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Articles by christophe sohn

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER: SERIES B, HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2023

The succession of rebordering shocks that occurred in recent years raises questions about the imp... more The succession of rebordering shocks that occurred in recent years raises
questions about the implications of these (geo)political events for crossborder
cooperation. Based on the premise that special attention should
be paid to the evolution of ideas pertaining to borders as a forerunner
of significant policy changes, this paper seeks to show the extent to
which the reintroduction of temporary border controls between
Sweden and Denmark since 2015 has changed the meaning crossborder
cooperation stakeholders give to the national border crossing
the Öresund region. In order to identify ideational shifts in the mindset
of cross-border cooperation actors, the multiplicity of meanings
concerning borders is captured according to a relational perspective
using semantic network analysis. In doing so, an innovative method is
proposed. The comparative analysis of actors’ collective mental
representations of the border in 2014 and 2021 allows us to show the
impact of rebordering shocks. If the connecting role of the border is
now considered marginal, the opportunities it is likely to represent for
the Öresund region’s economic growth are still relevant. Moreover, the
recognition of a common regional identity also appears to have been
strengthened. In the meantime, the idea that the border could be a
source of conflict has gained momentum. The increasing recognition of
the ambivalence of the border reminds us that a crisis is often a source
of new challenges, but also of opportunities.

Geoforum, 2022

This paper explores the ways in which borders are likely to be used as a semiotic resource in cro... more This paper explores the ways in which borders are likely to be used as a semiotic resource in cross-border place branding. We develop a conceptual framework, distinguishing two meaning-making strategies: one that seeks to valorize borders as assets for cross-border place branding and another that relies on their invisibilization in order to promote, implicitly, the legitimacy of a seamless cross-border regional imaginary. For each meaning-making strategy, specific border discourses are identified. Based on a social semiotics approach, we analyze the case of Cali Baja, a place branding initiative that seeks to promote a bi-national mega-region straddling the US-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana. Despite the militarization of the border and the highly visible physical wall that divides Cali Baja, a selective branding discourse framed around favorable border images and representations is brought to the fore. It is therefore at the cost of the partial (in)visibilization of the border that the mega-region can be given value and promoted on the international scene, but it is also the discrepancy with the identity of the bi-national region that precipitated the failure of this place branding initiative.

Bulletin de l'Association de Géographes Français, 2022

Le concept de frontières comme ressource est généralement compris comme la capacité des populatio... more Le concept de frontières comme ressource est généralement compris comme la capacité des populations frontalières à traverser les frontières afin de bénéficier des différences qu'elles instituent. Dans un contexte global de sécurisation des frontières et compte tenu de la façon dont certains acteurs économiques et politiques tirent profit de leur fermeture, cet article se propose de reconsidérer le concept de frontière comme ressource selon deux dimensions : d’une part, en élargissant sa signification à un ensemble plus large de pratiques et de discours qui visent à mobiliser différentes opportunités frontalières ; d’autre part, en approfondissant notre compréhension des logiques qui sous-tendent la production des ressources liées aux frontières et leurs implications sociales, politiques et éthiques. L’élargissement du concept repose sur la mobilisation de la notion de structure d’opportunité. L’approfondissement du concept porte quant à lui sur les dynamiques de valorisation et de reproduction des ressources dans une perspective relationnelle. Ainsi redéfinie, la conceptualisation des frontières comme ressource permet d’éclairer de manière critique les différentes formes d’exploitations des frontières et les questions qu’elles soulèvent quant à leur changement de rôle et de signification.

Environment and Planning A, 2022

International boundaries have been mainly considered as barriers in literature on the 'cross-bord... more International boundaries have been mainly considered as barriers in literature on the 'cross-border regional innovation system' (CBRIS), in line with their traditional understanding. In this paper, we underline that such a perspective presents limits, and argue in favour of an understanding of multidimensional borders that are subject to dynamic change over time. By mobilizing conceptualizations from the field of border studies, we examine the various functions of borders to explain the innovation-led development potential in cross-border regions. In this view, international borders can function as an interface, a marker of difference or a symbol, rather than a mere barrier that separates regions. Further, we suggest that these border functions are key factors in explaining the 'fluctuating' integration dynamics of regional innovation systems across the border. Mobilizing evidence from two case studies in European and North American contexts, the paper sheds light on the border as a potential resource for innovation and discusses implications for future research.

