Urban-Rural Partnerships and Governance of Peri-Urban Areas in a European Perspective. Towards Regenerative Regions

Abstract

Urban-rural partnerships are project-oriented cooperation initiatives between different actors in metropolitan areas and their surrounding or more distant rural hinterlands, the aim being to establish stable but flexible cooperation structures. As such, partnerships can contribute to different goals of European spatial development: (a) they can support polycentric spatial development and create incentives for further urban-rural relationships (cf. CEC in ESDP European spatial development perspective, 1999, 20), (b) they recognize the mutual urban-rural dependency by integrated planning and steering based on a broad partnership approach, and (c) they link to the concept that metropolitan regions and their hinterland should build partnerships of joint responsibility for development of the cooperation area (CEC in Territorial Agenda of the European Union 2020 2011, 8). The chapter reflects upon the concept of urban-rural partnerships in Peri-Urban areas and its potential to contribute to regenerative transformation of cities and regions using selected case studies from the project INTERREG IV C URMA “Urban Rural Partnerships in Metropolitan Areas” (2012–2014). In addition, it addresses the findings of the INTERREG IVB SURF “Sustainable Urban Fringes” (2009–2012). Finally, the chapter explores potentials and restrictions of different forms of urban-rural cooperation with regard to regenerative regional development.