ESPON 2013 Programme Open Seminar 13 and 14 June 2012, Aalborg

1. ESPON 2013 Programme Open Seminar 13 and 14 June 2012, Aalborg Transnational Networking Activities Nordic-Baltic Dialogues on Transnational Perspectives in Spatial Planning (NORBA)

2. Partners • Lead Partner: ECP Finland • Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland • Heikki Eskelinen, Timo Hirvonen • Partners: • ECP Estonia (University of Tartu) • Antti Roose • ECP Iceland (University of Akureyri) • Grétar Þór Eyþórsson • ECP Latvia (State Development Agency, Riga) • Zane Leščinska • ECP Norway (Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research, NIBR) • Olaf Foss • ECP Sweden (Royal Institute of Technology) • Mats Johansson • 2010-2012

3. Context • Macro-regional • existing co-operation, positioning in Europe • Dialogue • Discussion forums • Continuous reporting: http://rha.is/norba NORBA in Action

4. Conferences • For policy-makers and other stakeholders • Stockholm, 3-4 February 2011 • For young scholars: Roskilde (Denmark), 24-27 May 2011 • (in connection of the Nordic Geographers Meeting) • For researchers: Oslo, 13-14 March 2012 • (in co-operation with the Nordic Section of the ERSA) • Final conference: Jurmala (Latvia), 30-31 August 2012

5. Lessons from Stockholm • 1st day: What can ESPON do for your region? • Key themes: • - Nordic-Baltic countries in the light of ESPON findings • - Messages of ESPON scenarios concerning Nordic-Baltic countries • “Regions learn from each other through ESPON” • “ESPON as a source of structural overviews” • “More demand driven projects” • “Functional regions in reporting instead of NUTS regions”

6. 2) International outlooks in (national) spatial planning (in Nordic-Baltic countries) • - “Soft” strategic planning rather than “hard” allocative planning • - Development perspectives including links with international transport infrastructures, potentials such as growth corridors, development zones, cooperation areas, territorial positioning as visions for future development • - International comparison of regional and national assets, state and trends of development largely missing (that is, what ESPON could provide)

7. Lessons from Roskilde • Macro-regional diversity targeted, exposed and discussed • Open and lively Q & A session after each keynote and young scholars presentation • Inserting case studies into ESPON knowledge • Young fellows became aware of ESPON findings

8. Lessons from Oslo • Constructive cooperation with the NS-RSA • More than 60 participants, 34 presentations in parallel workshops and 3 plenary speeches + a plenary panel discussion between the NORBA partners • Main focus on SeGI and PURR in presentations • Abstracts and presentations are published

9. Expectations for Jurmala • Discuss Territorial cohesion in the Baltic Sea Region- challenges and feasibility • Identify ESPON teritorial evidence in the macro- regional context - demography, urban regions, rural development and territorial cooperation • Reflect on Territorial  governance and strategic planning practices in the Baltic Sea Region • Provide a transnational  forum for policy makers, practitioners and researchers

10. NORBA Summary • ESPON is only one source of research-based evidence for policy-making in northern Europe • Impacts on how actors (in different sectors, at different spatial levels) position themselves, and how debate on European cohesion and territorial development policy evolves • New insights into relations between research and policy-making