Papers in Regional Science, 2022

Being in the sphere of influence of other cities can have benefits as it allows cities to "borrow... more Being in the sphere of influence of other cities can have benefits as it allows cities to "borrow size," but this can also lead to competition effects known as "agglomeration shadows." This paper examines how these patterns of borrowing and shadowing differ from domestic settings when there is a national border between the cities. We find that borders moderate the normal regularities of a settlement system. Particularly, there is no shadow effect cast by larger cities across borders; borders protect. Cross-border market integration benefits especially similar-sized border cities. Given these unique advantages, it is time for border cities to step out of the shadows.

European Planning Studies, 2021

The development of cross-border regionalism in Europe has given rise to a multitude of academic w... more The development of cross-border regionalism in Europe has given rise to a multitude of academic works focussing on the pattern, signification and evolution of cross-border cooperation. Most previous studies have, however, focused on individual cross-border cooperation initiatives as units of analysis and neglected their spatial relation to other initiatives. By mapping the perimeter, activity, geographical type, scale and spatial relations of 209 initiatives, the current paper provides an updated and more nuanced overview of the geography of cross-border cooperation in Europe. The cartographic exploration from a rescaling perspective reveals the varying accumulation, scalar focus and activity of cross-border cooperation across Europe and leads to the identification of different forms and evolutions of scalar arrangements constituted by their overlapping perimeters of action. The distinction between nested, overlapping and complex arrangements suggests that different scalar processes are involved in the ongoing structuration of cross-border cooperation, and calls for better consideration of these multiscalar dynamics in future research.

Geographical Analysis, 2019

The present paper examines the importance of integrating geographical effects into the analysis o... more The present paper examines the importance of integrating geographical effects into the analysis of social networks. Specifically, we study the impacts of spatial distance and territorial borders on information exchange within two European cross-border regions where there is evidence of extensive cross-border political interaction in the domain of public transportation. We use exponential random graph models to review how these spatial factors influence policy interaction. We show how the effect of distance on the exchange of information between organizations is less obvious than it seems at first sight, when we control for endogenous networks effects with which it tends to be confounded. We also explore moderating effects among the spatial factors studied and in particular how the effect of distance affects information exchange by territoriality. While the probability of interaction decreases with distance in the context of domestic ties, distance does not exert the same friction when it comes to cross-border ties. These findings suggest that borders are not necessarily a barrier to interaction and that peripheral actors located in border regions may bridge distance in order to access strategic information they do not have access to within their territorial jurisdiction and is likely oncentrated in foreign decision centers.

Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 2019

This paper explores the symbolic significance of national borders in a cross‐border regional cont... more This paper explores the symbolic significance of national borders in a cross‐border regional context. The main argument is that the transformation of borders is actu- ally part of a complex and contested process of symbolisation, predicated on artic- ulations between political projects, everyday experience, and collective memories. The Greater Geneva borderscape provides an emblematic case of cross‐border cooperation that is marked by the physical erasure of the Franco‐Swiss border. Rather than an absence of symbolisation, we hypothesise that the border continues to play a symbolic role through its implied “absence” in the affirmation of a cross‐border territorial project. First, we show how the invisibilisation of the bor- der in the Greater Geneva spatial imaginaries is in fact a symbolisation strategy aimed at underlining its obsolete character. Second, we reveal how the discor- dances between the symbolic recoding of the border by cross‐border cooperation elites and existing popular imaginations and competing meanings weakens the project. To the extent that borders are powerful symbols that are intended to stim- ulate emotions and a sense of belonging, the ability to mobilise their meaning‐ making capacity is at the heart of symbolisation politics, as much for the propo- nents of open borders and cross‐border cooperation as for the reactionary forces that emphasise national interests and ontological insecurity.

European Urban and Regional Studies, 2018

The objective of this paper is to theorize border-making processes in urban contexts as exemplary... more The objective of this paper is to theorize border-making processes in urban contexts as exemplary of the ways in which borders within human societies are formed. In fact, the question as to whether socially meaningful borders are created through state-society and systemic relations or whether they ultimately emerge locally out of social relations is not as trivial as it might seem. The concept of ‘bordering’ implies non-finalizable processes in which socio-spatial distinction is constantly created, confirmed and challenged. Far from being solely a product of state territoriality and international relations, borders are also social institutions that are constantly created, maintained and re-created as a means of negotiating the complexities of everyday life. Urban contexts reveal much about the rationales and mechanisms behind bordering processes. Our concrete bordering focus is related to place and to place-making processes that reflect the attributions, appropriations and representations of place ideas. As is argued in this paper, urban borders are a nexus between everyday practices of differentiating social space, the instrumentality of place-making, for example, as a project of urban development, and the ontological need for a sense of rootedness in place. Two case studies of urban change in Budapest and Berlin will be developed that illustrate this nexus.

