Management and regulation of scattered urbanization in cross-border urban region: a state of instruments and practices in the cases of Luxembourg, Geneva and Strasbourg

Résumé 0

Cooperation processes and governance changes in cross-border region are the subject of a growing interest (international research programs such as ESPON program, INTERREG in the European Union are dealing with these topics). However, urbanization processes on the outskirts of transboundary metropolitan areas and their regulation remain under-explored matters. The specificity of cross-border exchanges, and the difficulties of coordination and cooperation between countries accentuate the pressure on territories which are sparsely urbanized but close to urban centers. All along the French borders, this phenomenon could lead to significant differences on either side of the frontier (local resources, public equipment needs and the capacity of public policies). The effects of the border on urbanization emphasize the problems that the actors face: the cross-border management and regulation of scattered urbanization combines issues of housing production, distribution of jobs and services, territorial competition and land preservation.In this contribution, we will focus on instruments of cross-border cooperation which aim at managing scattered urbanization in three different areas: the metropolitan regions of Luxembourg, Geneva and Strasbourg. The study (research program Gertrud funded by the ANR) is based on interviews of key actors involved in urban planning and projects, and uses organized collective action frame of analysis.In these three metropolitan areas, several instruments have been negotiated and set up by national or local actors. These instruments rely on different types of institutions, documents and procedures, and on some urban development projects. The influence of the border, the actors in presence in each region, the stakes of the public regulation and the capacity of the public actors to achieve their goals vary between the three cases. The confrontation between the cases puts forward the specifics of urbanization processes in these regions and the way public actors organize rule, and negotiate to manage and regulate.