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Integrated spatial and transport development in Europe: the examples of two European corridors

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2017
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AESOP
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In order to better understand the impact of infrastructural improvements on spatial development, we can make the illustration of our planet as our own body: the skeleton is made of roads, railways, air and sea ports; the vascular network consists of gas and oil pipelines and electric grids, while the nervous system is based on internet cables, satellites, data scanners, etc. In sum, infrastructure, being it an instrument of physical connection, energy supply or information share, is an underlying factor generating the connectivity – the key asset class of the 21st century. Thus, the infrastructural upgrading, as it enables all other sectors to function properly, is recognised as one of the 19 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Looking back through the history of European ‘rise and fall’, after each critical period Europe started to renew itself by improving the transport corridors. In other words, Europe has a long tradition in understanding the infrastructure, in particular the railway transport infrastructure, as a tool for achieving prosperity and stability – first transnational initiatives date back to the end of the 19th century. However, the coordinated action regarding the development of transport infrastructure in Europe started in the 1980s with the European Union (EU) TEN-T (Trans-European Transport Network) policy clearly addressing the main objectives of European development – economic, social, and territorial cohesion. The first initiative was the PEC (Pan-European Corridors and Areas), developed during two Ministerial Conferences – in Crete (1994) and in Helsinki (1997), with the aim of connecting the EU-15 with the then neighbouring countries. At the same time, the TINA (Transport Infrastructure Needs Assessment) process started in 1995 focused on strengthening the linkages within the eastern part of Europe (EC, 2011a; Commission of the European In order to better understand the impact of infrastructural improvements on spatial development, we can make the illustration of our planet as our own body: the skeleton is made of roads, railways, air and sea ports; the vascular network consists of gas and oil pipelines and electric grids, while the nervous system is based on internet cables, satellites, data scanners, etc. In sum, infrastructure, being it an instrument of physical connection, energy supply or information share, is an underlying factor generating the connectivity – the key asset class of the 21st century. Thus, the infrastructural upgrading, as it enables all other sectors to function properly, is recognised as one of the 19 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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Book of proceedings: Annual AESOP Congress, Spaces of Dialog for Places of Dignity, Lisbon, 11-14th July, 2017
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