Regional Studies, 2017

This paper examines the effects of borders on the performance of metropolitan areas in Europe. An... more This paper examines the effects of borders on the performance of metropolitan areas in Europe. An innovative multidimensional conceptualization of border effects into four factors (separation, contact, differentiation and affirmation) is elaborated and empirically tested. Estimations results confirm the ambivalent effects of the differentiation factor: economic differentials display positive effects, while cultural differences have negative effects on metropolitan performance. For the other factors, the estimations are of the expected sign, but their signal is weak and calls for further research. Ultimately, this exploratory analysis represents a promising attempt to disentangle the intrinsic dimensions of borders and considering their ambivalent effects.

Despite the importance of national borders in the process of European integration and its destiny... more Despite the importance of national borders in the process of European integration and its destiny, border areas remain relatively misrecognized. This is particularly true as regards the contemporary geography of border cities across Europe. It is therefore difficult to assess what importance border cities and cross-border urban regions have and how they have evolved in parallel with the transformation of European borders. The aim of this article is to highlight the urban dimension of border regions in Europe and, in particular, the diversity of configurations present. Through an original cartography of border cities, we hope to draw the attention of the research community interested in borders and border regions to an unfamiliar aspect of European borderlands and some of the issues and questions it raises.

The focus of this paper is on the processes of ‘debordering’ and ‘rebordering’ and more specifica... more The focus of this paper is on the processes of ‘debordering’ and ‘rebordering’ and more specifically on what occurs when both forces collide and confront their contrasting goals. The hypothesis developed argues that the two bordering dynamics don’t merely contest each other, they also interact and co-mingle. A tripartite analytical framework is proposed based on the functional, constructionist and symbolic dimensions of bordering dynamics. The purpose is to generate hypotheses about co-mingling of the two forces that can be tested empirically. The case of San Diego–Tijuana offers a U.S.–Mexico cross-border metropolis as a work in progress, an urbanized region that is constantly changing and reinventing itself through the entanglement of debordering and rebordering, and, ultimately, the nesting of one category inside the other.

Various critical and scholarly works have underlined the multiplicity of borders, or the idea tha... more Various critical and scholarly works have underlined the multiplicity of borders, or the idea that borders mean different things to different people. This paper discusses the potential of the concept of assemblage for better understanding the ontological multidimensionality intrinsic to borders. An assemblage is understood to be a heterogeneous and open-ended grouping of elements that do not form a coherent whole that helps explain how different meanings emanating from various actors may interact and endure in a contingent and provisional way. It can be argued that such a topological approach may be well suited to highlight the overall significance of a border’s identity beyond its diversity and on-going transformation.

Border regions have long been considered as economically disadvantaged areas that are not conduci... more Border regions have long been considered as economically disadvantaged areas that are not conducive to urban development. The European Union enlargement and integration processes and the subsequent relative opening of borders have had a profound impact on border regions, resulting in new patterns of urban development. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence for effects of urbanisation in all European border regions. Based on a functional approach that delineates border regions according to their propensity to be influenced by the relative proximity to a border, the resulting typology brings to the fore eight categories of urban border regions and highlights their geographical pattern at the European scale. The use of demographic data allows for better assessment of the importance of the urban development of border regions, including their cross-border dimension, and to underline national specificities.

This article scrutinizes the different logics at play as urbanization occurs around international... more This article scrutinizes the different logics at play as urbanization occurs around international boundaries. It disentangles the contradictory “bordering dynamics” that shape cross- border urban spaces in the context of globalisation and territorial restructuring, and explores two globalisation processes—“debordering” and “rebordering”—that define the formation of cross-border metropolises. Two contrasting empirical case studies are outlined , one from the US–Mexico border, the other from a European border region. By studying bordering dynamics in San Diego–Tijuana and Geneva, we are able to draw some conclusions about the challenges faced by cross- border metropolitan spaces as well as some mechanisms that will govern their future organisation.

