Latest Documents

This report provides an overview of 'multi-level governance' reforms in OECD countries. It looks at institutional reforms, which reorganise powers, responsibilities and resources across levels of government, as well as territorial reforms, which address territorial structures, often modifying regional and local government administrative areas. The report describes the rationale for different reforms, their characteristics and outcomes, as well as the obstacles faced by governments in designing and implementing them. The success - and failure - of past reforms provide useful lessons that can be applied to future reform efforts. The report includes five case studies that take an in-depth look at countries that have undertaken considerable multi-level governance reforms: Finland, France, Italy, Japan and New Zealand.

This report provides an overview of spatial and land-use planning systems across the OECD. It contains country fact sheets that focus on formal aspects of planning systems, as they are defined by laws and regulations. The country fact sheets describe the responsibilities of each level of government with respect to spatial and land-use planning. They include a description of all spatial and land-use plans of a country and show their hierarchical relations in a diagram. For most countries, the fact sheets also contain key statistics on land use. A summary chapter provides an overview of the information in the country fact sheets and discusses land value capture tools, land expropriation procedures, reforms of the planning system, and other issues. The information provided in this report was collected through a survey that involved academic experts on planning from all 32 countries covered.

Land use has important consequences for the environment, public health, economic productivity, inequality and social segregation. Land use policies are often complex and require co-ordination across all levels of government as well as across policy sectors. Not surprisingly, land use decisions can be contentious and conflicts over land use are common across the OECD. This report argues that better land use governance requires the use of a broader set of public policies to influence land use. In particular, the incentives for particular land uses provided by fiscal instruments and tax policies need to be better aligned with land use objectives. The report furthermore analyses land use patterns across the OECD based on comprehensive land cover data. It shows that developed land is growing everywhere, but great variation exists between countries. Lastly, the report summarises insights from six in-depth case studies to show concrete examples of land use related challenges in OECD countries and the response of national, regional and local governments to them.

This report analyses the relationship between urban transport and inclusive development in Korea. First, it looks at how Korea is shifting from car-centered transport towards people-centered mobility. It discusses opportunities and challenges posed by current urban transport arrangements in Korea, and proposes options for improving urban transport governance. Second, the report uses advanced data analysis and space syntax methods to examine how accessibility to public transport shapes inclusiveness in Korean metropolitan areas. Third, it analyses public transport in four selected Korean cities (Seoul, Suwon, Changwon and Sejong), which offer interesting insights into how public transport policies can be tailored to local socio-economic profiles and urban landscapes.

The northern sparsely populated areas (NSPA) of Finland, Norway and Sweden are becoming increasingly important to the geopolitical and economic interests of these countries and the European Union. These regions have unique geographical characteristics - low population density and a harsh climate - and face specific challenges due to an ageing population, long distances from markets, and high-cost land transport. However, high productivity growth is possible in low-density regions. This report sets out policy recommendations at cross-border, national and regional scales to enhance prosperity and well-being across the NSPA. This includes closer co-operation with national governments to address shared challenges and opportunities such as improving east-west transport connections and reducing occupational and skills barriers to labour mobility, and addressing barriers to business growth such as access to finance.

Sweden has long given priority to promoting both sustainable economic growth in its regions and equity among them. This report looks at the progress Sweden has made in its regional growth policy, multi-level governance system and rural policy. It also takes a more in-depth look at two topics of increasing importance: whether rural Sweden has been 'left behind', and issues of regional and municipal governance. The report suggests steps Sweden can take to address its regional and rural policy challenges. It also assesses to what degree Sweden has implemented the recommendations made in the 2010 OECD Territorial Review of Sweden.  

This report examines how land is governed in France. It describes the laws, policies and practices that shape spatial and land-use planning in the country as a whole, and provides a detailed assessment of specific governance arrangements and practices in two metropolitan areas: Clermont-Ferrand, a mid-range urban agglomeration in south-central France; and Nantes Saint-Nazaire, the 6th largest urban agglomeration in the country, located in the north-west. These case studies highlight the trends and challenges faced in each region—such as the need to protect fragile environments from growing peri-urbanisation—and the unique approaches that have been adopted to manage land-use issues across a large number of communes. The report offers recommendations on how to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of the spatial planning system in order to ensure that land is used in an effective and sustainable way.

This report examines the Province of Córdoba, Argentina, and provides recommendations for the design of a regional competitiveness strategy as well as the governance structure needed to implement it. Over the past decade, Córdoba has experienced sustained economic growth and widespread improvements in the standard of living. However, the provincial economy is at a pivotal point: it is still highly reliant on traditional manufacturing and commodities, a model that may no longer be sufficient for the future. Córdoba’s challenges and opportunities are the same as those found in many OECD regions and require a renewed development strategy, one that builds on key assets and focusses on closing crucial infrastructure gaps. Investments in skills, research, and innovation are essential to propel the province into higher-value-added segments of production chains. At the same time, Córdoba needs to shift from a sectoral approach to an integrated, activity-focused strategic plan, in which the entire territory (cities and regions) becomes a platform for innovation and fosters new economic opportunities.

This report examines the green growth potential and identifies best practices for policy and governance as well as ways to strengthen current practices. As the third largest city in Vietnam, Hai Phong’s economy is growing remarkably at an average rate of 8.7% (2015) in tandem with the growth of the Hai Phong Port. Economic growth and urbanisation, however, have posed serious environmental challenges, including: increased greenhouse gas emissions from industry and transport; rapid depletion of underground water sources; pollution of water sources from untreated commercial, medical, domestic and agricultural waste water; and inefficient waste management, where less than 10% of domestic waste is composted and recyclable materials are mixed with other waste and landfilled. Furthermore, Hai Phong ranks among the 20 cities most vulnerable to costal flooding due to climate change. Nevertheless, there is much untapped potential for green growth in Viet Nam and Hai Phong city. The ultimate goal is to build a stronger, more resilient and greener city.