Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) in Southern Europe—An Iberian Case Study. The Eurocity Elvas-Badajoz

Abstract

Abstract:The experiences of cross-border cooperation (CBC), undertaken not only in Europe but throughout the world, have enabled areas to gain greater importance in recent decades at an international level, showing potential for integrative functions and joint development as exemplified by several CBC projects. The present paper assesses the impact of CBC projects by analyzing a protocol established in 2013 between the cities of Elvas and Badajoz, which induced the creation of the Eurocity Elvas-Badajoz. The paper kicks off with a critical review on territorial factors for success in CBC areas, considering the analysis of several case studies throughout Europe. The lessons learned, taken from the analyzed case studies, and the identified territorial success factors were used as assessment points for the investigation of the target study area, the Eurocity Elvas-Badajoz. The investigation explores public participation perceptions towards the identification of what changes with respect to standards of life with the CBC project, providing the current state of affairs and identifying where to place efforts in order to reach sustainable development for the region. While being a transition area, it presents several opportunities for growth. These opportunities have not yet been object of analysis and debate with respect to lasting, sustainable successful growth. The present research enables the identification of several territorial factors for success in the study area, such as the connectivity/movement between cities and strong political commitment. From the identified critical factors, it was possible to highlight the importance of public transportation as a priority for achieving success in this CBC project.

Land Valuation Sustainable Model of Urban Planning Development: A Case Study in Badajoz, Spain

“…The area is in a region of southern Europe-the EUROACE is a Euro-Region located in the Iberian Peninsula that comprises the Portuguese regions of Alentejo and Centro and the Spanish region of Extremadura-and inserted in a Euro-City, the Euro-City Elvas-Badajoz-Campo-Maior ( Figure 2) [38]. The chosen area for the study is in the municipality of Badajoz (Spain), within Zone 6, Sector SUB-CC-6.1-3, according to the Municipal General Plan (PGM) (Figure 3).…”

Social Network Analysis of Scientific Articles Published by Food Policy

“…After the analysis of such networks, we can acquire a useful picture of the relationships between individual authors. Differences between partners (potential co-authors) and their different motivations for undertaking and developing sustainable international and interorganizational cooperation are important issues in terms of the prospects for this cooperation [60]. We agree with the idea that the harmonization of international collaboration is primarily the result of improving its key determinant, which is people and higher educational and research institutions, and it has become clear that all the factors are related to the partnership [61].…”

The Multivariated Effect of City Cooperation in Land Use Planning and Decision-Making Processes: A European Analysis

“…In this regard, research has gained additional momentum considering current developments, such as the recent situation in Crimea (Ukraine) with Russia, the Greek-German frictions, the rise of terrorism in European continent (leading to an increasingly fractious debate about free movement in Europe as well as the resurgence of nationalist and extremist sentiments among European citizens), the economic fallouts in Europe, or even the recent Brexit scenario [3,7,[73][74][75]. Due to the fact, other factors to ensure the sustainability of experiences include political will, i.e., political commitment and transparency, and the integration of a "cross-border awareness" or "cross-border culture" in the standard design and management of policies and legislation, i.e., common objectives and Master's Plans [10,66].…”

“…In this regard, one of the main goals of such strategy is to foster a coordinated approach toward a sustainable regional planning to improve connectivity and the movement between cities, in this large region, regarding accessibility and transportation infrastructure and services [77]. All the regions present great results; however, it should be highlighted that the city of Bratislava once is perhaps one of the best examples of urban growth in the globalization Era [1,7]. These great results may be explained mainly by its privileged geographical situation, at the heart of a rapid European development, presenting interesting future indicators for their citizens, along with new opportunities and horizons perfectly possible to reach.…”

“…Recent changes in the European landscape introduced by geopolitical, socioeconomic and/ or cultural issues have been continuously contributing to strengthen the magnetism of urban areas, increasing their capacity to change land use, thus fostering important transformations not only at the socioeconomic level but also in terms of urban morphology all over Europe [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Even though sometimes positive, these changes have reinforced the clear tendency of depopulation of rural territories-confirmed on the last decades-consequently increasing the development of progressively larger urban agglomerations [8][9][10].…”