Reshaping Europe : borders' impact on territorial cohesion

Abstract

The main purpose of this thesis is to contribute substantively to past, present as well as future debates about the 'Europe of the Regions' by highlighting the challenges and difficulties towards the building up of 'A Unity of Diversity'. Although the idea of building up 'A Unity of Diversity' might appear at first sight to be contradictory, this research demonstrates why and how this approach must be seriously considered for the reshaping of Europe. The thesis demonstrates that whilst there is on the one hand an urgent desire of ensuring the extensive and increasing diversity of the European Union, characterised by differing traditions, cultures and identities, there is at the same time a pressing need for territorial and social cohesion enabling all Europe's regions to come together to address the emerging issues of the 21st century more effectively. The research reveals a number of different processes underlying problems which manifest themselves as difficulties in holding together the different nation-states of Europe, promoting European cohesion and uniting its people. The thesis focuses on the impacts of different kinds of borders (including territorial, cognitive, and organisational borders), which provides an enlightening basis both for understanding of the current situation (which has evolved out the past) but also for determining potentially effective future pathways for Europe. Inspired by both social theories on identity and collective memory as well as planning theories on European spatial planning, this thesis offers a set of original inter-disciplinary and innovative frameworks for cooperation across borders. By applying these theoretical frameworks to two concrete case studies (the Austrian-Italian border area and the Austrian-Slovakian border area) focused on determining specific inter-cultural aspects emerging out of bottom up collaboration, the thesis makes a valuable contribution for the construction of potentially productive territorial and social cohesion in Europe.<br />The thesis concludes by suggesting that Europe requires a European Identity, a collective identity which facilitates the overcoming of different kinds of negative border effects and consequently supports the emergence of soft, dynamic spaces of interaction. Moreover it emphasises that one of the success criteria of this intervention is dependent upon maintaining Europe's rich cultural diversity, which has to be considered as the hallmark of the continent in the 21st century.<br />