In the newly designed utopia "Nature lead ESDP (European Spatial Development Perspective)" the currently existentially endangered resource water becomes the spatially defining element of the European continent, the river basins are highlighted as new territorial planning units for protection against floods and improvement of water quality.
The ecological quality of the entire ecosystem is in danger, especially that of freshwater ecosystems. At the same time, the danger posed by the element of water is increasing. Rising sea levels and increased risk of flood events exemplify two serious problems that require a cross-regional and long-term European adaptation strategy.
In the future, the goal of European spatial development should be to use the program content of the INTERREG initiative as a new overriding "spatial development philosophy" for a reinterpretation and updating of the ESDP (European Spatial Development Perspective). The new "spatial development philosophy" consists of promoting cross-administrative and cross-border cooperation and coordinated spatial planning in functionally and ecologically connected areas, as is already required in the "New Leipzig Charter".
With the examination of three different European utopias: the political utopia of the "European Republic" by the political scientist Ulrike Guérot, the artistic utopia "Peninsula Europe", conceived by the artist couple Harrison, and the reality construct "Nowa Amerika", designed by the artist Michael Kurzwelly, an own utopia was designed.
In the newly designed utopia "Nature lead ESDP (European Spatial Development Perspective)" the currently existentially endangered resource water becomes the spatially defining element of the European continent, the river basins are highlighted as new territorial planning units for protection against floods and improvement of water quality.
Please highlight how the concept/idea can be exemplary in this context
The new territorial units of the European Union would now result from the geophysical territorial characteristics, namely those of the river basins. The currently existentially endangered resource water would become a space-defining element of the European continent. It would now be possible to introduce new "basic ecological principles" of spatial development, which serve to protect against flooding and improve water quality in the sense of nature-based resilience. If one now brings the approach of the reality construction "Nowa America" into the considerations, in which a new cultural identity is created with its own constitution and its own parliament, an institutionalization and legitimacy of the new territorial units is quite conceivable.
Please highlight how the concept/idea can be exemplary in this context
The Art Nouveau movement from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century created a utopia that was reflected in its artistic implementation. The recollection to nature and its unique natural forms resulted from criticism directed against the growth of mass production. Both the criticism of economic ways of thinking can be found in this work, as well as the rediscovery or the return to nature and its natural spatial conditions.
Please highlight how the concept/idea can be exemplary in this context
Resilience can only be created to the extent that institutional structures allow it. With the proclamation of the "European Republic", Ulrike Guérot creates a new socio-political framework, so that a rediscovery of the European area would be possible (cf. Guérot 2018: 84ff.). The administrative and national borders, which disrupt coherent planning in the European area, would be dissolved. Building on this, the utopia "Peninsula Europe" by the artist couple Harrison describes a new territorial spatial order that involves the creation of a nature-based would make resilience possible.
Packed into a conceptual "pot" the enumerated utopias form a kind of chronology which, when put together, results in a triad of politics (European Republic), space (Peninsula Europe) and practiced real laboratory (Nowa America). The basic critical societal tenor underlies everything: the construction of reality in the form of the nation state produces no recognizable benefit or advantage for people's coexistence. On the contrary, he excludes and limits the possibilities of what is feasible. Climate change with its consequences, loss of biodiversity, extreme weather events in the form of floods, periods of drought, deterioration in water quality, knows no bounds.
Please highlight how this approach can be exemplary
Please see graphic and point before.
It has become clear that European spatial development with its previous planning instruments is not pursuing the climate-resilient development path that the current situation requires. Resilience can only be created to the extent that institutional structures allow it. This also applies to measures in the field of flood protection and the ecological upgrading of watercourses. It was stated that issued guidelines such as the WFD (Water Framework Directive) and FRM (Flood Risk Management) do not bring about any change in this situation, as they are based on the principle of "applied voluntariness". Furthermore, a clear discrepancy between the formulated key objectives and the actual implementation of measures has generally been identified. The analysis of the history of European planning showed that until the early 1990s political action was characterized by economic objectives and strategies. The in-depth analytical examination of recently published strategy papers of the European Union shows that the paradigm of constant economic growth is still being adhered to and that there has therefore not been a fundamental paradigm shift in European spatial development. The implementation of specific resilience-promoting measures by people and the environment against the influences of climate change still depends on the implementation will of the nation states. It seems as if there are two sticking points where European spatial planning or spatial development has literally reached its limits. On the one hand it is the limited thinking and acting of the individual nation states due to their own political and social interests. On the other hand, it is the growth paradigm, which, through its constant demand for more, creates a kind of tunnel vision in which social and ecological aspects have to be incorporated into this logic.
The elaboration shows that the administrative and national borders of the European Union considerably limit the ability to create resilient structures (cf. Chapter 3.6). It has become clear that European spatial development with its previous planning instruments is not pursuing the climate-resilient development path that the current situation requires (Chapter III). As elaborated in Chapter II, resilience can only be created to the extent that institutional structures allow it. The specific example of the IKSO made it clear that the administrative borders of the European Union.
I would like to go in the praxis and how could this be implemented. The Oder would be a perfect demonstration place.
@Jentsch , 2022
Content licensed to the European Union.