Cross-border spatial planning

Stricto sensu, and from a theoretical perspective, cross-border spatial planning refers to the desire to order territorial development and land use across border. The expression words “spatial planning” which is rarely used as such in the English-speaking world, stems from the willingness of the European Union to use a communication tool that eases discussions and debates between the actors in Europe (Dühr et al., 2010). Since there is no cross-border jurisdiction specifically dedicated to this domain and no harmonisation of territorial planning systems in Europe, spatial planning at the cross-border scale faces many obstacles. In addition, it is very differently implemented depending on the geographical context where it occurs (from very local to macro-regional scales), and on the involvement of the stakeholders in charge of it. Without clear and rigid definition, the expression “cross-border spatial planning” has been stretched to cover a large range of initiatives, sometimes limited to modest outcomes.