From 17 March to 26 April 2010 policymakers, practitioners, researchers and other interested parties in territorial development and cohesion are invited to participate at the ESPON Survey on Themes for Future Applied Research Projects. You can play an active role in mapping the demand for knowledge and evidence for future ESPON Applied Research Projects.

When methodology and instruments pay: How the ESPON targeted analysis “Spatial Scenarios: New Tools for Local-Regional Territories” can be useful to local policy makers in the interpretation of challenges and trends at the scale of specific territories – regions, provinces, cities. The Interim Report is now online.

The first Call for Proposals for 2010 will open on 3 May 2010. Two Applied Research Projects, several Targeted Analyses as well as Transnational Networking Activities by the ESPON Contact Point network will be launched. More details will soon be available at the ESPON Website.

ESPON today announced the launch of its new website. New navigation and layout make it more user-friendly and easier to find information on projects, publications, events, calls, indicators and scientific tools, all related to territorial development and dynamics in Europe.

The ESPON Coordination Unit is currently looking for a Project Expert/Cluster Coordinator to join our international team.

Barcelona, Dublin, Lyon and Manchester were important drivers of economic growth during the decade that preceded the global recession, initial results from the ESPON Project CAEE - The Case for Agglomeration Economies in Europe - confirms. Read the Interim Report as well as all background documents, at the ESPON Website.

The European Commission has approved the new Programme for ESPON, the European Spatial Planning Observation Network.

“Forecasting the effects of territorial trends on regions and cities in Europe needs applied research”, stated Romain Diederich, Director-General of the Luxembourgian Ministry of the Interior and Spatial Development, on the occasion of the event to launch the ESPON 2013 Programme, which took place in Brussels on 21 January 2008.

EU Member States and countries neighbouring the Union will at the ESPON seminar “Territorial Challenges and Cooperation in a Wider Europe” take further steps in understanding and cooperating on territorial development dynamics within Europe. The policy focus is territorial cohesion and a sustainable and balanced development.

How will ageing, globalization, climate change and rising energy prices affect Europe, its territory, regions and cities? The ESPON 2013 Programme welcomed delegates from EU Member States and neighbouring countries as well as Japan to the Open Seminar “Territorial Challenges and Cooperation in a Wider Europe” in Portorož during the Slovenian EU Presidency.