ReSSI: Regional strategies for sustainable and inclusive territorial development – Regional interplay and EU dialogue: Final Report

The overarching objective of the project is to examine how smart, sustainable and inclusive economic development can be promoted by local and regional authorities in Europe, in the context of evolving landscapes of territorial governance and planning. This was done by analysing case studies in four stakeholder areas: Coventry, in the UK; Region of Southern Denmark, in Denmark; Piedmont Region, in Italy; and Oeiras, in Portugal. These case studies provided the context for addressing six research questions set by the stakeholders:

• How to promote sustainable and inclusive regional development strategies, taking into account the changing role of regional authorities and the proliferation of stakeholders in functional territories?
• What are good practices in delivering economic development policies in this new territorial governance framework?
• What can be appropriate structures that will enable Coventry to share resources and align policy objectives with other participants in the newly created Combined Authority?
• What can be new forms of cooperation and dialogue amongst municipalities in Southern Denmark around a wide spectrum of issues?
• What is the role of Piedmont Region in governing the change in the non-metropolitan part of its territory, to ensure that these areas are not excluded from the main development trajectories?
• How can territorial institutions in and around Oeiras be aligned to promote sustainable development and well-being in the region?

The first two questions address issues at European scale, and the findings are expected to be generalizable, within limits and for comparable contexts. The fourth to the sixth research questions, on the other hand, refer to challenges felt by each individual stakeholder.