ESRP publishes interdisciplinary research on the organisation of socio鈥慹conomic space in Europe and beyond, bringing together perspectives from geography, economics, planning, sociology, history and environmental studies. All articles are available in English and in Open Access.
In the latest issue you will find a wide range of topics, including:
Development of peripheral regions: A quali-quantitative study of the southernmost areas in America and Europe
Rodrigo Kataishi, Dario Musolino , Daniele Bruognolo
This study compares the economic development of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) and Calabria (Italy), two highly peripheral regions. Despite their remoteness, they exhibit contrasting trajectories: Tierra del Fuego shows industrial growth driven by state-led policies, while Calabria faces stagnation despite EU support. Using a mixed-methods approach (quantitative institutional data and semi-structured direct interviews), we analyse factors influencing these divergent paths. Findings highlight the crucial role of institutional frameworks and sectoral specialisation, challenging the assumption that peripherality inherently hinders development. Remoteness does not necessarily preclude development. We suggest policy and strategic positioning can transform peripheral status into a catalyst for development.
This study examines the spatial patterns of educational attainment in Hungary using settlement-level data from the 2022 census, focusing on individuals with at most lower secondary (ISCED 0鈥�2) and tertiary education (ISCED 5鈥�8). A two-stage analysis 鈥� bivariate choropleth map-ping and Optimised Hot Spot Analysis 鈥� revealed pronounced regional inequalities. A comparison of the 2011 and 2022 census data shows a nationwide decline in low attainment and growth in tertiary education, especially in urban areas. However, peripheral regions remain disadvantaged. These findings highlight the uneven spatial effects of educational expansion, reinforcing the need for territorial-specific education and development policies.
Budapest鈥檚 global city network integration determines its future social and economic development regarding every related dimensions. This position is based on its international labour market flows in a specific way. While unskilled labour provides essential but changeable resources, highly skilled labour has much higher added value and create liveable social and cultural environments. Local regulation tries to balance domestic market needs and deeper economic integration by eliminating low skilled workers in vain according to existing experiences. Their spatial concentration, deeper integration and the diversified sources of immigration both contribute to Budapest strengthening global city connectedness. Our aim is to show and analyse these processes.
The study developed a spatial Decision Support System (DSS) to assess the impact of land freight logistics on regional development and create an evaluation map in a GIS environment. By designing a tri-level conceptual framework and applying the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), real stakeholders were involved at each evaluation level according to their roles. The system was integrated into GIS for final analysis and applied to the developmental Syrian axis of Tartous鈥揌oms鈥揂l-Farqulus using 2018 data. The results highlighted the importance of the relationships between evaluation criteria in identifying the role of freight logistics in regional planning and achieving broader developmental outcomes.
As cities expand, their morphology and spatial configuration evolve, necessitating the integration of new spatial plans with existing ones to preserve urban identity. Understanding these changes is crucial for sustainable urban development and effective spatial planning. This study examines spatial transformations in Makassar, Indonesia, following the implementation of a new spatial plan. Using the space syntax method, specifically Angular Segment Analysis (ASA), key spatial properties 鈥� including integration, intelligibility, and accessibility 鈥� were assessed. ASA was employed to address the lack of geometric information by weighting segment lines according to their angular connections. The findings indicate that as the city grows, overall intelligibility and accessibility tend to decline. However, an increase in local intelligibility and accessibility suggests that well-planned urban design can mitigate these effects, enhancing spatial intelligibility and accessibility. These insights underscore the role of spatial configuration in shaping urban dynamics and highlight the need for a holistic planning approach to maintain integration, intelligibility, and accessibility.
Since 1978, when the Historic Centre of Krakow, Poland, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, it has undergone various developments, largely driven by tourism. In 2008, the Krakow City Hall adopted the 鈥淟ocal Revitalization Program: The Old Town鈥� to address such challenges as heritage management and preservation, gentrification, and tourism development in the area. The purpose of this study is to identify this plan鈥檚 proposed strategies based on the historic urban landscape (HUL) approach and to assess the gap between planning and implementation of the strategies. The HUL approach was introduced by UNESCO in 2011 to enable better management of World Heritage by integrating heritage conservation with a broad spectrum of urban development challenges. First, the content of the document was thematically analysed based on the HUL-proposed tools to clarify suggested strategies. Next, an Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) was conducted, referring to 19 local experts. This study offers a framework to serve as a reference to evaluate urban plans. Using the plan as a case study, the paper revealed a general understanding of the current and desired status of the strategies鈥� implementation.
The study analyses tourism in the Lake Neusiedl region, an important tourist area on the Austrian-Hungarian border. It analyses not only its long-term development but also the current state of accommodation capacities and visitor numbers in selected Austrian municipalities in the region. Emphasis is placed on identifying key trends and seasonal fluctuations. The work is based on data for the years 2000 to 2024, which have been processed using appropriate methods and subsequently visualised. The results indicate a concentration of tourism in a few central municipalities, persistent seasonality, and a slight decline in the region鈥檚 relative importance within Burgenland. At the same time, the potential for further sustainable tourism development in the area is identified.
The main objective of this article is to analyse the concept of the outermost regions, which, on the one hand, correspond to areas of the EU located at great distances from Europe and, on the other, promote a positive discrimination between regions by granting specific economic benefits. A literature review and analysis of socio-economic data are the main methods used to achieve the proposed objectives. The research focused on the legal evolution of the ORs in the EU Treaties, the development support programmes under European cohesion policy, and the main indicators that make it possible to characterise the current economic and social situation of these remote areas. From this type of analysis, it was possible to see that the majority of the ORs are still far from the average values of the EU-27, both economically and in terms of the standard of living of their inhabitants, despite the substantial progress that has been made over the last 30 years, as a result of an increasingly consolidated outermost status in European politics.
This article explores the potential of a Lusophone Maritime Spatial Data Infrastructure (LMSDI) to enhance geospatial cooperation among Portuguese-speaking countries. Grounded in bibliographic and documentary analysis, the study examines how shared oceanic heritage and spatial data interoperability can support marine governance across the CPLP. It proposes the development of a Lusophone Geoportal for monitoring Exclusive Economic Zones, promoting environmental enforcement, and advancing the blue economy through digital integration and multilateral collaboration.
ESRAP is included in the list of ranked scientific journals of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education and currently carries 70 points (2024). Since 2009, it has been fully available in the Open Access model.
We thank all Authors and Reviewers for their contribution to the development of the journal.
A link to the full issue is available .
We invite you to read the new volume.