Governance and Polycentric Urban Development the territorial and
Governance and Polycentric Urban Development: the territorial and political translation of spatial ideas Tim Richardson & Gordon Dabinett Department of Town and Regional Planning The University of Sheffield ESPON Scientific Conference, A European Territorial Research Community, October 13 -14, 2005, University of Luxembourg
approach • using situated analysis to enrich understanding of the impact of European spatial policies • macro-analytical and micro-political perspectives on ‘polycentricity’: – analytical purity of ESPON’s research (determination of ‘polycentricity’ through calculative practices) – moments of translation: embedding of ideas in planning events at different scales (‘polycentricity remains open and contestable’) • how calculative practices play a crucial part in legitimising spatial policy discourses and practices
South Yorkshire • 1. 3 million population • Four urban centres within a high quality environment • Traditional industrial area undergoing restructuring • Objective 1 2001 -2006 • No single governance structure Barnsley Sheffield Doncaster Rotherham
Moments of translation: expressions of ‘spatiality’ at successive stages in the preparation of the South Yorkshire Spatial Study • The Study Brief: transfer of a European idea • The consultant’s study: translation through communicative processes – polycentricity as a network of specialised urban economies … complementary and inter-dependent functions… cooperation that achieves mutual benefits. • The five spatial propositions: policy meanings through mapping – South Yorkshire now; monocentric; bi-polar; polycentric plus; Dearne-Don axis • The assessment criteria: meaning through policy fit – Spatial objectives – Economic outcomes – Policy changes • The tools and instruments: meaning through classification and hierarchy • The ‘client’s’ decision ; meaning through governance
Polycentric development: the Study Brief
Mapping of the spatial propositions in the SYSS
ESPON’s pure analysis • A top down approach • Relies heavily on measurable populations • Finds tensions between macro/meso and micro scale applications of polycentricity, contrary to ESDP’s expectations • ‘South Yorkshire’ invisible • does not relate well to the actual territorial politics of SY, and does not reflect the existing functional relations between urban centres.
FUAs and PIAs: rendering ‘Sheffield’ visible as the 11 th most significant Main Potential Polycentric Integration Area (PIA) in Europe, with a combined population of c 9. 5 million
challenges in the implementation of polycentricity at all spatial scales No link between macro/meso analysis and subregional polycentricity
the gap From above: the future development of the functional relations between South Yorkshire’s urban centres is irrelevant to the opportunity for ‘Sheffield’ to become a high ranking polycentric territory at the European level From below: macro-scale spatial agendas are not relevant to the search for functional relations between neighbouring cities and urban areas which are the primary focus of territorial politics
conclusions • ESPON research identifies conflict between the pursuit of polycentricity at the European level and the ESDP's goal of achieving a balanced polycentric urban system: 'It will be the task of further research to point towards rational tradeoffs in this goal conflict‘ • Situated micro-political analysis which engages with construction of spatial meaning through local (and multi-scalar) territorial politics seems useful in addressing this challenge
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