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Background and aims of this position paper: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it has become ever clearer that it poses an enormous challenge for society. The lockdown imposed on large parts of public life, which hit all social groups and institutions relatively abruptly with a wide range of impacts, as well as the measures adopted subsequently have resulted in radical changes in our living conditions. In some cases, the crisis has acted as an accelerator of trends affecting processes that were already ongoing: the digitalisation of communications and educational processes, the growth in working from home and mobile working arrangements, the expansion of online retail, changes in travel behaviour (in favour of cars and bicycles), and the establishment of regional service networks. At the same time, there has been a braking effect on sectors such as long-distance travel, global trade, trade fairs and cultural events, as well as on progress towards gender equality in the division of labour for household responsibilities and childcare. Socio-spatial, infrastructural, economic and ecological effects are becoming increasingly apparent. For those involved in spatial development and spatial planning, urgent questions arise not only about the weaknesses that have become apparent in our spatial uses in terms of infrastructure and public service provision, the economy and ecology, and in our ways of life in terms of housing and the supply of goods and services, but also about what opportunities have emerged for sustainable and self-determined lifestyles. What conclusions for anticipatory and preventive planning can be drawn from these (provisional) findings? Using a critical, multidisciplinary and integrative examination of the spatially-relevant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper establishes connections between the crisis management of today and crisis preparedness concepts for potential future pandemics. Building on that, it proposes corresponding recommended acti

This chapter describes the process by which a cross-border metropolitan region develops, using the example of the Greater Region. Between 2008 and 2010 the idea of a cross-border, polycentric metropolitan region in the Greater Region was investigated and further developed within the ESPON project 'Metroborder'. In recent years, driven by policy declarations, strategic approaches for implementing this metropolitan region have been developed. A Spatial Development Strategy of the Greater Region with a focus on the metropolitan dimensions of the sub-regions provides the foundation for this. The issue of governance in relation to the crossborder interactional area (in the narrower conception of this area) is also discussed.

This paper describes an initial theoretical and conceptual approach relating crossborder cooperation to European spatial development and the associated theories, based on approaches from political science. This is discussed as a field of application for European spatial development, which is influenced by a number of factors. Of these, European integration, new regionalism and governance are discussed in detail.

This paper addresses the extension of cross-border transport within the EU. Despite the longstanding efforts of transport and cohesion policies to improve cross-border transport, many border regions still face challenges related to transport infrastructure and local public transport; these are discussed in the first part of this paper. Transport policy goals and instruments on the EU level are then discussed and their impact is assessed using case studies in the border area. As EU policy and funding instruments are not particularly concrete or binding, there are still significant variations between the national policies of member states. Implementation requires strong political will and secure funding. As transport is an important foundation for other aspects of cross-border cooperation, sustained investment in this key area is required.

This paper presents an introduction to forms of cooperation on European, intergovernmental, federal state, regional and municipal levels. The EU Community Initiative INTERREG is described as a significant funding instrument for cross-border cooperation. This excursus thus provides background knowledge for many of the papers in this volume.

Life in the border regions within the European Union has become normal for many people, especially for younger generations. Crossing the borders is part of everyday life. In recent years, until the refugee crisis, national borders had lost significance due to their increased permeability, although neither borders nor border demarcations have ever become meaningless. National policies and frameworks determine fundamental orientations that have specific implications on both sides of borders. This is associated with processes of inclusion and exclusion, (regional) identities, feelings of belonging and issues concerning a sense of home. Against this background, this paper provides a theory-based introduction to the central constructs and concepts that gain significance in the cross-border context: border(s) and border demarcations, (spatial and regional) identities and home. Identification processes are illuminated and categorised using the example of the Greater Region.

What is life in a border region like? This paper aims to answer this question, drawing on empirical research in four twin villages in the Greater Region. The findings, based on a postal survey in the twin municipalities and face-to-face interviews, show that both sides see the border situation as bringing financial and practical advantages. The cooperation between the municipalities is generally described very positively. In regard to a sense of identification, there are feelings of belonging to both the nation state and the (cross-border) region, although there are differences between those surveyed in the different countries. In terms of the importance of the border, there is general agreement that it is scarcely noticed anymore, and that since its disappearance life has become more convenient and has benefited. Yet there various challenges can also be identified, which represent tasks for the coming years.

