Galland EPS 2012 - VBN

Understanding the Reorientations and Roles of Spatial Planning 1387
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policy-making process at the time. The constant underscoring of environmental impacts in
planning decisions is indicative of this influence.
The strategic role was also adopted by spatial planning in the 2000s albeit under a different
spatial logic. In line with the 2006 national planning report, the idea behind this shift
suggested that spatial planning be used as a platform and strategic tool to pursue local
development in accordance with regional strengths and potentials. In doing so, five new
“settlement regions” were put forward strategically.
The new territorial logic thereby implied giving up the urban hierarchy pattern as it
clearly interfered with the new differentiated approach that focused on two metropolitan
regions plus one commuting region. New spatial concepts drawn from the ESDP were thus
adopted for these purposes. Firstly, Eastern Jutland is depicted as a “growth corridor” and
thus projected as a functional conurbation where tasks are divided between cities. Secondly,
Greater Copenhagen and the Øresund Region are portrayed this time in connection
with Zealand and thus, arguably, as a “dynamic zone of integration”. This latter concept
would contribute to enhance Greater Copenhagen’s competitiveness positioning, with
Zealand being depicted as a commuting hinterland with a well-functioning urban structure
in terms of transport infrastructure and a coherent labour market.
Based on the above, the strategic role of spatial planning is conceived in two different
ways as far as spatial concepts are concerned. In the nineties, still following an urban hierarchy
logic, polycentricity and the balanced spatial structure concepts yield urban clusters,
national centres and one international metropolis. In the mid-2000s, through a differentiated
spatial logic and a new settlement pattern approach, the growth corridor concept
yields a new metropolis while the dynamic zone of integration concept merges an international
metropolis with a hinterland to strengthen its magnitude and scale.
The strategic character of national planningpolicyincontributingtomanagedevelopment
in the mid-2000s is thus characterized by a renewed positioning on competitiveness, This
undertaking results in the establishment of new conditions for spatial planning as means to
address the challenges of the government’s globalization agenda. In this sense, the urbanregion
is evidently promoted as the dominant scale for socio-economic activities. The strategic
role thereby seems to generate both centralization and decentralization outcomes.
The former is illustrated by the promotion of Greater Copenhagen as a main scale for
socio-economic activities, while the latter is perceived with regards to privileging a new
growth pole in Jutland and also by delegating new planning responsibilities to municipalities.
In sum, the promotion of these two metropolitan regions, the abolition of the regional scale
and the increased usage of “competitiveness” terminology are illustrative of the strategic role
that spatial planning has adopted in the most recent years.
Discussion: Correlating the Roles and Reorientations of Spatial Planning
The sections above show that three different roles emerge with regards to how spatial planning
was pursued through national planning policy in Denmark during the past five
decades. The above interpretation shows that while a steering role prevailed from the
inception of spatial planning until the late 1980s, it has been supplemented to varying
degrees or rather substituted by different roles during the 1990s and 2000s. The analysis
showed that the balancing role of spatial planning was particularly evident during the
beginning of the 1990s and 2000s, being mainly exercised through the integration of
former and newer policy agendas and by mediating conflicting objectives. This role was