Introduction

Worldwide there is a recurring interest on the performance of cities and regions. Regional development is attracting the attention of policy makers and scientists again, as regions, urban centres and rural areas, experience substantial pressures, particularly in Europe, as a consequence of globalisation and geopolitical changes, which lead to changes in spatial structures and dynamics. Increasing competition, the opening-up of new markets, demographic change and migratory flows, new large scale infrastructure development, resource development and conservation, social and political conflicts, etc. are some of the many issues of development, growth and decline, which regions are facing. Understanding the driving factors and key processes of such effects is crucial for the design, adoption and implementation of appropriate policies to encourage or mitigate anticipated impacts. Regional science can provide a useful framework in that respect. Regional science can offer a strong conceptual basis in approaching regional development issues. In the past few decades it has emerged as an interdisciplinary field focusing on the spatial structures and dynamics of firms, cities and regions and thus deepening our understanding of why, where and how change occurs in cities and rural areas at a local, regional, national and interregional- international level (Isard, 2003). It has developed theoretical concepts, methodological tools and a wide array of new analytical paradigms, extending our knowledge and understanding of a complex reality in the development of regions, urban and rural areas. In recent years a lot of interest has focused on multidisciplinary research initiatives seeking for a blend of separate research disciplines which offer in-depth understanding of the rapidly increasing complexity of our open space-economy (Coccossis and Nijkamp, 2007).