The paper focuses on the activities of the Eurodistrict PAMINA in the cross-border labour market, including the associated training measures. Here the concrete needs and practice-oriented approaches of a dynamic labour market region meet the complex challenges of a multi-level system, the governance of which is not fully developed. This is a constellation that has obstructed the implementation of a number of promising ideas. The Eurodistrict PAMINA lies at the interface between national and cross-border metropolitan regions and within the area of the greatest commuter flows in Europe (Upper Rhine and Greater Region), where PAMINA is testing a local strategy based primarily on bringing together the qualified actors and improving coherence between measures and funding policies.

Cross-border, transnational regional development in the Rhine-Alpine EU transport corridor represents an ongoing challenge. With 18 partners from five countries, the Rhine-Neckar regional association (Verband Region Rhein-Neckar, VRRN) therefore initiated an EU-funded project along the corridor to tackle the task. The INTERREGfinanced project used the acronym 'CODE24' and developed a joint strategy for developing the Rhine-Alpine Corridor from the perspective of the regional-municipal level. To ensure the continuation of this successful cooperation beyond the running time of the project, a new, permanent organisation was founded: the Interregional Alliance for the Rhine-Alpine Corridor. A European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) was chosen as the legal form. The organisation was founded on 24 April 2015 in Mannheim and was the first EGTC established in Germany, which now comprises 19 members.

Cultural tourism is one of the most quickly growing tourism segments. Cultural heritage is an important resource for developing cultural tourism. In rural areas, tourism plays an important role in safeguarding employment, income and supply structures, but in contrast to the situation in urban regions, resources for developing cultural tourism are scarcely used. As the border regions are largely rural in character, the question arises as to the role cultural tourism and cultural heritage currently play there. This paper investigates the use of cultural heritage in the tourism sector in the border areas of the Greater Region and the Trinational Metropolitan Region of the Upper Rhine and uses this as a basis for proposals concerning the further utilisation of cultural heritage as a resource for developing tourism.

What current discourses are relevant for border areas? What opportunities for and obstacles to integrated territorial development arise from the specific situation of border regions? How can these be utilised or overcome in a goal-oriented way? These questions were central to the discussions of the Border Futures working group. Border regions like the Greater Region1 or the Trinational Metropolitan Region of the Upper Rhine extend far beyond the immediate border area. While institutional structures of cooperation can be perpetuated through agreements and organisations, there is a lack of instruments which cross-border cooperation structures can deploy in response to changing situations. Cross-border cooperation faces new challenges from increasing cross-border interactions, processes of economic structural transformation, new energy policies in the national sub-spaces, and demographic change. Another factor is increasing spatial polarisation, which influences the further development and future viability of the affected border areas, and involves metropolisation issues in urban centres and the provision of public services in rural districts. Building on discussions of the Border Futures working group, this volume sheds light on cross-border cooperation in practice with recent research relevant to planning in border regions in the European context. The insights collected here are intended to be usable in the border areas within the territory of the Regional Working Group and should also contribute towards the broader specialist discourse on the further development of cross-border cooperation. Issues of sustainable cross-border governance, new spatial functions and new planning instruments play a role here, as do the possibilities provided by the current EU structural policy programming period for border areas.

Luxembourg is characterized by phenomena of mobility that include cross-border commuters and residential migrants. While both groups have been mainly examined from a socioeconomic perspective, this paper adopts a sociocultural approach. We will focus on the question of the extent to which cross-border mobility in everyday life promotes cross-border lifeworlds. This will involve examining people's social contacts at their place of work and/or place of residence as well as the spatial organization of practices of the everyday life of both groups. The paper gives insights into everyday lives at the EU's internal borders, whose organization into nation states is subordinate and at the same time constitutive.

This outlook summarises the key findings of the Subsection and discusses them in the context of obstacles and opportunities as well as the future viability of cross-border cooperation.

This paper presents and analyses interviews held with decision-makers and actors involved in cross-border cooperation in the Greater Region, exploring the difficulties and constraints of the collaboration. In addition to problems caused by the different languages, administrative cultures and variations in the tasks and jurisdictions of the individual partners, the organisation of the Greater Region is also mentioned as a hindrance. Yet many difficulties concerning cooperation are minimised and in some cases overcome by the high level of commitment of the individuals active in crossborder cooperation. The paper concludes with recommendations to improve the working methods of cross-border cooperation.

