Sustainable Cross-Border Cooperation: Common Planning, Policies, Strategies, Methods and Activities

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few years, the increase in studies and research related to cross-border cooperation (CBC) has been noticed all over the globe. They mainly concern the common planning process, cross-border policies and strategies, as well as the methods of cross-cooperation and different cross-border activities with a wide influence on the sustainable development of borderlands.

We can investigate different models of cross-border cooperation: Bilateral partnerships, cross border alliances, clusters, as well as networks. The phenomenon of diverse but effective cross-border cooperation helps to overcome interregional differences, as well as enabling to achieve a synergistic combination of various potentials and resources for creating new value, added to borderlands.

Contextually, cross-border cooperation fosters interactions, relationships, partnerships and synergies through the activities of different actors in cross-border processes, as well as support the European Union cohesion policy. Starting from the common planning process, through common policies and strategies, using specific cross-border cooperation methods, partners develop different cross-border projects, activities and initiatives that lead to common growth and sustainable development.

These processes show their relevance, they are multidisciplinary, and influence several fields, such as spatial planning, territorial governance, public management, entrepreneurship, transport, and environmental protection. These are just a few examples. In fact, all the above issues, and many others, are intrinsically connected with cross-border cooperation processes, presenting influence over territorial sustainability and vice-versa. In this regard, this Special Issue aims to provide a significant set of studies and works which are relevant to enrich the field of knowledge concerning cross-border cooperation problems towards achieving the so-desired territorial sustainability of borderlands.

Considering the relevance of sustainability in cross-border context as well as the fast development of new literature in the field, this Special Issue will enrich the literature with a large scope of sub-themes.

Thus, based on the interactions among cross-border cooperation and the associated topics, it is expected that new paths of research will raise the development of new studies, as well as enable further research sustained by the Special Issue outcomes.

Dr. Joanna Kurowska-Pysz
Dr. Rui Alexandre Castanho
Dr. Luís Loures
Guest Editors

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