Print Email Facebook Twitter Territory: An Unknown Quantity in Debates on Territorial Cohesion Title Territory: An Unknown Quantity in Debates on Territorial Cohesion Author Faludi, A.K.F. Faculty OTB Research Institute for the Built Environment Department OTB Research Date 2013-08-20 Abstract There are complaints about territorial cohesion being a vague concept, but in relevant debates territory, too, figures as an unknown quantity. Thus, is it the fixed property of any state, region or local administrative unit, or is it a malleable social construct; rather than being filled with bounded territories, does space overall contain a dynamic network with fuzzy internal, as well as external boundaries, with implications for territorial cohesion? After all, if the former were to be true, territorial cohesion would refer to qualities of what is inside bounded territories. If it were to be the latter, then the meaning of territorial cohesion would include qualities of the relations within a complex network of socially constructed, sometimes ephemeral constructs. There are implications for the ways subsidiarity and multi-level governance are invoked in EU discourse where there is a similar failure to question the underlying notion of territory. What is relevant here is the distinction between a ‘territorial’ and ‘relational’ geography. Considered opinion suggests that these alternatives can and, in view of the persistence of the principle of territorial representation, must be reconciled. However, though firmly entrenched, some constitutional theorists question the very principle. The debate is far from conclusive but at least it shows that discussion, even of this apparently fundamental principle is possible. Subject territorial cohesionterritoryterritorial representation To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:dd9603ae-2a9a-4591-b7c5-c8e3c496d5fc Publisher Nordregio ISSN 1650-9544 Source European Journal of Spatial Development, (51), 2013; Refereed Article Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights (c) 2013 Faludi, A.K.F. Files PDF Faludi_2013.pdf 350.25 KB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:dd9603ae-2a9a-4591-b7c5-c8e3c496d5fc/datastream/OBJ/view