A first draft of the study of the concept of polycentrism

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A first draft of the study of the concept of
polycentrism

• Laila Kule, consultant for Vidzeme Development
  Agency

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The concept of polycentricity

• Polycentrism is both an analytical concept and a
  policy option, a widely used spatial development
  policy solution at European, national and
  regional levels.
• Towns and cities - keystones of polycentric
  development.
• An alternative solution to the urban
  agglomeration process
• Development of a balanced and polycentric urban
  system first time mentioned in 1994 in EU
  Ministers Leipzig Document
• European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP,
  1999) adopted the principle of polycentric and
  balanced spatial development within the EU
• European Spatial Development Observatory Network
  (ESPON, 2005) study on polycentricity

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Challenges to polycentric territorial structures

• Spatial integration
• Sustainable development
• Territorial equity

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Polycentricity and sustainability

• Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial
  Development of the European Continent (2002) by
  contributing to the lowering of environmental
  pressures and social tension and stabilising
  democratic structures thus contributes to the
  sustainable development.
• The Interim Territorial Cohesion Report (2004) of
  the EU - polycentric urban systems are more
  sustainable and more equitable than either
  mono-centric urban systems or dispersed small
  settlements.

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Polycentricity and sustainability

• There is no conflict between sustainability and
  polycentrism revealed in the European spatial
  policy documents.
• In opposite, there is an emphasis that both
  concepts compliment each other.
• There can be a certain conflict between both
  concepts as polycentricity or decentralised
  concentration requires better links and more
  intensive communication (including transport)
  between urban centres involved.
• In thus the polycentricity approach has to be
  promoted only by coupling it with the development
  of sustainable transport networks.

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The concept of polycentricity

• Polycentricity is measured by identifying three
  dimensions (ESPON, 2005)
• the size or importance of cities (population,
  economic activity),
• their distribution in space or location, and
• the spatial interactions or connections between
  cities and towns (including accessibility that
  determines the relative locational advantage).

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Measures to reach polycentric development

• Specialisation
• the sharing of tasks and economic specialization,
  based on potential, distinctive features,
  qualities and opportunities in a region, linked
  with regional identity and the branding of urban
  and regional identities.
• Complementarity
• Morphological, hierarchy of urban areas (nodes
  and centres).
• Relational, based on the networks and the
  orientation of flows and cooperation between
  urban areas at different scales

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Measures to reach polycentric development
Complementarity and Integration
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Types of integration between the hierarchy of
urban areas and oriented or multidirectional flows

• 1) Integrated mono-centrism - a highly
  hierarchical urban pattern, combined with
  strongly oriented flows.
• 2) Emerging (out-coming) polycentricity - strong
  hierarchy and multidirectional flows.
• 3) Integrated polycentricity - a weak urban
  hierarchy associated with multidirectional
  relations.
• 4) Metropolitan polycentricity - a weak urban
  hierarchy with strongly orientated relations.

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Complementarity

• Institutional or political polycentricity, based
  on voluntary cooperation (complementary with
  regard to urban functions).
• Structural polycentricity, related to the
  organisation of a territory i.e. to its spatial
  patterns, through urban networking from
  migrations (students, active population,
  commuters) transport, financial and information
  flows.

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Three geographic levels

• Macro level (European/global) - the dichotomy
  between the Pentagon and the rest of Europe can
  be used as an indicator.
• Meso level (national/transnational/
  cross-border/interregional level) - the relation
  between regions, that are functional urban areas
  with national profile, and other regions can been
  used as an indicator.
• Micro level (regional/local) - the relations
  between different parts of a region are crucial.

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Macro level (European/global)

• International accessibility
• Presence of enterprises headquarters and
  international institutions
• Concentration of decision power, and
• Integration with global markets
• Removal of institutional and economic exchange
  barriers/ discontinuities
• Equal economic structures
• Levels of competitiveness
• Absence of missing links of infrastructures
  (transport etc).

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Meso level (national/transnational/
cross-border/interregional level)

• The relation between regions, that are functional
  urban areas with national profile (capital cities
  and other national centres), and other regions.
• Complementary and interdependent networks of
  towns.
• Economic performance and services through
  clusters/networks of neighbouring cities.
• Coordinated national policies particularly across
  borders.
• Regional development policies.
• In mono-centric countries, a focus on the second
  tier of cities.

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Micro level (regional/local)

• The relations between different parts of a region
• The move from one or two dominant regional
  centres to several small and medium sized centres
  providing regional services, through urban
  strategic alliances and rural-urban partnerships.

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Conceptual strategies to enhance polycentricity

• Complementarity
• Partnership
• Governance
• Coordination
• Contract
• Coherence
• Devolution (the delegation of authority)

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Baltic Sea Region settlement system and
polycentricity

• VASAB 2010 (1994)
• A competitive system of cities with international
  importance
• A network of national and regional cities with
  good links to the hinterland ensuring spatial
  cohesion, the concept of decentralised
  concentration
• VASAB 2010 Plus Spatial Development Action
  Programme (2001)
• the key theme - the co-operation of urban regions
  
• to raise the competitiveness of urban regions at
  three levels and thus to enhance a polycentric
  urban system
• powerful metropolitan regions at the
  international scale
• less dynamic major cities are promoted
• medium-sized and not very diversified secondary
  cities as future growth engines for rural regions
  lagging behind are strengthened,
• specialisation for secondary urban regions using
  existing tacit knowledge (competencies based on
  local production traditions) are promoted
• to overcome a size problem the regional/ local
  clusters and functional commuting regions are
  promoted
• networking between cities.

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Baltic Tangent area and polycentrism

• Baltic Tangent (BT) area consists from many
  national, regional, cross-border, interregional
  and local spatial levels and respective urban and
  transport networks to be analysed.
• In each of these levels there are specific
  targets defined. In order to measure
  polycentricity different indicators have to be
  used.
• On European scale BT area has to be analysed as
  one territory in comparison with the
  Pentagon, including BT area accessibility and
  links with Pentagon area and other major
  metropolitan areas in Europe.
• European, national and regional spatial policy
  documents and particular geographical and
  historical factors and patterns have to be taken
  account.

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Thank you!

• Laila Kule, consultant for
• Vidzeme Development Agency
• Tel/fax. [phone]
• Mob. Tel [phone]
• E-mail laila.kule_at_apollo.lv