European Regional Science Association
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European Regional Science Association
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The abstract for paper number 3:
Rudolf Juchelka, Aachen University
Departement of Geography, Aachen, Germany
Shifting from periphery to the center in the European core area: The Euregion Meuse-Rhine (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany) Examples of spatial planning in a cross border region
The cross-border region Euregio Meuse-Rhine is constituated of partner-regions in three states: Belgium, Netherlands and Germanny. The Meuse-Rhine Euregio has 3.7 millions of inhabitants - a number which has a wide range of impacts on the whole of the area. The territory of the Meuse-Rhine Euregio lies close to the spots where major European highways and railway lines intersect. Its favourable „in-between“ location - which means the location between important and productive agglomeration areas like the Ruhr District, the Rhine-Main area, the Randstad Holland, the Belgian metropolises of Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp, as well as the economic centre of Lille in northern France - must be regarded as a major asset.
This presentation will give examples of spatial planning in this cross-border region, e.g. in the fields of transport and traffic and economic transformation. The impacts of the European single market will be demonstrated. One focus of the presentation will be the effects of the locational shift from a peripheral region to region with a central location in the European core area.
The objective for the Meuse-Rhine Euregio has to be the development into an independent European integrated agglomeration of second order - subordinated to the European metropolises - and to be attractive for the adjoining agglomerations. This may be the only way in the long run to develop this future mere ‘transit function for the Community with environmental impacts on the region’ into a region with its own centrality which helps increase the productivity. Therefore, traffic is the basis for further development and consolidation of the Meuse-Rhine Euregio as a model region in a „Europe of the Regions“.
Unfortunately full paper has not been submitted.