{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,29]],"date-time":"2026-03-29T08:39:03Z","timestamp":1774773543455,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":70,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,22]],"date-time":"2021-12-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1640131200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sustainability"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This article proposes an alternative policy development approach for territories encompassing rural areas with small urban settlements or \u2018small places\u2019, which normally suffer from lagging territorial development trends. The proposed \u2018Development Clusters for Small Places\u2019 approach draws on the potential of all places to further their development via municipal clustering, based on four analytic dimensions: (i) existing functional areas; (ii) similarities in economic circularity and specialisation; (iii) presence of ongoing territorial and governance cooperation processes; and (iv) spatial physical connectivity and accessibility. Besides a theoretical overview of this policy approach, the article analyses concrete examples of its potential implementation in two case studies: Alentejo in Portugal and Innlandet in Norway. The findings highlight the potential advantages of municipal clustering over current mainstream regional development rationales to implement endogenous rural development in a supra-municipal scale, thus increasing institutional thickness and policy influence towards a more territorial cohesive region.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/su14010084","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,23]],"date-time":"2021-12-23T02:02:57Z","timestamp":1640224977000},"page":"84","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Development Clusters for Small Places and Rural Development for Territorial Cohesion?"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8877-5606","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eduardo","family":"Medeiros","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"DIN\u00c2MIA\u2019CET\u2014IUL, Instituto Universit\u00e1rio de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Avenida das For\u00e7as Armadas, Edif\u00edcio Sedas Nunes, Sala 2W4-d, 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Medeiros, E., and van der Zwet, A. (2020). Sustainable and Integrated Urban Planning and Governance in metropolitan and medium-sized cities?. Sustainability, 12.","DOI":"10.3390\/su12155976"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1237","DOI":"10.1080\/00343400903234696","article-title":"Placing the Rural in Regional Development","volume":"43","author":"Ward","year":"2009","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Green, G.P. (2013). Rural Development Theory. Handbook of Rural Development, Edward Elgar.","DOI":"10.4337\/9781781006719.00009"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Green, G.P. (2013). Preface. Handbook of Rural Development, Edward Elgar.","DOI":"10.4337\/9781781006719.00007"},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"449","article-title":"Rurality and Post-Rurality","volume":"Volume 9","author":"Kitchin","year":"2009","journal-title":"International Encyclopedia of Human Geography"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"571","DOI":"10.1080\/01426397.2010.502749","article-title":"Introduction: Landscape Change and Rural Development","volume":"35","author":"Kizos","year":"2010","journal-title":"Landsc. Res."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1207","DOI":"10.1080\/00343401003792500","article-title":"Roles of Local and Newcomer Entrepreneurs in Rural Development: A Comparative Meta-analytic Study","volume":"45","author":"Nijkamp","year":"2011","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jrurstud.2016.07.019","article-title":"Re-imagining the rural: From rural idyll to Good Countryside","volume":"59","author":"Shucksmith","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Rural. Stud."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"678","DOI":"10.1080\/09654313.2014.945813","article-title":"Rethinking on Sustainable Rural Development","volume":"23","author":"Baycan","year":"2015","journal-title":"Eur. Plan. Stud."},{"key":"ref_10","unstructured":"Copus, A., and H\u00f6rnstr\u00f6m, L. (2011). The New Rural Europe: Towards Rural Cohesion Policy, Nordregio."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.1080\/14649357.2010.500135","article-title":"Territorial Cohesion Discourses: Hegemonic Strategic Concepts in European Spatial Planning","volume":"11","author":"Servillo","year":"2010","journal-title":"Plan. Theory Pract."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1549","DOI":"10.1080\/09654313.2012.708021","article-title":"Conceptualizing the Logics of Territorial Cohesion","volume":"20","year":"2012","journal-title":"Eur. Plan. Stud."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"EC (1999). European Spatial Development Perspective: Towards a Balanced and Sustainable Development of the Territory of the European Union, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1301","DOI":"10.1080\/09654311003791358","article-title":"European Spatial Planning Between Competitiveness and Territorial Cohesion: Shadows of Neo-liberalism","volume":"18","author":"Vanolo","year":"2010","journal-title":"Eur. Plan. Stud."},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Territorial Agenda 2030 (2020, January 1). A future for all places. Proceedings of the Informal Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Spatial Planning and Territorial Development and\/or Territorial Cohesion, Berlin, Germany."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"120","DOI":"10.1080\/00343404.2018.1548764","article-title":"Territorial Cohesion Cities: A policy recipe for achieving Territorial Cohesion?","volume":"54","author":"Medeiros","year":"2020","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1177\/0885412219831375","article-title":"Spatial Planning. Territorial Development and Territorial Impact Assessment","volume":"34","author":"Medeiros","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Plan. Lit."