The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning

ESPON 2030
European Spatial Planning Observation Network

Programme

ESPON logo, Quelle: ESPON EGTC

ESPON is an EU-funded programme linking research and politics. It provides spatial analyses, data and maps with the aim

  • to support EU development policies, in particular cohesion policy, with facts and evidence.
  • to support authorities in benchmarking their region or city, identifying new challenges and potentials and shaping successful future development policies.
  • to provide facts, data and advice to policy-makers.

Considering the most important territorial challenges and the political framework for territorial cohesion as it was specified by the EU member states, the ESPON 2030 Programme aims to support participants at all levels in reaching a green change to climate-neutral national economies and at the same time to promote fair living conditions for all humans in all places.

ESPON aims to support policy-makers at all levels by providing territorial insights and knowledge for policy action. The focus is on strengthening the recovery and resilience of EU territories after the crisis.

The transition to climate-neutral economic systems and fair living conditions and opportunities for all people are addressed by ESPON through a territorial, functional and place-based perspective. It is the cornerstone of ESPON's insights and knowledge. It supports public actors in their search for cross-sectoral and multi-level political responses to the benefit of European citizens.

What does ESPON do?

ESPON creates evidence and knowledge. ESPON initiates studies based on the needs of public authorities on all levels in Europe. Any local, regional or national authority or EU institution can ask ESPON for policy advice and become an ESPON stakeholder.

The studies have a territorial focus, which means that analyses are adjusted to the specificities and needs of the people and places that are part of the investigation.

Under the ESPON 2030 Programme, studies and events are clustered in so-called “Thematic Action Plans (TAPs)”. Four of these TAPs have already been approved, up to seven more TAPs will follow in the course of the 2021-2027 EU programming period:

Climate neutral territories

Objective: to produce territorial evidence on (renewable) energy consumption and production, ecosystem services, biodiversity, and natural resources within European territories and their seas. The new evidence to be created will provide information on the territorial opportunities and challenges that could affect the transition of cities and regions towards climate neutrality by 2050. It will demonstrate possible territorial consequences for cities and regions following different development pathways towards complete carbon neutrality by 2050.

Focus: a knowledge basis on the territorial aspects of green transition towards a climate neutral economy, i.e. mobility, spatial planning, consumption, energy and society, shall be developed in a broader sense. In the context of this TAP, it will be investigated how existing challenges can be transformed into opportunities by, inter alia, decreasing carbon emissions; increasing carbon sinks and energy efficiency; improving energy self-sufficiency and eradicating energy poverty.

Places resilient to crisis

Objective: to produce territorial evidence on the vulnerability of European territories to environmental, economic, social and health crises and digital disruptions. The new evidence to be created will provide information on the specific strengths and development opportunities of European territories which help to withstand crises and to better manage their effects.

The studies under this TAP can pinpoint vulnerability and threat of different types of territories to and by crises as well as identify transformative development opportunities (based on, e.g., geographical specificities and similarities).

Focus: it will facilitate better understanding of the possible territorial consequences of different crises by providing new insights and options for all places confronted with uncertainties, pressures and “black swan” events.

Governance of new Geographies

Objective: to identify emerging geographies, their socio-economic characteristics and the integrated development potential. The studies will give an opportunity to assess existing governance mechanisms and recommend new ones while promoting a functional approach in planning and governance, and to promote the networking and involvement of civil societies, youth initiatives and actions by other stakeholders.

In the context of this TAP, new and innovative spatial data on demarcations and development trends of functional areas shall be used. Thus, multi-level governance mechanisms for various types of functional areas shall be promoted and the capacities of spatial planning authorities and stakeholders involved be improved.

Focus: a knowledge base to better understand new emerging geographies in terms of their definitions, cooperation arrangements and actors and stakeholders involved shall be developed. In addition, by observing the entire ESPON Programme area, new knowledge and possible pathways on how to find appropriate governance mechanisms, shall be provided.

Perspective for all people and places

Objective: to analyse the development of a knowledge and evidence basis based on the economic and social convergence of territorial patterns. This TAP focuses on a better understanding of socio-economic trends and on developing new approaches for better capturing the territorial dimensions of social and economic realities and disparities.

Building on the diversity and the potential of European territories as a key determinant to secure a sustainable and prosperous territorial development (beyond the sole economic growth), the territorial evidence and knowledge development activities within this TAP will support better capacities and skills of policymakers on all levels of governance and across policy sectors.

Focus: it will stimulate networking and peer learning to promote adaptive strategies. In the context of this TAP, broader collective objectives (prosperous development, inclusion, spatial justice, wellbeing, just and fair transition, etc.) are to be achieved and all relevant stakeholders to be involved in the policy-making processes.

TAP proposals from 2023:

  1. Adapting to the impacts of climate change
  2. Living, working and travelling across borders
  3. Smart connectivity
  4. European territories in global interactions

Who benefits from ESPON?

Local, regional and national authorities are the main beneficiaries of the results. They can request ESPON's services and initiate tailormade studies through targeted analyses that enable a benchmarking with other European cities, regions and countries.

ESPON is a unique source of information for scientists, researchers and students. Since 2006, ESPON has been cited more than 20.000 times in academic publications. At the same time, many European universities and research centres are contracted by ESPON to conduct studies.

As ESPON's contents are free for anyone to access and download, the private sector also benefits from itswork. Consultancies, SMEs, but also industrial enterprises can use the publications to better position themselves on certain markets and/or to adjust their products and services.

ESPON is also a goldmine for journalists. It provides them with evidence and data to support their stories and connects them to a vast pool of experts and stakeholders.

ESPON can furthermore be useful to any active citizen interested in understanding how their city/region performs compared to the rest of Europe. They can get an overview of important spatial trends in Europe or browse through the interactive maps and graphics.

Who participates in ESPON?

The 27 EU member states and four partner countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) participate in and co-finance the ESPON Programme. Like any EU-funded programme, ESPON is managed by an administrative authority, the ESPON Managing Authority which is run by the Ministry of Energy and Spatial Planning in Luxembourg.

The Programme is carried out by the ESPON EGTC (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation). It was founded by the State of Luxembourg together with the three Belgian regions, the Flemish Region, the Walloon region and Brussels Capital Region.

The total budget of ESPON for the 2021-2027 funding period is 60 million euros, of which the EU contribution is 80% (48 million euros) and the contribution of the 27 member states 20% (12 million euros). In addition, the ESPON 2030 Programme is supported by the four partner countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) with 1.685 million euros.

More information:
ESPON


Previous programmes:

ESPON 2020
>> more information

ESPON 2013
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ESPON 2006
ESPON 2006

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