Project Status - Active
Start Year: 2010
End Year: 2012
Funding Body: ESPON

Geographic Area: European Union
Local Study Area:

Project Co-Ordinator: Erik Gløersen – University of Geneva
CMRC Contact: Kathrin Kopke

Website: http://www.geospecs.eu

Abstract

GEOSPECS is an ESPON-funded project investigating geographic specificities (i.e. mountains, islands, sparsely populated areas, coastal zones, outermost regions, border areas and inner peripheries) in the European Union. Geographic specificities create both challenges and opportunities, thus departing from the traditional perception of disadvantaged regions. On this basis, policy options and new opportunities will be identified for EU cohesion policy and territorial development.

Transversal themes such as economic development conditions, social processes, and natural resources and risks will also be analysed in order to quantify and qualify state and trends in these regions. A key ambition of the project is to strengthen the dialogue and knowledge exchange between the different types of geographic specificities.

CMRC is responsible for examining specificities at the coastal zone. This involves identifying and collating spatial information on a Europe-wide basis and also in two case study sites: the Celtic Sea and the Belgian coast.