Lessons from ESPON-INTERSTRAT project

Cliff Hague, ECP UKKatarzyna Wojnar, ECP PLwww.espon-interstrat.eu

Rules of the game

• Practitioners vs researchers• Both teams of 3 answer all questions• There is a time limit to each question• Moderators’ decision on points awarded is final• The audience is expected to cheer for their

teams• Great mystery prize for the winning team

Picture question

• What each of them is saying?

Picture questionWhat each of them is thinking?

Question 1: aims

• One of INTERSTRAT aims was to raise awareness and promote ESPON findings. What 4 means would you use to achieve this goal?

Answer

• Engagement strategies• Interactive events• Demonstration materials • Web site

Question 2 : aims

• Our team came up with a list of headlines that would best characterise INTERSTRAT project. Guess which ones got most votes?

Connecting territorial planners across Europe

Informing practice, sharing experience

INTERSTRAT is a European network creating a dialogue between spatial planning research and practice

Refresh your plans, Refresh your practice, connecting to Europe.

Sharing experience in strategic planning

Smart ideas for smart plans

A new refreshing approach to planning Europe

Question 3 : web site

• Which sub-site had the most hits?– Homepage– About– Partners– Integrated strategies– Library– Flyers & brochures– Events– Links

Top 10 files from the INTERSTRAT library1. Strategy for a Regional Polycentric Urban System in Central Eastern Europe

Economic Integrating. Final report. Regional polycentric urban system (33)2. Panorama Inforegio No 34. Regional policy, an integrated approach. A 360 degree

view.(33)3. A sustainable future in our hands. A guide to the EU's sustainable development

strategy (32)4. Implications of territorial cohesion: An essay. Paper prepared for the Regional

Studies Association Annual International Conference 2010 'Regional Responses and Global Shifts: Actors, Institutions and Organisations’ (26)

5. The Strategic Concept of Territorial Development ROMANIA 2030. Romania - a competitive, balanced and prosperous country (25)

6. National Spatial Development Concept 2030 as an example of coordination tool for public policies (23)

7. The Territorial Dimension of the Cohesion Policy by Delia Ionica (23)8. National Regional Development Strategy 2010-2020: Regions, Cities, Rural Areas

(NSRD) (21)9. Handbook on Territorial Cohesion (21)10. Cohesion Policy Support for Local Development: Best Practice and Future Policy

Options (21)

Territorial dimension

1. Warsaw 244 2. Ljubljana 120 3. Athens 98 4. London 895. Brussels 586. Sofia 517. Iasi 50 8. Bucharest 45 9. Edinburgh 40 10. Bologna 39

11. Barcelona 38 12. Krakow 33 13. Rome 26 14. Poznan 2615. Wandre 2516. Dublin 25 17. Prague 18 18. Maynooth 16 19. Schaerbeek 1520. Thessaloniki 13

1.Poland 4192.United Kingdom 1853.Belgium 1564.Italy 1385.Slovenia 1366.Romania 1287.Greece 1198.Spain 649.Bulgaria 5410.Ireland 43

11.Czech Republic 2312.France 2213.Germany 2114.Luxembourg 1715.Hungary 1616.Denmark 1017.Finland 1018.Portugal 1019.Netherlands 920.Russia 9

Question 4: web site

• Which quarter had most online visitors? (project activities 06.2010 – 03.2012)

www.espon-interstrat.eu

Question 5: engagement strategies

High power/influence and high immediate benefit from ESPON INTERSTRAT

High power/influence but less immediate benefit from ESPON INTERSTRAT

Low/diffuse power/influence but high immediate benefit

Low/diffuse power/influence and less immediate benefit

• Give 1 example of each of the stakeholder types

Question 6: engagement strategies

• True or false?After comparing our priority target groups/levels we all discovered that in each case it was organisations at the regional scale.

Diversity in ITDS?

18

Added value from TNACreation of unique resource that was ONLY possible because of ECPs’ expertise & joint work.

Question 7: demonstration materials

• What were the criteria to choose the projects for the DM content?– Scientiffic quality– We were drawing cards from a bag at a steering

committee meeting (to be fair to all the projects)– Storylines that best fitted national priorities– Nicest maps– MC decisions

Question 8: demonstration materials

• True or false?Using the national language is paramount if we want to reach the stakeholders. The demonstration material is one of the few documents that are in national language.

Question 9: events

• First event in Poland was attended by 30 participants. In Italy there were 300 participants. Which of the events had a higher impact?

Question 10: stakeholders

• What were the 2 main messages from the stakeholders who attended our events and tested demonstration materials?

• Most stakeholders suggested they had severe time limitations that prevented them from reading extensive research reports in detail

• There was a general consensus that clearer messages for policy-makers are needed.

Question 11: dissemination

• Who is best able to disseminate ESPON findings at national level?– CU– MC– ECPs– External consultants– TPGs– National media

Picture question

• What each of them is saying?

Picture questionWhat each of them is thinking?

Final question

• True / False?Is it possible to make ESPON fun?

Thank you for your attention!