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Territorial, Scalar, Networked, Connected: In What Sense a 'Regional World'?

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  • Gordon Macleod
  • Martin Jones

Abstract

MacLeod G. and Jones M. (2007) Territorial, scalar, networked, connected: in what sense a 'regional world'?, Regional Studies 41, 1177-1191. Whilst undoubtedly central to academic and policy-relevant spatial analysis for over a hundred years now, 'the region' has continued to be an elusive category: its various meanings and the implications therein frequently being challenged and modified through paradigmatic shifts in such spatial analysis. Today, amid what is undoubtedly a period of dramatic economic transformation, political restructuring and sociocultural change, a range of often multi-disciplinary approaches to the regional concept exist, informing us, variously, how regions can become competitive economic zones within a global economy, strategic political territories in a complex system of multi-level governance, cultural spaces forged through a politics of identity, or - in an approach that departs quite radically from conventional territorially based readings - spaces constituted out of the spatiality of flow and relational networks of connectivity. Drawing on the experience of a post-devolution UK, this paper critically assesses the respective merits of these various conceptualizations of the region, and offers some remarks about the challenges confronting contemporary regional studies. MacLeod G. et Jones M. (2007) Territorial, scalaire, en reseau, relie: dans quel sens y a-t-il un 'monde regional'?, Regional Studies 41, 1177-1191. Indubitablement, au coeur de l'analyse geographique academique et de politique depuis plus de cent ans, 'la region' reste un concept hors d'atteinte. Souvent, ses diverses interpretations et leurs implications ont ete debattues et modifiees par moyen des changements des paradigmes dans une telle analyse geographique. De nos jours, dans une periode de mutation economique, de restructuration politique et de changement socioculturel indubitables, une serie de facons d'aborder le concept regional existe, souvent multi-disciplinaires, et qui laissent voir, d'une facon ou d'une autre, comment les regions peuvent devenir des zones economiques competitives au sein d'une economie mondiale, des territoires geo-politiques strategiques dans un systeme complexe de gouvernance a plusieurs niveaux, des espaces culturelles elaborees par moyen d'une politique d'identite, ou - d'une facon qui s'eloigne radicalement des interpretations classiques fondees sur la notion de territorialite - des espaces creees de la geographie des reseaux de flux et de relations de la connectivite. Puisant dans les experiences du Royaume-Uni pour la periode depuis sa regionalisation, cet article cherche a faire la critique des merites respectives de ces diverses conceptualisations de la region et fournit quelques remarques sur les defis qui affrontent les etudes regionales contemporaines. Regions Regionalisation Gouvernance Espace relationnelle MacLeod G. und Jones M. (2007) Territorial, skalar, vernetzt, verknupft: in welcher Hinsicht eine, 'regionale Welt'?, Regional Studies 41, 1177-1191. Der Begriff der, Region' ist zwar zweifellos seit mehr als hundert Jahren ein zentraler Aspekt der akademischen und politisch relevanten Raumanalyse, doch zugleich handelt es sich um eine nach wie vor schwer fassbare Kategorie: Die verschiedenen mit ihr verbundenen Bedeutungen und Auswirkungen werden bei solchen Raumanalysen im Rahmen von Paradigmenwechseln haufig in Frage gestellt und abgeandert. In unserer zweifellos von dramatischen wirtschaftlichen Veranderungen, politischer Umstrukturierung und soziokulturellem Wandel gekennzeichneten Periode gibt es eine Reihe oftmals multidisziplinarer Ansatze fur das Regionalkonzept, die uns auf verschiedene Weise daruber informieren, wie aus Regionen konkurrierende Wirtschaftszonen innerhalb einer globalen Wirtschaft, strategische politische Gebiete in einem komplexen System der Regierungsfuhrung auf mehreren Ebenen, von Politiken der Identitat geschmiedete Kulturraume oder - in einem Ansatz, der von den konventionellen, gebietsgestutzten Interpretationen recht radikal abweicht - aus der Raumlichkeit der Fluss- und Beziehungsnetzwerke von Verknupfungen gebildete Raume werden konnen. Ausgehend von den Erfahrungen in Grossbritannien nach der Dezentralisierung werden in diesem Beitrag die jeweiligen Vorzuge dieser verschiedenen Konzeptualisierungen der Region kritisch untersucht, und es werden einige der Schwierigkeiten aufgezeigt, vor denen die zeitgenossischen Regionalstudien stehen. Regionen Dezentralisierung Regierungsfuhrung Beziehungsraum MacLeod G. y Jones, M. (2007) Territorial, escalar, integrado en red, conectado: Un 'mundo regional' ¿en que sentido? Regional Studies 41, 1177-1191. Desde hace ya ahora mas de cien anos, 'la region' forma un concepto central en el analisis espacial academico y politico; sin embargo es indiscutible que sigue siendo una categoria escurridiza: sus diferentes significados e implicaciones con frecuencia se desafian y modifican mediante cambios paradigmaticos en un analisis espacial de este tipo. Hoy dia, entre lo que sin duda es un periodo de drasticas transformaciones economicas, reestructuracion politica y cambios socioculturales, existe una serie de enfoques, a menudo multidisciplinarios, al concepto regional, que nos informan de diferentes modos sobre como las regiones pueden convertirse en zonas economicas competitivas en una economia global, territorios politicos estrategicos en un complejo sistema de gobierno multinivel, espacios culturales fraguados mediante politicas de identidad o, en un planteamiento que varia bastante radicalmente de las interpretaciones convencionales basadas en territorios, espacios constituidos a partir de la espacialidad de flujo y las redes relacionales de la conectividad. Basandonos en la experiencia de un Reino Unido descentralizado, en este ensayo evaluamos de modo critico los meritos respectivos de estas diferentes conceptualizaciones y destacamos a que desafios se enfrentan los estudios regionales contemporaneos. Regiones Transferencia de competencias Gobernanza Espacio relacional

Suggested Citation

  • Gordon Macleod & Martin Jones, 2007. "Territorial, Scalar, Networked, Connected: In What Sense a 'Regional World'?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(9), pages 1177-1191.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:41:y:2007:i:9:p:1177-1191
    DOI: 10.1080/00343400701646182
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