Territorial Impact Assessment

Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) is proposed as a critical tool in order to investigate the way policies affect spatial development and hence territorial cohesion. The paper introduces a TIA methodological model in relation to transport sector. The design of the methodological model is
based on a quantitative evaluation framework that comprises a set of selected indicators applied in a cross-border area of southeast Europe, influenced by the operation of the Greek motorway system of Egnatia and its vertical axes. The indicators are grouped into three main fields of
TIA, i.e. transport intermodality, polycentric spatial organization and cross-border territorial cooperation. The TIA’s indicators are approximated by quantitative analysis. The procedure concludes to an overall composite indicator measuring the ‘level of territorial cohesion’ along with some core results and the expected added value. It also highlights some key technical aspects about the routines used and proceeds to suggestions for further refinement.

The increase in cruise activity in Mediterranean port cities is overwhelming historic centres and tourist resources with implications in traffic congestion. Mobility is an important criterion for cruise destinations, besides being an economic resource for the city. The massification of destinations is forcing the adoption of sustainable approaches based on public transport. Starting with a comparative study of the main Mediterranean cruise ports, we define four indicators to identify different levels of the pressure range relating the volume of passengers to the local population, the level of port infrastructure, and the condition of the homeport. The results are classified into four settings, whose geographical distribution confirms the inherent imbalance of cruise ship activity in the Mediterranean. The dependence of a port on its status as a tourist destination, in addition to its geographical and urban conditions, facilitates the development of sustainable public transport as compared with the main destinations .

The overall aim of this research is to study the dynamics of economic and territorial development in the cross-border spaces along the border between France and Spain. In particular, it analyses the characteristics of INTERREG IV-A cross-border cooperation projects in the period 2007-2013. It explores these as an example of the dynamics produced between stakeholders and development projects on both sides of the border. To this effect, a database system was set up in order to transfer all the information on the projects and then to extract concise quantitative and cartographic information, using the possibilities offered by geographic analysis systems.