Evolución del sistema urbano de frontera en un escenario de permeabilidad: procesos espaciales transfronterizos y cambio urbano en casos del área metropolitana de Basilea. 1985-2010

Abstract

Cross-border urban areas are spaces of singular richness. They are inhabited encounter places, where differences but also complementarity exist and where the presence of the frontier can be regarded as a source of opportunity. This research delves into the evolution of a particular case of such scenarios: the border urban systems that converge in the heart of the Basel metropolitan area (Weil am Rhein in Germany, Huningue and Saint-Louis in France, and Basel itself in Switzerland). ix The research highlights the decisive role of emerging instruments and methods of interaction for the activation of new cross-border spatial practices, but also their operational limitations, the asymmetrical power relations and other multiple interests at stake. This results in a significantly cohesive space -considering its nature-, but with underlying weaknesses. The border condition is harnessed as a resource.Beyond the constraints, multiple projects stand out which, by focusing on connectivity, act as a lever for change, modelling certain dynamics on borders (functional, social, economic, etc.) even though they do not have an influence on the permanence of checkpoints. They show the importance of communication structures as a support for cross-border development. Also, they reveal the capacity of local areas to reinforce certain processes of permeabilization, becoming spaces where the management of creative difference and the confluence among diverse actors can support the positioning in supralocal networks, the emergence of collective anticipation strategies and the attention and search for solutions to urban problems and needs, adopting an integral approach. In this respect, the Basel north front adaptation model stands out. Thus, cross-border urban areas have proven to provide insights for planning in a context of uncertainty. Given their specificity, the debate on their future requires not only considering local integration, but also urban complexity.