Regional Development: An Integrated approach? By Frank Gaffkin and Mike Morrissey
From: Local Economy, 2001, Vol 16, No.1. (Published by Pearson Education)
An integrated vision
A vision for a successful region has to be supported by an explicit view of its future economic base. As explained in the article on the economy (The Other Crisis'). Strategy 2010 has been addressing this. But, there is insufficient evidence of integration between Shaping Our Future and Strategy 2010. In essence, the Regional Strategic Framework could be more clear in indicating the particular niches, based on regular comparative advantage, of high value-added, knowledge-intensive sectors that will best position the region to earn its living in the opening decades of this century.
In doing so, it would be useful to show how reshaping the spatial dimension can assist in reversing the severe structural weakness of the regional economy outlined earlier. Shaping Our Future is the only document capable of drawing together other aspects of regional policy bearing on economic prospects. For instance, the region's approach to education and training need to be outlined, showing the way that they impact on a more knowledge-based society. As explained previously, the long tail of under-achievement is a critical impediment. Given that the region's economic base has been geared to low value added, it has invested in a skewed education system, whereby many receiving the highest levels of education support end up migrating to other high tech - high wage regions.
If the region was to move to a less selective secondary system, how could spatial policy help the current acute social segregation, thereby creating more socially mixed catchment areas to better balance the pupil intake? Beyond secondary level, how could spatial strategy regard institutes and universities as learning and research magnets for industrial corridors accommodating clusters of high growth industries?
In a similar vein, how do the transport and infrastructural systems optimize economic disadvantage? To take the example of the link between economic efficiency and environmental protection: conserving the environment places a greater emphasis on the re-use and replacement of traditional buildings and environments both in urban and rural areas. This is primarily concerned with the physical nature and man-made influences on the environment. Measures could be introduced to increase taxes on new buildings and to promote incentives for the re-use of existing buildings to help ensure the protection of the built environment.
In a region still heavily dependent on agriculture, the strategy could embody
ideas for modernization and diversification of this sector. Yet, for some,
the countryside environment is mostly presented in terms of its aesthetic
appeal and tourism potential, a `playground for urban dwellers', rather
than an area with indigenous development potential. Voices from rural communities
argued that while the Strategy could be more proactive in terms of environmental
protection, conservation and enhancement, it needed also to support the
countryside as a social and economic arena with a vibrant and living community.
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