European Planning Studies, Jan 8, 2015

This paper presents a structural analysis of the governance arrangements established between Vien... more This paper presents a structural analysis of the governance arrangements established between Vienna and Bratislava close to the Austrian–Slovak border. We unravel the metropolitan governance relationships built in the context of territorial debordering and critically assess the policy relevance of cross-border cooperation. We particularly focus on cross-border economic positioning as a policy domain of strategic importance in a neoliberal era marked by urban and regional entrepreneurialism. In order not to embed the analysis in a predefined territorial configuration or geographic scale, this paper argues for an approach based on policy networks. The key point is that those private and public actors involved in building cross-border regions are developing a diffuse form of governance that relies on a set of flexible and tangled connections that do not necessarily conform to the territorial boundaries of the states concerned. Based on original fieldwork and data on the exchange of information between stakeholders involved in cross-border economic positioning, we use social network analysis to describe the relational patterns of the policy network and complement the analysis with a qualitative assessment of actors’ interests and strategies. The roles and positions of the actors reflect the sharp imbalances in interest and resources, highlighting the persistence of border-related barrier effects that hamper cross-border cooperation initiatives between Vienna and Bratislava.

In a globalizing urban world, cross-border metropolises are important spatial configurations that... more In a globalizing urban world, cross-border metropolises are important spatial configurations that reflect the interplay between the space of flows and the space of places. This article scrutinizes the different logics at play as urbanization occurs around international boundaries. It disentangles the contradictory ‘bordering dynamics’ that shape cross-border urban spaces in the context of globalization and territorial restructuring. Because national borders embody multifaceted as well as ambivalent roles and meanings, they can be viewed as critical barometers for understanding how globalization impacts cross-border metropolitan space. The first two sections of this paper explore the two globalization processes –‘debordering’ and ‘rebordering’ − that define the formation of cross-border metropolises. We view the border as a social and political construction; as such, we propose a conceptual framework that addresses the changing role and significance of boundaries in the making of cross-border metropolises. Finally, we offer two contrasting empirical case studies, one from the U.S.-Mexico border, the other from a European border region. By studying bordering dynamics in San Diego-Tijuana and Geneva we are able to draw some conclusions about the challenges faced by cross-border metropolitan spaces as well as some mechanisms that will govern their future organization.

Cross-border integration is a multifaceted as well as contextually contingent process. While vari... more Cross-border integration is a multifaceted as well as contextually contingent process. While various conceptualizations have been developed, the theoretical foundations of the concept appear insufficient in order to grasp the very significance of such a process of cross-border regionalism. In order to help make sense of the diversity of configurations observed, this article seeks to deconstruct the concept according to the role played by the border as a resource and to develop a theoretical framework based on two contrasted models of cross-border integration. The underlying hypothesis is that cross-border integration does not derive from the mere opening of national borders that it supposedly helps at the same time to remove, but stems from the strategic behaviour of actors who actively mobilize borders as resources. The first model, called ‘geo-economic’, is mainly based on the mobilization of the border as a differential benefit and aims to generate value out of asymmetric cross-border interactions. In doing so, this process of functional integration is likely to increase cross-border socio-economic disparities and leads to cooperation oriented towards instrumental purposes such as increasing the economic utility of the border or regulating negative externalities. The second model, called ‘territorial project’, emphasizes the border resources that involve a convergence of both sides of a border, either through a process of hybridization/innovation or via the territorial and symbolic recognition borders entail. In this process of place-making that transcends the border, mutual understanding and trust between the actors is seen to be key and the willingness to cooperate essential. Conceived as ideal-types, the two models of cross-border integration are contrasted and to some extent contradictory. They are however not mutually exclusive and different kinds of combinations are examined based on concrete examples.

ESPON Scientific Report, 2013

The research presented in this paper was conducted in the framework of the ESPON project GEOSPECS... more The research presented in this paper was conducted in the framework of the ESPON project GEOSPECS. The objective is to assess the urban potential of European border regions following a functional approach based on travel distance. Three research questions are investigated: What is a border region and how can we assess its urban potential? Where and according to what geographical pattern does the urbanization of border regions take place? What is the importance of the phenomenon in terms of demographic structures and dynamics?

GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER: SERIES B, HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2023

Geoforum, 2022

Bulletin de l'Association de Géographes Français, 2022

Environment and Planning A, 2022

Papers in Regional Science, 2022

European Planning Studies, 2021

Geographical Analysis, 2019

Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 2019

European Urban and Regional Studies, 2018

Regional Studies, 2017

European Planning Studies, Jan 8, 2015

ESPON Scientific Report, 2013

The focus of this paper is on the processes of debordering and rebordering and more specifically ... more The focus of this paper is on the processes of debordering and rebordering and more specifically on what is happening when both forces encounter and confront their different interests. The hypothesis developed is that the two bordering dynamics are not only contesting each other, they also interact and co-mingle. An analytical framework based on the functional, structural and symbolic dimensions of borders is developed in order to generate hypotheses about how the co-mingling of the two forces takes place specifically on the ground. The case of San Diego-Tijuana demonstrates that the cross-border metropolis in the making is constantly changing and reinventing itself through the encounter of debordering and rebordering and the nesting of one category inside the other.

This article analyses the process of spatial integration in ten European cross-border metropolita... more This article analyses the process of spatial integration in ten European cross-border metropolitan regions. On the basis of three indicators, relating to flows of cross-border commuters, gross domestic product and the housing market, it suggests that spatial integration can be viewed as a process of convergence between distinct territories, resulting from the intensification of interaction between social, political and economic actors. Our results allow, firstly, confirmation of the hypothesis that the greater the economic disparities, the greater the level of interactions measured by cross-border commuting. Our work also shows that strong economic interactions have an impact on the crossborder integration of communities, measured by the proportion of residents based on the other side of the border. Finally, this article leads to three models of cross-border integration being proposed: by specialisation, by polarisation and by osmosis.

CEPS working paper, 2013

The present paper examines the importance of integrating geographic contextual effects into the a... more The present paper examines the importance of integrating geographic contextual effects into the analysis of social networks. By considering spatial structures as both produced by and productive of social relations, geographic space seems to be more than the extent on which places, actors or events are located and separated by distance. Territoriality, bordering processes, the sense of place, spatial inequalities, scalar relations and spatial connectivity are among the socio-spatial arrangements and practices that are likely to affect social action. The present empirical analysis thus focuses on policy interactions within the crossborder region of Lille because the spatial dimension particularly influences relations in this area.

Various critical and scholarly works have underlined the multiplicity of borders, or the idea tha... more Various critical and scholarly works have underlined the multiplicity of borders, or the idea that borders mean different things to different people. This paper discusses the potential of the concept of assemblage for better understanding the ontological multidimensionality intrinsic to borders. An assemblage is understood to be a heterogeneous and open-ended grouping of elements that do not form a coherent whole that helps explain how different meanings emanating from various actors may interact and endure in a contingent and provisional way. It can be argued that such a topological approach may be well suited to unravel the uneven power relations that are both constitutive of a given border and mediated by it and to highlight the overall significance of a border’s identity beyond its diversity and on-going transformation.

LISER Working Papers, Dec 2015

This paper examines the effects of state borders on the performance of metropolitan areas in Euro... more This paper examines the effects of state borders on the performance of metropolitan areas in Europe. A multi-dimensional conceptualization of border effects is elaborated and empirically tested with the help of statistical modelling. The results suggest that Swiss cases and metropolitan areas recently integrated into the EU benefit the most from their border setting. When considering specific effects, a recent opening of the border as a new contact factor and significant differentiation factors have positive impacts on metropolitan functions. Alternatively, the spatial proximity of the border and its longstanding opening have negative impacts.

In the context of European integration, the relative opening of state borders offers new opportun... more In the context of European integration, the relative opening of state borders offers new opportunities for border cities and regions no longer necessarily confined to the boundaries of national territories. The development of cross-border relations at the local and regional levels brings to the fore the emergence of cross-border metropolitan regions as privileged sites of territorial restructuring.
Drawing on the results of the METROLUX research project, this book examines the establishment of a cross-border metropolitan region in Luxembourg and its surrounding area. In the first section, the primary focus is on the economic and symbolic attributes that characterize the process of metropolisation and their potential advantages and limits. The second part of the volume investigates the cross-border interdependencies at work, principally in terms of home-work mobility. Finally, the third part analyses the governance initiatives undertaken and the power issues at stake in the political construction of a cross-border metropolitan region. Primarily derived from research by geographers, this work combines conceptual reflection with empirical analysis and is a new contribution to the understanding of an atypical area of scholarship emerging from the geographic margins and the academic backstage

