From Urban Competition to Urban Collaboration? The Development of Interurban Telematics Networks

In this paper an exploration is made of the potential offered by combinations of computing and telecommunications technologies (known as ‘telematics’) for supporting a shift from competitive to collaborative urban policies in Europe. First the context for such policies is set by an analysis of the ways in which the uses of telematics by transnational corporations have helped to encourage ‘zero-sum’ competition between cities and localities for investment. The resultant competitive telecommunications-based policies of cities are then discussed and criticised. Then, a review is provided of emerging examples where telematics-based policies are being explored as supports for interurban collaborative policies, first at the national, regional, and cross-border level, and then at the international and trans-European level. In the conclusion, an assessment is made of the potential that these policies offer for supporting truly beneficial shifts towards collaborative urban policymaking.