The recent history of the Greater Region has been strongly characterised by fossil fuels. The area thus faces significant challenges as a model region in terms of the cross-border activities necessary to meet the requirements of climate protection and the energy transition. Based on the targets defined in Europe, this paper presents examples of approaches to action and projects undertaken in the field of energy in the Greater Region. Experiences gathered in the area - including those of the authors - reveal the need for action, firstly in relation to the implementation of structures and networks, and secondly to the potential development of research excellence in the field of energy/climate protection. As relevant actors in the energy transition, the municipalities have a particular role to play here.

In the context of demographic change and the associated shrinking and aging of the population, the safeguarding of public services in rural areas faces great challenges. Rural border areas find themselves in a unique situation due to their location, and must overcome additional challenges if they want to cooperate with their neighbours in the provision of public services. This paper examines cross-border cooperation in public service provision in rural areas of the Greater Region. The area examined here comprises the German territorial authorities on the German-French border within the Greater Region. An analysis of the responsibilities for and understanding of public services in Germany and France, a concise inventory of education and healthcare services, a written survey of German territorial authorities in the German-French border area, and case studies of projects (e.g. INTERREG A projects) are used to demonstrate the successes, problems and opportunities of cross-border approaches.

In recent years cross-border vocational education and training has become increasingly significant due to the intensification of European integration and increased cross-border relations, as well as demographic and economic disparities between neighbouring border regions. This paper reviews past and present forms of crossborder cooperation in vocational education and training in the Greater Region. The most recent framework agreements on vocational education and training form the focus of discussion. The question of whether the Greater Region can be described as a cross-border vocational education and training area is also addressed.

The institutionalisation of border regions has a long history. Initial forms of cooperation usually emerged in relation to a specific event. The 1970s were decisive for the emergence of cross-border organisations in both the Greater Region and the Upper Rhine region. Over the decades the structures were consolidated, although regionally specific adaptations and developments continue both on a conceptual and practical level. The European INTERREG A programme has played a significant role in improving cross-border cooperation, and INTERREG continues to be an important factor in the implementation of cross-border projects. Efforts to further develop the institutional framework and cooperation structures in recent years demonstrate that there are still many challenges but also unexploited potential in the Greater Region and the Upper Rhine region.

This paper is concerned with the development of cross-border cooperation and its current status. It examines the funding instruments and describes the challenges and opportunities of cross-border cooperation. The paper concludes by discussing some distinctive aspects of cross-border cooperation in spatial planning.

In the last two years comprehensive legislative reforms have been passed in France which aim to change the territorial architecture of the Republic to ensure increased transparency and efficiency in public administration in the long term. The reforms focus on the metropolises, the merging of regions and the reorganisation of the powers of the various levels of regional bodies. Cross-border cooperation on the Upper Rhine and in the Greater Region is affected but not called into question by the reforms.

In recent decades the challenges of globalisation, European integration and strengthened regionalisation have led to a reassessment of metropolitan regions. In Germany, the guiding principles issued by the Conference of Ministers for Spatial Planning in 2006 provided an occasion on which to rethink the role of border regions in the context of the discourse on metropolises. The metropolitan potential of border regions is far from fully exploited. This is particularly true in relation to cross-border spatial development. The concept of metropolitan border regions could be a promising way of intensifying cross-border cooperation and territorial integration. A precondition for this is that metropolisation strategies are proactively pursued using key measures and that existing structures of cooperation are further developed towards 'metropolitan' governance.

