Exploring the gaps -- Exploring the gaps -- External influences and framework conditions -- Implications of spatial development policies at European and national levels for border regions The case of Germany -- Implementation of the EU Community Initiative INTERREG III A at the Polish-German border An attempt at evaluation -- Cross-border governance at regional level -- Cross-border co-operation in the Rhine-Scheldt Delta The long road of institution building -- Social capital and other main influences on governance processes in cross-border micro-regions -- Cross-border co-operation between cities and metropolitan regions -- Cross-border cooperation challenges: Positioning the Vienna-Bratislava region -- Inter-urban cooperation in the German-Polish-Czech triangle -- Functional complementarity as basis for inter-metropolitan collaboration and networking A case study on cultural activities in Berlin and Warsaw -- Sectoral perspectives on border regions -- Transborder transport -- Sustainable tourism development in cross-border biosphere reserves of Central and Eastern Europe -- Environmental dimension of transboundary spatial development — driving forces in environmental regionalism -- EThe role of special economic zones in the socio-economic development of Poland’s border regions -- Conclusions -- Bridging the gaps?.

Border regions in Central Europe undergo tremendous changes due to the enlargement of the European Union and the related processes of Europeanization, bordering and re-bordering. The book explores the consequences of these processes for cross-border governance and spatial planning in Central Europe. It combines analyses of European and national framework conditions with case studies from border regions and cities in 8 countries. The focus is on generic questions of cross-border planning and cooperation as well as on selected sectors such as nature conservation, transport and economic development. The book is written for the international scientific community and for practitioners in the fields of spatial planning, cross-border cooperation, environmental protection and structural policy.