Slide1: Architect and Town Planner Deputy Director of Physical Planning Strathclyde Regional Council 1976-1996 Strathclyde Structure Plan 1976-1996 First EU Award for Regional Planning Secretary General METREX 1996-present ROGER READ


Slide2: Metropolitan dimension to European affairs Climate change/Urban change Metropolitan dimension Key issues and governance Integrated metropolitan strategies Steps to a metropolitan Europe InterMETREX and PolyMETREXplus METROPOLITAN OVERVIEW


Slide3: Founded at the Glasgow Metropolitan Regions Conference in 1996 Network of practitioners (politicians, officials and their advisers) in spatial planning and development Twin purposes are the exchange of knowledge and the contribution of the metropolitan dimension to planning at the European level METREX


Slide4: Members from 40 of the 120 recognised European metropolitan regions and areas (500k+) Meets twice a year in the spring and autumn Holds a biennial Conference Works through Expert Groups on key issues Promotes Interreg IIIC projects Details at www.eurometrex.org METREX


Slide6: 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 or earlier Efficiency savings and renewable energy will not achieve this Must include changes in urban life (personal and corporate) Carbon light urban life is the necessity for survival Effective metropolitan governance will be a key factor in achieving this CLIMATE CHANGE/URBAN CHANGE


Slide7: Carbon heavy activities (energy generation and use/travel) decline Emphasis on the local, metropolitan and regional Better European urban balance will have to be carbon light Territorial cohesion will have to be carbon light CLIMATE CHANGE/URBAN CHANGE


Slide8: Europe’s metropolitan regions and areas contain 60%, or 280m, of the 470m population of the EU27+ Their prosperity and wellbeing are central to the achievement of the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas, the objectives of the ESDP and the EU Constitutional objective of territorial cohesion METROPOLITAN DIMENSION


Slide9: Balancing urban redevelopment with urban expansion Integrating transport, land use and infrastructure Sustaining the vitality and viability of city and town centres Enabling economic competitiveness Promoting social inclusion Assessing the environmental impact of development Safeguarding natural and heritage resources Achieving a carbon light future METROPOLITAN DIMENSION KEY METROPOLITAN ISSUES


Slide10: Such key issues can only be addressed effectively at the level of the Functional Urban Area (FUA) or Region or Metropolitan European Growth Area (MEGA) These are the key building blocks for any European spatial perspective or strategy They are recognised in the ESDP, by ESPON, by the CoR and in the Third Cohesion Report They need to be made operational through effective metropolitan governance METROPOLITAN DIMENSION


Slide11: Subsidiarity in Europe will only become a reality if there is effective governance at the metropolitan level Without effective metropolitan governance the populations of metropolitan areas are unable to influence some of the key issues affecting their future and its sustainability Without effective metropolitan governance the EU will be without a key level of partnership to implement its wider strategies An integrated approach to key metropolitan issues requires effective governance METROPOLITAN GOVERNANCE


Slide12: INTEGRATED METROPOLITAN STRATEGIES AND HORIZONTAL VERTICAL


Slide13: The mechanisms for governance may range from the statutory and comprehensive, through the selective, to the voluntary, depending on the range of key strategic issues that need to be addressed and their severity Effective metropolitan governance and economic competitiveness and sustainability are interrelated METROPOLITAN GOVERNANCE


Slide14: ELECTED METROPOLITAN AUTHORITY WITH CORE PLANNING, OPERATING AND MANAGING POWERS 22 Primary stakeholders in the Metropolitan strategic planning and development process [denotes privatised].


Slide15: Effective metropolitan governance requires the three key functions of competence, capability and process Competence means having the authority to adopt, implement and safeguard an Integrated Metropolitan Strategy Capability means having the knowledge and understanding to take informed decisions Process means having the means to regularly monitor, review and update the strategy COMPETENCE, CAPABILITY AND PROCESS


Slide16: An assessment process that can provide the basis for informed decision making on those aspects of the Metropolitan Spatial Plan that are market related, that is, industry and business, offices, retailing, housing and transportation. The diagram summarises an approach to balancing supply and demand for sectoral issues.


