operating “behind the flames.” By operationalizing this framework in the region of Valencia (Spain), it is shown how social innovation can help overcome lock-ins and enhance resilience. This research showcases the importance of building a trusting, collaborative culture across sectors and actors, and brings to the forefront the importance of considering rural–urban relationships for reducing territorial inequalities and building more resilient futures in Mediterranean, fire-prone territories.

Territory in urban food policies: the case of Spain

Over the last few decades, cities have taken on an active role in the formulation of food policies in line with the transition toward local, sustainable food systems. These policies have been materialized through the formulation of systemic, holistic urban food strategies. By setting up spatial, relational and organizational proximity circuits, they aim to reconnect the places involved in the production and consumption of food within the territory. The objective is to do so by interaction between the networks of actors on the different geographical scales. This article analyzes the food policies of six Spanish cities that signed the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Vitoria, Valladolid and Zaragoza have fulfilled their promise by formulating food strategies that set out their commitment to the construction of new, urban food systems that reconsider, from a territorial perspective, the relationship between the city and food. Using a conceptual framework that spans two well-known theoretical systems (the local territorial systems (LoTS) and the sustainable food networks (SFN)); a systematic review of the documents generated in the formulation of the urban food policies is carried out. The territorial capital linked to food is examined; the systems of actors that make up the food strategies are identified; the models of governance that the said strategies deploy and their capacity for self-organization are typified; and the potential of the public agendas for encouraging the construction of localized alternatives and the territorial sustainability of the urban food systems are evaluated. The results suggest that the Spanish urban food strategies, although conceptually inspired by the principles of the Milan Pact, are still far from possessing similarly transformative capacities. Such capacities are directly linked to the characteristics of the place: the existence of relational goods connected to food, the attributes of the territorial food capital, the density of the social capital, and the culture of the territorial planning. Beyond the generic references to the commitment to food, it is the context that determines its personality and reach, the solidity of the food governance, and the political sustainability of the processes that one wishes to set up.

Culture and regional development: information and communication technologies from a territorial perspective

This theoretical essay aims to analyze the theoretical aspects of culture and information and communication technologies from the perspective of territoriality. To this end, the methodological path followed has a theoretical wedge based on reference authors on the subject. The first part examines the bibliography on regional development and territoriality, highlighting economic and social aspects. It then explores the main concepts and definitions of culture and development. The last part analyzes the conjuncture of information and communication technologies, culture, and territorial development, narrowing down the theoretical gaps that underpin the theme. At the end of the paper, the theoretical framework shows that territorial development stems, among other things, from cultural actions, since there is the economic contribution of the arts, heritage, and especially the cultural and creative industries, added to cultural rights, with a focus on inclusion, access, empowerment, and integral development for the well-being of citizens. Finally, it should be noted that the spread of information and computer technologies is complementing and impacting the composition and operations of the cultural sector.

Environmental challenges and innovative responses of local agri-food systems: a theoretical approach

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse how local agri-food systems (LAFS), compared to other production models, can offer innovative responses to the important environmental challenges facing food production under the twin transition. These responses are more conducive to community inclusion and local development.Design/methodology/approachThe paper combines territorial development, clusters and industrial districts literature with studies on agri-food industry environmental problems and twin transition technologies to develop an agri-food systems typology. This typology is based on a territorial approach to environmental challenges of food production and serves to illustrate the ways in which LAFS can provide innovative responses to these challenges.FindingsThe study allows to visualise the differences between LAFS and other agri-food production models, showing how the operationalisation and implementation of digitisation occur at territorial level and how rural communities are involved in the process. The theoretical proposal emphasises not assuming that technology is inherently beneficial but ensuring that its implementation is inclusive and generates social value for the communities.Originality/valueThe paper aims to enrich future research by adopting a territorial perspective to study the twin transition challenges associated with food production systems.

Understanding and supporting intermediation work to address territorialized public policy issues: The case of a Territorial Food Project in France.

Few ergonomics studies have explored the work required to implement territorialized public policies. To identify key challenges for ergonomists who analyse and support intermediation work taking place in the design and implementation of a Territorial Food Project or TFP (a public policy device). We adapted a framework developed in the field of political sociology. The analysis focuses on two scales to identify key characteristics of intermediation work: the agri-urban area as delimited and targeted by the TFP; and the farm and its relationships to food systems. To capture how intermediation work articulates prescription and action, we studied first the work carried out by the actors to use a public policy device such as TFP, and second the evolving farming work systems' connections to food systems and how they are supported by various actors. Intermediation work is spread across a wide diversity of actors. Coordination at governance level aims to allocate resources among institutional actors and to check the progress of the elaborated action plan. Coordination at operational level, which is meant to support farming work system dynamics or to implement the action plan, focuses on fostering the emergence of initiatives but seems to lack a shared vision and time availability. We identify two main challenges: to further develop a framework for analysing the intermediation work occurring in a multi-scale and territorial perspective; and to develop new intervention methods so that ergonomists can take part in and support such intermediation work.