This chapter focusses on the meaning and scope of the concept of ‘cross-border regions’. Beyond t... more This chapter focusses on the meaning and scope of the concept of ‘cross-border regions’. Beyond the bewildering variety of cross-border regions that have emerged in different parts of the world, the presence of a state border is what constitutes their common denominator and justifies their existence. The central question that this chapter tackles points to the role these borders are likely to play. First, the meaning of the concept of cross-border region is examined through a conventional view of the role of state borders that emphasizes the perspective of the nation-state. The aim is to review the relevance of different conceptualizations that have marked the analysis of processes of cross-border regionalization. Second, a conceptualization that acknowledges the multiple and processual nature of borders is introduced and the notion of borders as a resource is discussed. The main idea is that cross-border regions do not only emerge in spite of the state borders they cross or undermine but also thanks to them. The third section is devoted to the analysis of the variety of configurations and trajectories of cross-border regionalism. This necessarily brief and incomplete presentation focuses on Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. In the next section, the hypothesis of a specific trajectory for cross-border regions articulated around urban and metropolitan centres is considered. The last section concludes by underlying the role played by cities in the mobilization of border resources and the development of cross-border regions and outlines an agenda for further research.

Sohn C. (2010) La construction d’une métropole transfrontalière au Luxembourg. Enjeux et perspectives. In Crenn G., Deshaye J.-L. (eds) La construction des territoires en Europe. Luxembourg et Grande Région : Avis de recherches. Nancy: Presses Universitaires de Nancy, p. 97-111., 2010

Séminaire de géographie -La gouvernance métropolitaine transfrontalière 14/10/08 • A regeneration... more Séminaire de géographie -La gouvernance métropolitaine transfrontalière 14/10/08 • A regeneration of cities as a territorial actor (Le Galès 2002, Brenner 2004) • The State: from a top-down regulatory authority to a partner and mediator • The EU and the construction of an economic system of regulation (Scharpf 1999) • A new room for manoeuvre to a large number of actors (Jessop 2004)

Cette recherche vise a mettre en evidence les modalites de depassement du modele de la ville d&#3... more Cette recherche vise a mettre en evidence les modalites de depassement du modele de la ville d'apartheid a travers l'analyse des recompositions urbaines en cours a Windhoek. Les changements intervenus dans la capitale namibienne depuis l'accession a l'independance du pays en 1990 ne s'inscrivent ni dans une logique de rupture par rapport au modele herite, ni dans une reproduction des schemas anterieurs, tant en ce qui concerne la maniere dont la ville est pensee, modelee par les pouvoirs, que la maniere dont elle est pratiquee, appropriee, deformee par les citadins. A travers la prise en compte des mutations de la gestion fonciere, ce sont les logiques et les modalites du changement urbain qui sont precisees. En vertu du compromis politique fondateur de l'Etat namibien qui a permis l'accession au pouvoir des Noirs tout en preservant les acquis de la minorite blanche, on assiste au maintien d'un mode de penser la ville herite du passe. Le modele urbain...

This report presents the final results a Targeted Analysis conducted within the framework of the ... more This report presents the final results a Targeted Analysis conducted within the framework of the ESPON 2013 Programme, partly financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The partnership behind the ESPON Programme consists of the EU Commission and the Member States of the EU27, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Each partner is represented in the ESPON Monitoring Committee. This report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the members of the Monitoring Committee. Information on the ESPON Programme and projects can be found on www.espon.eu The web site provides the possibility to download and examine the most recent documents produced by finalised and ongoing ESPON projects.

The resource water crosses national and regional borders, making coordination among different sta... more The resource water crosses national and regional borders, making coordination among different stakeholders and jurisdictions a relevant condition for successful trans-boundary water quality management. While cooperation is a well-studied issue in political science when it comes to conflict resolution or the management of so-called common pool resources, less attention is given to the actual causes of cooperation – and even less so to the influence borders might have on cooperation. We address this issue by combining insights from policy and border studies and by asking a) how actors involved in trans-boundary water quality management perceive the impact of borders on cross-border cooperation; and b) whether border perceptions have an impact on cooperation between such actors. Drawing on data from a survey in the cross-border region of Basel in the international catchment area of the river Rhine, we analyze border perceptions of and cooperation patterns among actors who are involved ...

