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Abstract
This article first presents a historical review of Spain's involvement in the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) preparation process to determine whether ESDP guidelines are different from, contrary to or in harmony with the interests of Spanish proposals. Particular attention is paid to the priority lines and territorial objectives of the Spanish delegation and its emphasis in substantive issues related to cohesion, and linking spatial planning with European Union (EU) funding. If, as the network paradigm maintains, spatial development is not possible without new methods of governance, our work has to focus on two related questions. The first question regards the evolution and the present situation of spatial planning within the Spanish administrative framework seen from a horizontal perspective; what does spatial planning mean and who decides what? The second question is whether it is true to say that new planning habits have been adopted in town and regional planning from a vertical, inter-governmental and multi-level perspective and from the state and regional point of view (spatial visions of autonomous regions). The article reviews and explores the most important matters affecting a ‘composite state’ like Spain.
And what does the future hold? The article presents a review of spatial planning in Spain after the Potsdam document, seeking the possible impact of structural funds on Spanish regions in this respect. The result is that in the Spanish case, this is a key aspect in the development of a new spatial planning culture, despite the risk of re-centralization.
Acknowledgement
The authors wish to thank Eduardo Pallardó Comas, Area Coordinator within the Spatial Development Unit, Ministry of the Environment, for his help in providing information.
Notes
1. This article is the result of a coordinated national research project entitled ‘Cooperation Strategies and Sustainable Spatial Development in Spain’, reference number BSO2002-04233-C10, funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology within the framework of the National R + D Programme (2000–2003). The first two authors are participating in this project.
2. The Law on Land Regime and Assessment (LLRA) of 1998 and the Royal Decree on Urgent Measures for Liberalization (2000).
3. The current Interreg III has a budget of €4875 million. Spain is the main beneficiary with €900 million. All the autonomous regions participate in at least one of the following areas of transnational cooperation subsidised by Interreg III B (previously II C): the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, south-west Europe and Ultraperipheric Regions. Similarly, the provinces of Corunna, Pontevedra, Orense, Zamora, Salamanca, Caceres, Badajoz, Huelva, Cadiz, Seville, Guipuzcoa, Navarre, Huesca, Lleida and Girona are participating in the cross-border cooperation section of Interreg III A, to which most of the budget is allocated: 67% as against 27% for section B and a modest 6% for section C (dealing with interregional cooperation). The whole of the Spanish state participates in Interreg III C and the Joint Technical Secretariat in charge of the resources of the ‘South’ Programme, out of a total of four programmes, is in the Region of Valencia.
4. Despite limitations, the involvement of some Spanish regions in the different projects of the TERRA Programme was also positive. Out of 63 local partners and 15 projects, 18 were Spanish, represented in eight projects: COASTLINK (Huelva—project co-leader); POSIDONIA (Barcelona), CONCERCOST (La Costera/Canal—project leader), SDTP (Murcia), ALBA-TER (Manlleu—project leader area—, Bescano, Camprodon, Celra, Girona, Ripoll, Salt and Torroella de Montgri), DOURO-DUERO (Castile and Leon), TERRA INCOGNITA (Altas Cinco Villas, El Garraf, Perelada, Somontano de Barbastro), DIAS (Callosa d'En Sarria).