Семантика иконографии Спаса Нерукотворного в памятниках древнерусской художественной культуры

A synthesis of the main iconographic connotations of the Savior Not man-made is presented. Due to its antiquity and the status of the first icon, the relic of Saint Ubrus becomes the source of many semantics, which find their embodiment in various monuments of ancient Russian artistic culture. The author made an analysis of specific examples, which are considered frescoes and icons from the 12th to 16th centuries. The article formulates interconnection of means of artistic expressiveness peculiar to ancient Russian culture and realization of semantic accents and interpretations. The variability of the interpretation of the image and semantics of Mandilion in the chronological and territorial perspective is considered.

A Gestão Ordinária na Comunidade Quilombola Paiol de Telha no Paraná: Memórias das Lideranças sobre as Práticas Cotidianas Antes da Expulsão do Território

Abstract The aim of the present study is to learn more about the ordinary management of daily practices based on memories told and experienced by leaders at Quilombola Community “Invernada Paiol de Telha - Fundão” before they were expelled from their territory in 1974. Management practices in ordinary men’s daily life are not set from academic knowledge, but rather developed in a very peculiar way based on both their experiences and the context they live in. The qualitative methodology was herein adopted and it meant researchers’ insertion in this community and working with oral and written sources, mainly with oral history. Results have shown that “Fundão” set conviviality bonds by producing memories in order to turn space into symbolic places. It allowed better understanding their daily lives as space enabling the adoption of verb “to manage” linked to “Knowhow”. It is possible observing that practices adopted before their expelling from the territory were full of activities stressed by residents’ personal and collective repertoires about their routines and by the very essence of their management. Housing, eating and subsistence practices were observed at first, and solidarity, faith and leisure were the target in a second moment. Ancient community leaders “gave voice” to ancestral territoriality by recalling these daily practices. Such a territoriality highlighted the perspective of territory as space for lived experiences, whose relationship between Fundão residents and nature (physical and social) aimed at associations full of feelings and symbolisms represented by places.

Editorial Presentation - Perspectives on innovation governance: challenges and dilemmas

Editorial Presentation - Perspectives on innovation governance: challenges and dilemmas

Missions and Cohesion Policy: is there a match?

Abstract This paper explores possibilities for cross-fertilization between the mission-oriented approach (MOA), informing the European Union (EU) Missions, and Cohesion Policy (CP). It argues for mutual policy learning between CP and MOA to address their shortcomings: CP faces a gradual erosion of its identity, while MOA lacks a territorial perspective. MOA can offer a theoretical ‘blueprint’ for reorganizing and clarifying CP’s ever-expanding and blurred thematic scope, providing direction to strengthen CP’s result orientation, and encouraging the adoption of ‘whole-of-government’ approaches to streamline CP’s complex governance relationships. MOA can benefit from adopting the CP architecture, which allows for common broad priorities to be adapted to territorial contexts and to regional strategies. MOA could also learn from CP’s goal of maximizing equity and efficiency, its focus on empowering regions, and its redistributive approach for fostering the full potential of all regions to address societal challenges to support the objectives of the EU Missions.

TO THE QUESTION OF THE TRANSFORMATION OF ENERGY PRODUCTION CYCLES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS ABOUT THEIR EVOLUTION ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE URALS. PART 1. GOLD INDUSTRY

Based on the author's original historical and scientific approach to ranking energy production cycles and analyzing technological shifts in one of the basic branches of the Ural - the gold industry, the history, prospects and possible vectors of the industry development are investigated, taking into account new natural science concepts and modern worldview. The time lags of the technical and technological inertia of the Ural gold industry and its progress are studied in comparison with the evolution of the industry in Russia and in the World. It is shown that the classification of energy production cycles, created mainly in the second half of the twentieth century, is now not correct for the analysis of such a highly specialized industry as the gold industry even. It is not correct for the mining industry or metallurgy in general. In framework of the modern worldview noted, that not so much ore reserves as new technologies are beginning to play an increasingly important role in the industry, in which ideas about raw materials are changing. This significantly changes the status, as well as the historical perspective of mining territories, their potential in comparison with other territories for new industrialization.

