EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - The role of small and medium sized towns

The role of small and medium sized towns - ESPON project 1.4.1

Introduction

The study aims at finding typologies of small and medium sized towns on the NUTS 3 or 2 levels, at an improvement of the knowledge about the role of small and medium sized towns (SMESTOs) in spatial development and also at analysing their specific potentials and challenges.

Description

Due to the fact that the document is a first interim report, final results are still pending.

Background information

The study is part of the greater ESPON programme that commenced in 2002 and was started in order to support policy development and to build a European scientific community in the field of European territorial development. The main aim is to increase the general body of knowledge about territorial structures, trends and policy impacts in an enlarged European Union.

Methodology

Large parts of the study are covered by literature surveys, including the analysis of relevant ESPON reports. A second source of information has been tapped by sending out a questionnaire to all project partners and to all ESPON Contact Points, gathering information on national definitions of SMESTOs and on data availability.

EU involvement

The project was launched in the framework of the ESPON programme which is financed by the EU Community Initiative INTERREG IIIB.

Conclusions

Due to the fact that the document is a first interim report, final results are still pending.

Contact info

Austrian Institute for Regional Studies and Spatial Planning (Österreichisches Institut für Raumplanung (ÖIR))
oir@oir.at
http://www.oir.at/
Mr. Peter SCHNEIDEWIND, tel. +43-1-533-87470

Publication date

/09/2005

Project finished

/09/2005

Researcher

Austrian Institute for Regional Studies and Spatial Planning (Österreichisches Institut für Raumplanung (ÖIR)) et. al.

Cities

The research covers the whole ESPON space, i. e. EU 25 as well as Switzerland, Norway and the two accession countries Bulgaria and Romania.

Links

ESPON project 1.4.1 - The role of small and medium sized towns ESPON Homepage

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Urban environment > Land use

Keywords

Urban-rural relationship