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pike, A., Rodr\u00edguez-Pose, A., and Tomaney, J. (2011). Local and Regional Development, Routledge.","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203842393"},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Knox, P., and Marston, S. (2015). Human Geography. Places and Regions in a Global Context, Pearson. [7th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_20","unstructured":"Potter, R., Binns, T., Elliott, J., and Smith, D. (2008). Geographies of Development. An Introduction to Development Studies, Pearson Education Limited. [3rd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_21","unstructured":"Stutz, F., and Warf, B. (2012). The World Economy. Geography, Business, Development, Prentice Hall. [6th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Beer, A., and Clower, T. (2020). Globalization, Planning and Local Economic Development, Routledge.","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315749624"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.1080\/00343404.2016.1158802","article-title":"Shifting horizons in local and regional development","volume":"51","author":"Pike","year":"2017","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Warf, B. (2010). Encyclopedia of Geography, SAGE.","DOI":"10.4135\/9781412939591"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"De Souza, P. (2018). The Rural and Peripheral in Regional Development. An Alternative Perspective, Routledge.","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315211183"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.1080\/21568316.2016.1192059","article-title":"Assessing the Impact of EU Rural Development Programs on Tourism","volume":"14","author":"Ballesteros","year":"2017","journal-title":"Tour. Plan. Dev."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"621","DOI":"10.1016\/j.soscij.2005.09.003","article-title":"Rural development under the European CAP: The role of diversity","volume":"42","author":"Rizov","year":"2005","journal-title":"Soc. Sci. J."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1389","DOI":"10.1080\/00343404.2019.1708306","article-title":"Regional impacts of the EU Rural Development Programme: Poland\u2019s food processing sector","volume":"54","author":"Michalek","year":"2020","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1860","DOI":"10.1080\/00343404.2017.1282608","article-title":"The role of EU rural development policy in the neo-productivist agricultural paradigm","volume":"51","author":"Pelucha","year":"2017","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"OECD (2019). Principles on Rural Policy, OECD."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"150","DOI":"10.1080\/07352166.2017.1413285","article-title":"From coordinated to integrated urban and rural development in China\u2019s megacity regions","volume":"41","author":"Chen","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Urban Aff."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"455","DOI":"10.1080\/00343400050058701","article-title":"Progressing Integrated Rural Development: A Framework for Assessing the Integrative Potential of Sectoral Policies","volume":"34","author":"Marsden","year":"2000","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"873","DOI":"10.1080\/00343400601142795","article-title":"European Rural Development under the Common Agricultural Policy\u2019s \u2018Second Pillar\u2019: Institutional Conservatism and Innovation","volume":"41","author":"Dwyer","year":"2007","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1080\/15575330809489744","article-title":"An Interactional Approach to Place-Based Rural Development","volume":"39","author":"Bridger","year":"2008","journal-title":"Community Dev."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1002\/jepp.74","article-title":"The nature of rural development: The organic potential","volume":"3","author":"Banks","year":"2001","journal-title":"J. Environ. Policy Plan."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"499","DOI":"10.1080\/02255189.2015.1098592","article-title":"Beyond inclusiveness: Institutions, cooperation and rural development","volume":"36","year":"2015","journal-title":"Can. J. Dev. Stud."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1029","DOI":"10.1080\/00343404.2018.1537483","article-title":"Unveiling spatial uncertainty: A method to evaluate the fuzzy nature of functional regions","volume":"53","author":"Klapka","year":"2019","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_38","first-page":"40","article-title":"Identifying functional urban regions within traffic flow","volume":"1","author":"Manley","year":"2014","journal-title":"Reg. Stud. Reg. Sci."},{"key":"ref_39","unstructured":"Territorial Agenda (2007, January 24\u201325). Territorial Agenda of the European Union-Towards a More Competitive and Sustainable Europe of Diverse regions. Proceedings of the Occasion of the Informal Ministerial Meeting on Urban Development and Territorial Cohesion, Leipzig, Germany."},{"key":"ref_40","unstructured":"Territorial Agenda 2020 (2011, January 19). Territorial Agenda of the European Union 2020. Towards an Inclusive, Smart and Sustainable Europe of Diverse Regions. Proceedings of the Informal Ministerial Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Spatial Planning and Territorial Development, G\u00f6d\u00f6ll\u0151, Hungary."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1080\/09654319708720384","article-title":"Regional clusters and competitiveness: The Norwegian case","volume":"5","author":"Isaksen","year":"1997","journal-title":"Eur. Plan. Stud."},{"key":"ref_42","unstructured":"Sousa, S. (2021, June 26). Theories of Regional Economic Development. A Brief Summary. Available online: https:\/\/journals.ucp.pt\/index.php\/povoseculturas\/article\/view\/8651\/8529."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"409","DOI":"10.1080\/00343400600632861","article-title":"Regional clusters of the information economy in Germany","volume":"40","author":"Matuschewski","year":"2006","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_44","first-page":"22","article-title":"Defending clusters against critics","volume":"2","author":"Pencea","year":"2007","journal-title":"Rom. Econ. Bus. Rev."