Interactive Planning as Part of a Territorial Strategy to Develop Tourism Sites

Using the Callejón de Huaylas region as a case study, this article analyzes the role of interactive planning in the design of tourism areas from a territorial perspective. To begin tackling the complexity of the Callejón de Huaylas region, we chose degrees of municipal intervention in planning and the units of analysis for the questionnaire, and practices of participatory planning. This study is of a cross-sectional, non-experimental, descriptive design. As its instrument, a web-based questionnaire was provided by the out-of-the-ordinary circumstance, verified by a panel of 5 experts, and sent to a sample of 38 agents involved in direct and indirect roles in interactive planning for tourism places. In the end, it was found that the Callejón de Huaylas neighborhood benefits from a direct connection between the participatory planning procedures and the territorial planning strategy in the creation of tourism places.

Creating and Capturing Value in Innovation Ecosystems: A Systematic Literature Review Between 2010 and 2021

Value creation and capture in innovation ecosystems has been researched from two different perspectives: territorial (analysing city/regions) and platforms (analysing hub companies/firms). However, there is a gap in relation to the similarities and differences of value creation and capture for each of these perspectives of innovation ecosystems. Thus, our objective is to identify, through a systematic review, what are the contributions of the platform and territorial perspectives to the literature on value creation and capture in innovation ecosystems. We used Web of Science database and analysed 42 articles in English issued between 2010 and 2021. Our results identified similarities in the dimensions strategies, mechanisms of value creation and procedural view, as well as differences in relation to mechanisms of value capture, critical factors of success and value dimensions for each of the perspectives. At the end, we suggested an investigation agenda for future studies in these field.

Research on maintenance consciousness of store owners in setting up planting spaces around stores from the perspective of territory

Research on maintenance consciousness of store owners in setting up planting spaces around stores from the perspective of territory

Towards socio-digital rural territories to drive digital transformation: General conceptualisation and application to the olive areas of Andalusia, Spain

The future of rural areas, in different geographical contexts around the world, faces enormous challenges and uncertainties, with the emergence of complex territorial dynamics. One of the main disruptive factors underlying the current challenges in rural realities is digital transformation (DT). This study has two objectives: 1) to develop a theoretical framework for the analysis of DT in rural areas from a territorial perspective, through the proposal of the concept of ‘socio-digital rural territories’ (SDRT); and 2) to analyse the specific case of the olive areas of Andalusia where DT is starting in recent years. For this purpose, Social Network Analysis (SNA) techniques are used, both to build the theoretical framework and to evaluate the concepts developed at a practical level in the case study. The results obtained show that addressing DT in rural areas from a territorial approach should consider the technological innovation system (TIS) and relational social capital (RSC), embedded in the technological and social dimensions of a territory, as key elements to promote successful dynamics towards a SDRT. On the other hand, the analysis of the DT network in the olive-growing areas of Andalusia (the DT olive network) shows that the actors that stand out for their role as knowledge emitters include digital technologies companies, knowledge generation agents, knowledge transfer agents and the scientific and informative media. On the contrary, the main receiving knowledge actors are olive growers, cooperatives or cooperative groups, non-cooperative groups and agricultural organisations. The density of connections in the network is high considering the type of actors and connections analysed. The DT olive network has a high potential for the creation of RSC. Thus, there is bonding capital, in which a high number of connections between actors predominate, although with low homogeneity in the typology of actors. And there is bridging capital, in which organisations of different types participate, and as it is a decentralised network, it favours the lack of concentration of power. Finally, this article offers a novel explanation of how knowledge is exchanged and created in a social network, and how this exchange creates new intellectual capital. This capital, which in the case of DT is territorial digital capital, is translated into digital technologies. The results indicate that the DT olive network and its RSC lead to the potential formation of an SDRT in Andalusian olive areas.

Childhood obesity risk index (IROBIC) for small administrative areas in Chile

although the prevalence of childhood obesity (CO) is high globally, there are no composite indices to estimate territorial aspects associated with its risk Objective: to develop an obesity risk index (IROBIC) for small administrative units, called "comunas" in Chile Methods: we used 2019 data from public sources on children under 10 years living in "comunas" of the two largest regions. IROBIC includes 16 indicators standardized for each "comuna" and grouped together into four domains, determined by principal component analysis (health, socio-economic, built-in and educational environments). IROBIC was calculated as a weighted geometric mean. Differences in obesity risk between the 10 and 5 "comunas" with the highest and lowest IROBIC and of each domain, were calculated with the disparity ratio. in spite of the poorest "comunas" having the highest IROBIC, when its value and that for each domain were considered, we observed that the effect of inequality could be mitigated. The 10 and 5 "comunas" with the highest IROBIC have a 2.41 and 4.05 higher risk of CO compared to those with the lowest values Conclusions: IROBIC is a useful tool for monitoring the risk of CO and its factors from a territorial perspective.