The Place of 'Europe' in Contemporary Spatial Strategy Making

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Abstract
Within Western Europe, there is currently a reemergence of strategic spatial planning at the urban region scale. These new exercises in making strategic plans are characterized by vigorous efforts to build cohesive alliances including new stakeholders, often accompanied by well developed spatial images which express the position of urban regions. Within the policy discourses surrounding these processes, the metaphor of 'Europe' is frequently called into play. This has been interpreted by many commentators as a sign of a 'marketing style' in spatial planning, a form of newly emerging 'entrepreneurial' governance practices. In this article, drawing on a study of innovation in spatial strategy making in Europe, it is argued that the metaphor reflects different conceptions of space, place and territory, and is being used to perform different kinds of organizational work.

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