The ESPON TERRES (Territorialising Resilience: Transforming Europe for an Age of Crisis) research project, coordinated by the HÉTFA Research Institute, has been successfully completed with the contribution of researchers from Nordregio, Politecnico di Torino, ARUP, and Mcrit.
In recent years, the concept of “resilience” has become embedded in the policy discourse of the European Union, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian war, and climate change. Nevertheless, there is still no shared understanding of the term’s precise meaning or its application in territorial governance practice. The aim of the ESPON TERRES project was to fill this research gap and develop a conceptual framework for “territorial resilience,” outlining a measurement methodology that could potentially help guide EU cohesion and other sectoral policies, particularly at the subnational level.
As a result, the project team defined a comprehensive concept of territorial resilience, reviewed its current policy applications and possibilities, compiled a set of indicators suitable for measuring territorial resilience, and developed recommendations for future data collection. Analysed and mapped territorial inequalities in resilience; formulated recommendations for future research and methodology; and prepared an online dashboard to support the interpretation and measurement of territorial resilience.
Six case studies were also prepared within the framework of the project: HÉTFA staff addressed the challenges of the Budapest functional urban area, such as intensive suburbanization and urban sprawl, overburdened infrastructure, public services and natural environment, and fragmented governance. To address these challenges, a framework was proposed that strengthens cooperation and commitment among governance actors. The Budapest case identified valuable new initiatives, some promising forms of cooperation, and the high added value of informal relationships, highlighting the role of proactive actors in resilience.
The results of the research (including the Final Report) are publicly available on the ESPON website.