[Veranlassung und Ziele des Positionspapiers] Seit Beginn der "Corona-Krise"/SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie wird immer deutlicher, dass es sich hierbei um eine gesellschaftliche Herausforderung größten Ausmaßes handelt. Der sog. Lockdown weiter Teile des öffentlichen Lebens, der relativ unvermittelt alle sozialen Gruppen und Institutionen mit den unterschiedlichsten Konsequenzen traf, und die darauf aufbauenden Maßnahmen stellen eine radikale Veränderung unserer Lebensumstände dar. Die Krise ist zumindest in Teilen zu einem großen Trendverstärker für bereits ablaufende Prozesse geworden: bei der Digitalisierung von Kommunikations- und Lernprozessen, der Zunahme an Homeoffice/mobilem Arbeiten, der Ausweitung von Onlinehandel, Veränderungen im Mobilitätsverhalten (zugunsten Pkw und Fahrrad) und regionaler Vernetzung der Leistungserbringung. Gleichzeitig wurden Entwicklungen wie Fernreisen, globaler Handel, Messen und Kultur, aber auch eine geschlechtergerechtere Arbeitsteilung mit Blick auf Haushalt und Kinderbetreuung ausgebremst. Sozialräumliche, infrastrukturelle sowie ökonomische und ökologische Auswirkungen zeichnen sich offener ab. Es stellt sich für die Akteure der Raumentwicklung und Raumplanung dringlich die Frage, welche Schwächen unserer Raumnutzungen im Hinblick auf Infrastrukturen und Daseinsvorsorge, Ökonomie und Ökologie, unserer Lebensmodelle mit Wohnen und Versorgung - aber auch welche Chancen für nachhaltige und selbstbestimmte Lebensweisen - offensichtlich geworden sind. Was ergibt sich aus diesen (vorläufigen) Erkenntnissen für eine vorausschauende und vorsorgende Planung? Auf Grundlage einer kritischen, multidisziplinären und integrativen Betrachtung raumrelevanter Auswirkungen der Corona-Krise wird der Bogen geschlagen von der aktuellen Krisenbewältigung zur konzeptionellen Krisenvorsorge für mögliche künftig zu erwartende Pandemien. Darauf aufbauend werden entsprechende Handlungsempfehlungen formuliert. Sie beziehen sich nicht nur auf Erkenntnisse zum mitt

In der Entwicklung von Städten und Regionen nimmt der Freiraum mit seinen vielfältigen Funktionen eine zentrale Stellung ein. Gerade in Zeiten dynamischer Transformationsprozesse rücken die Freiraumpotenziale mit ihren flexiblen und multifunktionalen Gestaltungsoptionen in den Fokus. Die Freiraumplanung kann dabei auf ein vielschichtiges und bewährtes Instrumentarium zurückgreifen. Gleichwohl zeigen sich in der Planungspraxis auf allen Ebenen Brüche und Defizite - eine Zukunftsaufgabe.

In Frankreich sind in den vergangenen zwei Jahren umfassende Gesetzesreformen verabschiedet worden, die darauf zielen, die territoriale Architektur der Republik zugunsten von mehr Transparenz und Effizienz der öffentlichen Verwaltung nachhaltig zu verändern. Im Fokus der Reformen stehen die Metropolen, die Zusammenlegung von Regionen und die Neuregelung der Kompetenzen der verschiedenen gebietskörperschaftlichen Ebenen. Die grenzüberschreitende Kooperation am Oberrhein und in der Großregion wird durch die Reformen berührt, aber nicht infrage gestellt., In the last two years comprehensive legislative reforms have been passed in France. These reforms aim to change the territorial architecture of the republic to ensure increased transparency and efficiency in public administration in the long term. The reforms focus on the metropolises, the merging of regions and the reorganisation of the competences of the various levels of regional bodies. Cross-border cooperation on the Upper Rhine and in the Greater Region is affected but not called into question by the reforms.

Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Entwicklung grenzüberschreitender Zusammenarbeit und ihrer aktuellen Ausgangslage. Dabei geht er unter anderem auf Förderinstrumente ein und beschreibt Herausforderungen und Chancen grenzüberschreitender Zusammenarbeit. Abschließend werden Besonderheiten der grenzüberschreitenden Zusammenarbeit in der räumlichen Planung diskutiert., This paper is concerned with the development of cross-border cooperation and its current situation. The discussion includes consideration of funding instruments and describes challenges and opportunities of cross-border cooperation, before finally turning to specific features of cross-border cooperation within spatial planning.

In diesem Beitrag wird in einem ersten theoretisch-konzeptionellen Ansatz "Grenzüberschreitende Zusammenarbeit" mit "Europäischer Raumentwicklung" und den diesbezüglichen Theorien, basierend auf politikwissenschaftlichen Ansätzen, in Bezug gesetzt und als Anwendungsfeld der europäischen Raumentwicklung charakterisiert, auf welches mehrere Einflussfaktoren wirken. Von diesen Faktoren werden die Bereiche Europäische Integration, Neuer Regionalismus, und Governance näher erläutert., This paper describes an initial theoretical-conceptual approach to relating "cross-border cooperation" with "European spatial development" and the associated theories, based on political science approaches. This is discussed as a field of application for European spatial development, which is influenced by a number of factors. Here the factors European integration, new regionalism and governance are discussed more in detail.