Dans un monde urbain globalise, les metropoles transfrontalieres representent des configurations ... more Dans un monde urbain globalise, les metropoles transfrontalieres representent des configurations spatiales emblematiques de l?articulation entre l?espace des flux et l?espace des lieux. La multiplicite des contextes, des formes et des processus a l'?uvre rend toutefois difficile l'identification de ce qui fonde la singularite de l'objet. Dans le dessein de contribuer a cette reflexion conceptuelle, cet article met en avant l'hypothese selon laquelle la specificite des metropoles transfrontalieres ne decoule pas fondamentalement de leur forme ou de la nature de l?integration transfrontaliere a l??uvre, mais du role particulier que jouent les frontieres etatiques dans leur formation. La relative ouverture des frontieres offre de nouvelles opportunites pour les villes et les regions urbaines frontalieres de renforcer leur position au sein des reseaux de l?economie globalisee et d?affirmer leur autonomie en tant qu?entite regionale transfrontaliere. S?il n?est pas questi...

Parce que les villes, lieux du nombre et de la variete sont des systemes spatiaux complexes, les ... more Parce que les villes, lieux du nombre et de la variete sont des systemes spatiaux complexes, les acteurs2 qui ont en charge leur gestion cherchent a construire des espaces a partir desquels ils pourront intervenir, planifier, reguler, etc. Comme ces espaces de gestion construits contribuent a l'encadrement des populations, autrement dit a la regulation des rapports entre l'espace, la societe et les pouvoirs, ils s'apparentent, a priori, a des territoires (au sens politique du terme3). Cependant cette territorialisation gestionnaire apparait comme ambigue car elle renvoie egalement aux espaces de vie des citadins, c'est-a-dire a l'ensemble des lieux qu'ils frequentent regulierement (Fremont et al., 1984). En fait, cette ambivalence est liee a la complexite de la gestion urbaine, cette derniere pouvant etre definie comme l'ensemble des actes de nature politique visant la conciliation des demandes et des interets antagoniques qui ne peuvent etre egalement sa...

EnglishThis article is about the dynamic of intra-urban boundaries in Windhoek, capital city of N... more EnglishThis article is about the dynamic of intra-urban boundaries in Windhoek, capital city of Namibia. Designed in order to control non-white populations, the boundaries laid down by the apartheid regime have participated in the division of the society and the differenciation of spaces. With the advent of a democratic regime, the question concerning the future of the inherited boundaries arises. Between obliteration and reproduction, they appear like mutant objects, fruits of a political and social construction. But, if both powers and city dwellers seek to go beyond some obsolete boundaries, they also seem to fell the need to erect new ones. francaisL'objet de cet article porte sur la dynamique des frontieres intra-urbaines a Windhoek, capitale de la Namibie. Elaborees dans le dessein de controler les populations non-blanches, les frontieres imposees par le regime d'apartheid ont participe a la division de la societe et a la differenciation des espaces. Avec l'aveneme...

Cet article s'interesse au role des Etats dans les processus de reechelonnement de la gouvern... more Cet article s'interesse au role des Etats dans les processus de reechelonnement de la gouvernance metropolitaine transfrontaliere en Europe. Face a l'emergence de regions metropolitaines transfrontalieres, l'objectif vise a mettre en evidence les effets structurants des politiques nationales de soutien aux aires metropolitaines sur les configurations scalaires elaborees par les acteurs locaux et regionaux dans le cadre de leur politique des echelles. Les cas de Bâle, Geneve et Luxembourg sont privilegies dans le cadre d'une approche comparative. La confrontation entre les politiques nationales allemandes, suisses et francaises et les modalites du reechelonnement de la gouvernance dans les trois regions metropolitaines transfrontalieres permet de souligner l'influence significative des cadres nationaux sur les recompositions scalaires. Le role structurant des Etats dans ce 'nouveau regionalisme transfrontalier' necessite toutefois d'etre relativise en ...

Based on the example of Luxembourg, this article deals with the integration of metropolitan cross... more Based on the example of Luxembourg, this article deals with the integration of metropolitan cross-border spaces, focusing on the articulation of their institutional and functional properties. Firstly, it questions the functional evolution of the metropolitan area. By taking into account the intensity of commuting flows, the objective is to show the existence of a cross-border metropolitan functional area. Secondly, the article examines the initiatives undertaken in the field of institutional integration by the political actors. The Luxembourg case then makes it possible to show that, contrary to other European metropolitan centres and in a paradoxical way, there is no cross-border metropolitan governance likely to cope with the functional issues. This singular situation results from the dominating role of the State – rather than the City – of Luxembourg in the process of metropolitanisation.

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