Parte del Focus "Pathways to ecological transition"
a cura di Benedetta Giudice
PhD student, R3C URD-DIST/Politecnico di Torino
The ecological transition needs to take place through place-based, multi-level and cross-border governance, focusing on functional geographies that transcend administrative boundaries. In the Øresund region case study, functional areas are conceived as “soft spaces”: flexible governance arrangements designed to coordinate processes, funding and decision-making according to territorial dynamics rather than statutory borders. Framed by the European Green Deal, the European Climate Law and cohesion policy instruments, this approach responds to the cross-sectoral and multi-scalar nature of climate adaptation challenges, such as sea level rise, coastal erosion and infrastructure interdependencies. The Øresund case shows how voluntary coordination, procedural and evidence interoperability, and financial alignment can operationalise EU transition objectives across asymmetric planning systems.
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