Territorial Imbalances: Spatial and Planning Approaches to Decode Disparities in Urban-Regional Contexts

Dear Colleagues,

In 2021, European Parliament reconfirmed the need to address the existing imbalances between its regions through the renewal of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The following ERDF legislative measures set for the period of 2021-2027 were as follows: to develop a smarter, interconnected Europe, supporting cooperation across regions and countries through Interreg programs; to reduce the social and economic disparities between the innermost and outermost regions; and to foster actions oriented towards territorial cohesion in consonance with the 2030 Territorial Agenda, “A future for all places”. Territorial imbalances tend to be especially pronounced in areas that are constrained by their geographical position, such as between coastal areas and inner-island or mountain regions. Those areas have evolved based on social, economic, environmental, and territorial conditions that have led to the development of distinct urban–regional hierarchies that are characterized by strong and weak centralities as well as by spatial fragilities or exposures. In addition to geographical position, special consideration ought to be given to regions with significant demographic, structural, or economic disadvantages (e.g., regions experiencing a populational density decline, areas with poor infrastructure, or areas affected by the industrial transition and the absence of capital investments). Furthermore, territorial disparities can also be influenced by governance factors, such as political instability and decisional weakness, or by the local capacity to attract investments and human resources, all of which represent aspects that must be addressed.

In this regard, this Special Issue aims to aggregate original research, literature review articles, case studies, and novel methodological perspectives on the topic of territorial imbalances and disparities, with a focus on urban–regional contexts. This Special Issue is tailored to be interdisciplinary and to collect research from different fields as well as from multidisciplinary teams. We encourage contributions on themes that include but are not limited to the following:

• Comparative analyses of national and international case studies and best practices on the minoring of territorial disparities.
• Use of analytical techniques, including network, configurational, and spatial analysis, to measure and evaluate territorial imbalances and fragilities.
• Construction of socioeconomic and spatial models to assess the territorial disparity dynamics at urban–regional scales.
• The use of data mining tools and big data to construct databases related to the socioeconomic and environmental repercussions deriving from the conditions of territorial imbalance.
• Construction indicators to assess territorial imbalances in relation to EU Territorial Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations Agenda for 2030;
• Correlation and integration indices between Urban Master Plans and spatial information relating to the existing territorial configuration.
• Identification of criteria for the requalification and regeneration of urban systems.

Studies and reviews on innovative technologies and practices for planning and decision support systems as well as approaches to smart cities and regions that consider territorial imbalances and disparities are also welcome.

Dr. Diego Altafini
Dr. Giulia Desogus
Dr. Chiara Garau
Prof. Dr. Valerio Cutini
Guest Editors

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• territorial imbalances
• territorial cohesion
• smart regions and cities
• urban configuration
• regional planning