},{"key":"ref_45","unstructured":"(2021, June 26). Actions Putting the Territorial Agenda into Practice. Available online: .https:\/\/territorialagenda.eu\/actions.html."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1383","DOI":"10.1080\/00343404.2012.681640","article-title":"Regional Competitiveness and Territorial Capital: A Conceptual Approach and Empirical Evidence from the European Union","volume":"47","author":"Camagni","year":"2013","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Medeiros, E. (2021). Border Cities and Territorial Development, Routledge.","DOI":"10.4324\/9781003164753"},{"key":"ref_48","unstructured":"UN (2016). Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, United Nations."},{"key":"ref_49","unstructured":"UN (2020). World Cities Report, United Nations."},{"key":"ref_50","unstructured":"UN (2021). New Urban Agenda, United Nations."},{"key":"ref_51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"451","DOI":"10.1080\/13604810903298557","article-title":"Urban social movements and small places","volume":"13","author":"Pink","year":"2009","journal-title":"City"},{"key":"ref_52","unstructured":"ESPON Atlas (2014). ESPON Atlas. Mapping European Territorial Structures and Dynamics, ESPON."},{"key":"ref_53","unstructured":"UN Habitat (2017). A Consolidated Report of Regional National Urban Policy Reviews (Africa, Arab States, Asia and Pacific Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean), UN Habitat."},{"key":"ref_54","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"310","DOI":"10.1080\/00291951.2014.960949","article-title":"Territorial cohesion trends in Inner Scandinavia: The role of cross-border cooperation (INTERREG-A 1994\u20132010)","volume":"68","author":"Medeiros","year":"2014","journal-title":"Nor. Geogr. Tidsskr."},{"key":"ref_55","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eiar.2016.09.003","article-title":"Cross-border cooperation in Inner Scandinavia: A Territorial Impact Assessment","volume":"62","author":"Medeiros","year":"2017","journal-title":"Environ. Impact Assess. Rev."},{"key":"ref_56","unstructured":"Haggett, P. (2001). Geography: A Global Synthesis, Prentice Hall."},{"key":"ref_57","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1569","DOI":"10.1080\/13658816.2019.1584806","article-title":"Hierarchical community detection and functional area identification with OSM roads and complex graph theory","volume":"33","author":"Hong","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Geogr. Inf. Sci."},{"key":"ref_58","unstructured":"OECD (2020). Delineating Functional Areas in All Territories, OECD Publishing. OECD Territorial Reviews."},{"key":"ref_59","unstructured":"Nordregio (2020). State of the Nordic Region 2020, Nordregio."},{"key":"ref_60","unstructured":"DGT (2018). PNPOT Altera\u00e7\u00e3o, Estrat\u00e9gia e Modelo Territorial, Vers\u00e3o para Discuss\u00e3o P\u00fablica; DG Territ\u00f3rio."},{"key":"ref_61","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1016\/j.spc.2020.10.028","article-title":"Improving the understanding of circular economy potential at territorial level using systems thinking","volume":"27","author":"Bassi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sustain. Prod. Consum."},{"key":"ref_62","unstructured":"ESPON CIRCTER (2019). Circular Economy and Territorial Consequences, ESPON. Applied Research, Final Report."},{"key":"ref_63","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1291","DOI":"10.1080\/00343404.2013.799769","article-title":"Smart Specialization, Regional Growth and Applications to European Union Cohesion Policy","volume":"49","author":"McCann","year":"2015","journal-title":"Reg. Stud."},{"key":"ref_64","unstructured":"ESPON (2016). Polycentric Territorial Structures and Territorial Cooperation, ESPON. ESPON Policy Brief."},{"key":"ref_65","unstructured":"Tasan-Kok, T., and Vranken, J. (2011). Handbook for Multilevel Urban Governance in Europe. Analysing Participatory Instruments for an Integrated Urban Development, EUKN."},{"key":"ref_66","unstructured":"DILP (2015). Autarquias Locais. Legisla\u00e7\u00e3o Nacional, Divis\u00e3o de Informa\u00e7\u00e3o Legislativa Parlamentar, Assembleia da Rep\u00fablica."},{"key":"ref_67","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125","DOI":"10.1080\/09654313.2019.1687654","article-title":"Delimiting Cross-Border Areas for policy implementation: A multi-factor proposal","volume":"28","author":"Medeiros","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eur. Plan. Stud."},{"key":"ref_68","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"597","DOI":"10.1080\/01900692.2015.1029132","article-title":"Inter-Municipal Cooperation and Satisfaction with Services: Evidence from the Norwegian Citizen Study","volume":"39","author":"Holum","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. J. Public Adm."},{"key":"ref_69","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"363","DOI":"10.1111\/geob.12057","article-title":"Is there a new TRUST in Inner Scandinavia, Evidence from Cross-Border Planning and Governance","volume":"96","author":"Medeiros","year":"2014","journal-title":"Geogr. Ann. Ser. B Hum. Geogr."},{"key":"ref_70","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cattaneo, A., Nelson, A., and Mcmenomy, T. (2021). Global mapping of urban-rural catchment areas reveals unequal access to services. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 118.","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2011990118"}],"container-title":["Sustainability"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/14\/1\/84\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T07:51:15Z","timestamp":1760169075000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2071-1050\/14\/1\/84"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,22]]},"references-count":70,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]}},"alternative-id":["su14010084"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/su14010084","relation":{},"ISSN":["2071-1050"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2071-1050","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,22]]}}}