3.6 Planning tools and methods

3.6.1 Territorial Impact Assessment

VASAB Task (Ministerial Conference 1996):
Encourage, through a dialogue with Ministers of Transport, territorial impact assessments when developing the PETN, for corridor sections already promoted by VASAB

The early project initiatives of VASAB concerning transnational development of regions benefiting from improvements of Trans-European transport corridors (see above) led to first dialogues with bodies responsible for transport infrastructure development.

These contacts made it clear that a contribution, from spatial development point of view, to the planning of future transport networks would be beneficial. This is particularly relevant for transition countries. There, spatial structures are still less stable, transport network improvements need to be more substantial, leading to higher spatial impacts than in Western European countries.

First approaches were made through the Via Baltica Spatial Development Zone project (VBSD) mentioned above. This project launched the idea of 'Via Baltica Rail', a passenger rail connection between Baltic States capitals and Warsaw which is not included in the EU's TINA network. A similar approach has been discussed for the Via Hanseatica road to connect major coastal cities from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern through Poland, Kaliningrad to Lithuania, to link them with the Via Baltica road.

Co-operation with Ministries of Transport on Territorial Impact Assessment Conclusions

The dialogue and co-operation with Ministries of Transport has not yet led to joint planning approaches.

Next steps shall be to identify links in need for improvement from spatial development point of view. These proposals must be substantiated, and discussed with transport infrastructure planners at national and international levels.

This shall lead to revisions in the methodology for transport infrastructure investment planning.

3.6.2 Spatial monitoring

VASAB Task (Stockholm Ministerial Conference):
Spatial monitoring

VASAB sees as one of its roles to address issues important for balanced spatial development within and across countries. This requires that spatial trends are monitored and evaluated.

To contribute to better knowledge, VASAB has initiated a pilot project to analyse whether and how a spatial monitoring system may be established in the BSR, thus complementing corresponding efforts at EU level.

  • VASAB pilot project:
    BSR spatial monitoring system

    This project, funded by Phare-CBC, was preceded by VASAB-supported seminars on possible themes to be monitored 33.

    As a result, it was recommended not to install for the time being an institutionalised monitoring system, due to following:

    • Statistical comparability problems, especially between Western and Eastern BSR.

    • Lack of funding required for a permanent organisation, as monitoring must go beyond data collection and prepare economic, social, environmental and spatial interpretations.

    • Impossibility in the BSR, at present, to monitor some important aspects due to lacking data (e.g. on cultural assets, urban sprawl).

    • Current work within the Study Programme for European Spatial Development (SPESP) will bring about significant development in monitoring techniques of some of the issues not feasible to tackle today.

    Therefore it was concluded that VASAB development on monitoring shall be tied with the forthcoming European Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON). Though, it was recommended to develop some issues for the BSR in parallel:

    • Satellite-based monitoring of land use.

    • Statistical delimitation of functional urban regions and harmonisation of national data collection with regards to the delimitation.

    • Improve methods of population registration in some transition countries.

    • Classification and documentation of cultural heritage according to European standards presently under development.

    • Establishing common criteria for measuring tourist flows.

3.6.3 Planning tools and methods

VASAB Action

VASAB does not see its role to develop new planning tools and methods.

  • VASAB project:
    Compendium of spatial planning systems and legislation in BSR countries

    This project resulted in a publication containing a systematic description of the formal set-up of the spatial planning systems and legislation in all BSR countries. It covers all planning levels, from the national to the local one.

    This compendium will be a useful reference when discussing future changes of these systems in any one of the BSR countries.

InterregIIC projects concerning planning tools and methods

A number of Interreg IIC projects deal with improved planning tools:

  • GIS (PSSD - Planning Systems for Sustainable Development),
  • Information systems (Network of Regional Information Management in an European Comparison): BEIDS - Baltic Environmental Information Dissemination Network,
  • Basic maps (MapBSR).

Other InterregIIC projects promote the knowledge of planning methods:

  • The Baltic Manual: Sharing of Expertise in Spatial Planning; this project wants to make planning systems and practice better known across borders.
  • IUPM - Innovative Urban Planning and Management.