Metropolitan Governance in the Peri-Urban Landscape: The Tower of Babel? The Case of the Vienna–Bratislava Metropolitan Region

Abstract

The discrepancy between the de facto city and the de iure city has brought to the attention the pressing issue of metropolitan governance, which has often strengthened the cooperation among existing institutions but without including other relevant stakeholders in the discussion. This contribution explores the limitations of institutional governance within the case of the Vienna–Bratislava metropolitan region, particularly challenging because of its cross-border condition, its fragmented management of the territory and its rapidly changing landscape. The argument brought forward is that even though institutional cooperation is essential, effective metropolitan governance also requires the involvement of non-institutional stakeholders in order to carry out meaningful spatial planning on the territory.

Keywords:

• Peri-urban landscape
• metropolitan governance
• Vienna–Bratislava region

Notes

1. Various European studies have researched upon the definition and functioning of peri-urban areas, that we can therefore define as the territory part of the Functional Urban Area (considered mainly on the basis of the commuter area) without the Urban Core, with an average population of 40 persons per km².

2. The Vienna–Bratislava region includes also part of Hungary, but there is currently no relevant cooperation and therefore little available data. For these reasons the article will not include the Hungarian part in the description.

3. For further information on the Centrope Initiative: www.centrope.com (last accessed on 4 December 2015).

4. For further information on the PGÖ: www.pgo.wien.at (last accessed on 4 December 2015).

5. For further information on the Danube Strategy: www.danube-region.eu (last accessed on 4 December 2015).

6. For further information on the Stadt Umland Management: www.stadt-umland.at (last accessed on 4 December 2015).

7. For further information on the Bratislava Umland Management: www.projekt-baum.eu (last accessed on 4 December 2015).

8. For further information on the Jordes + Project: http://www.pgo.wien.at/projekte/f_JORDES.htm (last accessed on 4 December 2015).

9. For further information on the Danube Parks Network: www.danubeparks.org (last accessed on 4 December 2015).

10. For further information on the Alpen Karpaten Korridor: www.alpenkarpatenkorridor.at (last accessed on 4 December 2015).

11. For further information on the KoBra Project: http://www.mecca-consulting.at/de/menu16/projekte125/ (last accessed on 4 December 2015).