Slide17: THE INTERRELATED ACTION INVOLVED IN THE PREPARATION OF AN INTEGRATED METROPOLITAN SPATIAL PLANNING STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ON A POLYCENTRIC BASIS


Slide18: An integrated strategy always involves a balanced judgment of the relative environmental impact of a package of policies, programmes and projects An integrated strategy can demonstrate environmental impact avoided or compensated for as well as impact judged acceptable Assessing the impact of specific development proposals individually does not allow such an overall judgment to be made The process of producing an Integrated Metropolitan Strategy is the only effective means of assessing the relative environmental impact of the spatial planning and development choices available STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT [SEA]


Slide19: Population mass and proximity/connectivity Identity 3 Definition of Functional Urban Region/Area or Metropolitan European Growth Area (MEGA) 4 Recognition Marketing Influence 7 Support STEPS TO A METROPOLITAN EUROPE


Slide20: Governance Strategic issues and the longer term view Visions and strategies to engage stakeholders Competencies related to issues Capability for informed decision making on the issues Processes to implement strategies, policies, programmes and projects 14 Processes to regularly roll forward a longer term view STEPS TO A METROPOLITAN EUROPE


Slide21: Policy drives data collection EU policy to address disadvantage Role and remit of Eurostat NUTS statistical areas Objective 1,2,3 areas etc. League tables Statistical exclusion Either in or out of policy framework STEPS TO A METROPOLITAN EUROPE INFORMED EU POLICY MAKING


Slide22: Not only NUTS but also FUA/R or MEGA (metropolitan dimension) Definition…..labour markets/journey to work areas……and comparability Recognition, governance, issues, information, informed policy decisions, effective action A policy issue…….polycentricity Based on specialisation (complementarity) for collective competitiveness (clusters, corridors) STEPS TO A METROPOLITAN EUROPE INFORMED METROPOLITAN DECISION MAKING


Slide23: Territorial cohesion is now a European constitutional objective The ESDP is concerned about the longer term urban balance of a Europe where over 50% of the GDP is produced in the core area around the London/Paris/Rhine axis Metropolitan regions and areas have a central role to play in achieving territorial cohesion and better urban balance TERRITORIAL COHESION WHAT MIGHT BETTER URBAN BALANCE LOOK LIKE?


Slide24: Recognised inner core (GIZ) and related outer core bridging areas linking to the periphery Balance between the inner core and the Mediterranean and Danubian/Baltic transnational areas Improved East/West, North/South and peripheral connectivity Good connectivity from all areas to the core area Good connectivity to European gateways Recognition of Europe’s metropolitan regions and areas In consequence, strong polycentric relationships within European inter regional areas and between them TERRITORIAL COHESION WHAT MIGHT BETTER URBAN BALANCE LOOK LIKE?


Slide28: InterMETREX seeks to enable them to become as individually strong as possible through effective spatial planning and development practice within metropolitan regions and areas PolyMETREXplus seeks to enable them to become as collectively strong as possible though the development of effective polycentric relationships between metropolitan regions and areas A polycentric Europe cannot be built without strong metropolitan regions and areas InterMETREX enables PolyMETREXplus INTERMETREX AND POLYMETREXPLUS


Slide29: METREX has received approval of the InterMETREX project, under the Interreg IIIC programme, to apply and develop the METREX Practice Benchmark across the wider Europe Led by Glasgow, involves 32 metropolitan partners and will run from 2003-2006 with a budget of €1.16m Purpose is to assist the function of spatial planning and development to become as effective as possible within metropolitan areas INTERMETREX


Slide30: METREX has also received approval to the PolyMETREXplus project under the Interreg IIIC programme Led by Catalunya with 19 partners, will run from 2004-2007 and has a budget of €1.84m A Framework for a Polycentric Metropolitan Europe, a related Action Plan, a programme of representative interregional networking activities (RINA's) and a Polycentric Practice Benchmark Purpose is to respond the challenge in the ESDP to develop a better urban balance across Europe through the promotion of polycentric relationships, including social, economic, transportation and environmental linkages POLYMETREXPLUS


Slide33: Facilitate metropolitan recognition and definition (data collection and comparative indicators) Promote mechanisms for appropriate and effective metropolitan governance Promote the production of key issue based Integrated Metropolitan Strategies (with stakeholder involvement) Actively support the implementation of such Strategies through the Structural funds Actively support the exchange of practitioner knowledge on metropolitan affairs METROPOLITAN