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In Search of Territorial Cohesion: An Elusive and Imagined Notion

Author

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  • Rob Atkinson

    (Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of the West of England, UK)

  • Carolina Pacchi

    (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano Italy)

Abstract

Territorial cohesion has figured in the lexicon of the European Union for some years. However, there has never been a clear definition of the notion, not even after its inclusion in the Lisbon Treaty. Moreover, within the European Union Cohesion Reports and, more generally, within European Union documents, along with the other two dimensions of cohesion (economic and social) it has been treated separately without any serious attempts to reconcile them and develop a coherent interpretation of cohesion—the result being the creation of a contested and ill-defined understanding of territorial cohesion and its relationship to the other two dimensions of Cohesion Policy. Given that the approach advocated by Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy aims to embed the different dimensions and how they interact in specific spatial configurations (created by the confluence of a range of different ‘flows’ that can create multiple overlapping assemblages with ‘fuzzy’ boundaries), this raises important questions about how we understand these relationships. Moreover, the policy discourses in which each dimension of cohesion is situated create their own frameworks that are conducive to developing the conditions, including appropriate policy strategies, to supporting these individual cohesion formations. The rather arbitrary separation of these approaches in ‘official discourse’ impedes addressing cohesion in a coherent and integrated manner. Thus, after reviewing the relevant key policy literature, the article will seek to consider how territorial cohesion relates to the other two dimensions of cohesion taking into account the role of the place-based approach. However, it is argued that the search for territorial (social and economic) cohesion has been subordinated to neoliberal notions such as competitiveness and economic growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Rob Atkinson & Carolina Pacchi, 2020. "In Search of Territorial Cohesion: An Elusive and Imagined Notion," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 265-276.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v:8:y:2020:i:4:p:265-276
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Radaelli, Claudio M., 2004. "Europeanisation: Solution or problem?," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 8, October.
    2. Claire Colomb & Gonçalo Santinha, 2014. "European Union Competition Policy and the European Territorial Cohesion Agenda: An Impossible Reconciliation? State Aid Rules and Public Service Liberalization through the European Spatial Planning Le," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 459-480, March.
    3. Giancarlo Cotella & Neil Adams & Richard Joseph Nunes, 2012. "Engaging in European Spatial Planning: A Central and Eastern European Perspective on the Territorial Cohesion Debate," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(7), pages 1197-1220, February.
    4. Loris Servillo & Rob Atkinson & Abdelillah Hamdouch & Rob Atkinson, 2017. "Policies for Small and Medium-Sized Towns: European, National and Local Approaches," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 108(4), pages 472-487, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hans Thor Andersen & Mia Arp Fallov & Anja Jørgensen & Maja de Neergaard & Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen, 2020. "Cohesion in the Local Context: Reconciling the Territorial, Economic and Social Dimensions," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(4), pages 178-182.
    2. Marta Cordini & Tatjana Boczy & Ruggero Cefalo, 2021. "Place-Sensitive Social Investment and Territorial Cohesion: Implications for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-16, June.

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