Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
presidency on the other. Already for the trend scenarios a paradigm change in
spatial development policy was taking place, notably with regard to transport
policy, with a shift in emphasis from new infrastructure projects towards traffic pre-
vention and modal shift strategies. This approach is also evident in the 1997 maps.
However, the phrasing on the maps prepared under the Italian presidency and the
selection of what is represented provide interesting evidence for the dominant view
of southern member states that these maps might help to identify gaps and short-
comings for which EU funding could be made available. For instance, the Italian
presidency maps talk about 'missing transport connections' and 'weakness and
backwardness of the economic system'. Furthermore, they demonstrate that a dis-
cussion of the appropriate agenda for European spatial planning had not (or not
sufficiently) taken place and that domestic issues were 'upgraded' to the European
level. Several issues are represented which would more appropriately be a policy
concern for regional or local level planning (for instance: internal problems of cities
(congestion, segregation, etc.) in the 'polycentric spatial development' map).
DISTORTIONS IN COMMUNICATION THROUGH 'MAPS' IN THE ESDP
PROCESS
The agenda for the ESDP was not clearly defined during the early years of co-
operation, which might have been the reason for the late consideration of possible
spatial representations in the process. Yet, this - besides the lack of competences for
spatial planning at this level of scale and the differences in understanding of an appro-
priate agenda for planning - has played an important part in the problems experienced
later on. The 'searching' for a European spatial development agenda until the mid-
1990s meant that much effort had already been spent on agreeing general policy prin-
ciples without a clear spatial dimension, which then created problems for 'mapping'.
There are other examples of transnational planning processes, such as the Second
Benelux Structural Outline (Secrétariat général de l'Union économique Benelux,
1996), where draft maps were successfully used to structure discussions and define
policy priorities.
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One could argue that the ESDP process might have been rather dif-
ferent if cartographic representations of spatial patterns, but also of intended future
spatial developments, had been incorporated earlier and used to illuminate the issues
facing the EU territory and to decide on appropriate spatial concepts.
Introducing policy maps early in the process can, besides aiding a discussion
on the spatial impact of certain policies, also help to decide on the function that the
informal spatial strategy should take. As De Vries (2002, Chapter 3) has shown, it is
important to identify the role of a spatial strategy, as this will help to decide the
necessary mechanisms for its application or implementation. The ESDP process is
interesting, because by definition (reflecting the lack of competence) the strategy
was aimed at communication, and therefore a 'vision model' (Needham
et al.
, 1997)
