This paper advances knowledge and understanding of the relationships between risk management, climate change adaptation and spatial planning as good territorial governance practices. The aim is to present evidence on how risks and their management are progressively being integrated into national planning systems in order to reduce territorial vulnerability and costs related to natural events in the European context. This paper is based on the ESPON-TITAN project which focuses mainly on flood events that occurred in Rotterdam, Prague, the Po river basin, Pori, Andalucia, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Dresden and the Alpine region. The paper reviews the literature and planning instruments applied in the selected case studies, as well as interviews with key stakeholders and decision makers. The results confirm the hypothesis that traditional disaster management is evolving towards Disaster Risk Management, clearly recognizing that Climate Change modifies and increases threats. Data on the consequences of natural disasters support the desirability of a proactive rather than a reactive approach, highlighting the crucial role of planning. The resulting governance is more "functional" than "territorial", leaving room for further advances and innovations such as territorial and multi-risk perspective, partnerships and civil society participation, and soft versus traditional hard or engineering solutions.

Increasing attention has been paid to the importance of balanced rural–urban interaction to sustainable regional development. Yet, our knowledge on the elements of network governance for such interaction is scarce. The aim of this paper is to study what kind of network governance arrangements currently exist, how they can be improved, and whether evolutionary governance paths can be identified. We analyse five existing and evolving cases of functioning rural–urban interaction in European Union (EU) member states, using a network governance framework as an analytical lens. We supplement the governance analysis with examining what kind of spatial understanding or combination of different spatial lenses the studied rural–urban governance arrangements rely on, as well as with the role of smart development in the studied cases. Our results emphasise the significance of division of power and collaborative decision-design in guaranteeing balanced and mutually beneficial interaction. Furthermore, we recommend changes in current policies in order to tap into the potential of rural–urban synergy.

El presente texto trata de ofrecer una actualizada síntesis desde el punto de vista del autor sobre cómo poder entender y actuar sobre las relaciones existentes entre gobernanza y acción política para un nuevo desarrollo territorial. Partiendo de una amplia aproximación teórico conceptual, a continuación el texto se centra en el análisis de las opciones, condiciones y limitantes de su puesta en práctica. Como hipótesis en el texto se defiende la necesidad y conveniencia, como opción fronética, de ampliar las relaciones gobernanza-economía, predominantes, con una nueva y más potencial, entre política-territorio, especialmente en la escala local y prestando una especial atención a las nuevas relaciones urbano-rurales. El objetivo la mejor gobernabilidad, un desarrollo territorial más justo y en dignidad, mejor democracia y el bienestar/buen vivir de la población.

This study aimed at achieving an organizational solution for improving the governance of water and land use and, consequently, improving the supply–demand water balance. Related modeling applied to diverse scenarios focus on water and land use development in the Mendoza River basin. A strategic analysis of water organization was performed using causal analysis, producing a Strategic Map (SM) and designing a Balanced Scorecard (BS). To assess the basin’s water resources supply and demand, the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model was applied to the Administrative Management Units existing in the basin, taking into consideration the water availability and the granted water rights. The application of the organizational and governance model to various scenarios referring to 2030 show that by reordering allocations and water use criteria, implementing a better farm irrigation water management, improving capacity building of existing human resources, and adopting more adequate hard- and software for dams and canal management, it will be possible to accommodate demand in 2030 better than at present despite climate change impacts on demand and supply. In addition, users’ participation will be enhanced.

El presente artículo aborda las relaciones entre la ordenación del territorio y la geografía, tanto desde un punto de vista conceptual y epistemológico como de la vinculación que se ha querido establecer entre ellas en los nuevos grados de geografía implantados en las universidades españolas. Esta relación se ha visto a veces de forma reticente. Se analizan las causas y las diferentes vías seguidas; está por ver si se mantendrán en la futura nueva (enésima) reforma de grados de tres años (en lugar de los cuatro actuales). Ello nos traslada a la vieja discusión sobre la unidad de la geografía, revisitada esta vez desde unos planteamientos de ciencia posnormal. El argumento que se defiende en el texto es que una interpretación más generosa (en línea con la nueva planificación territorial estratégica) y menos sectorial (de mera, aunque imprescindible, planificación física de usos del suelo) resulta la mejor plataforma para recuperar dicha unidad, desde una perspectiva de sistemas complejos, problemas desestructurados e incertidumbres (frente a la certeza de la tradicional ciencia aplicada). También abre más y mejores oportunidades para la aplicación profesional de la geografía, especialmente en el ámbito de la planificación del desarrollo territorial local, apoyando tal afirmación en un análisis de los resultados presentados en el tercer informe del Colegio de Geógrafos españoles de 2013.

O artigo aborda a questão da cooperação territorial como um principio e requisito necessário para um melhor desenvolvimento local e regional. Sustenta-se o argumento de que tão importante quanto o desenho de políticas com o objetivo de desenvolvimento territorial sustentável (o quê) é a maneira pela qual estas são decididas, projetadas e, acima de tudo, aplicadas (o como). O texto é dividido em três grandes blocos. A primeira trata da cooperação como uma categoria transversal que se aplica a partir de três abordagens: governo e administração do Estado, teorias do desenvolvimento econômico regional e local, e do ponto de vista do planejamento e da coesão territorial; e em diferentes escalas, portanto, de natureza multinível e cobertura geográfica diversificada (internacional, europeua, espanhola e valenciana). Nas duas seções seguintes, são exemplos de experiências de cooperação e resultados obtidos (em diferentes escalas e entre diferentes atores e instituições.) como uma ferramenta para o desenvolvimento territorial em áreas rurais, primeiro, e turísticas, depois. O texto termina com uma breve síntese final.