Emerging Cross-Border Regions as a Step towards Sustainable Development? Experiences and Considerations from Examples in Europe and North America

Do processes of territorial integration facilitate or hinder the search for sustainable development? This article examines this question using empirical examples of cross-border regions on a sub-national level in Europe and North America. It will be shown that the processes of cross-border cooperation have proceeded extensively. It is therefore permissible to speak about "cross-border region building" and "territorial integration processes." The essay then analyzes what interterritorial integration means for the search for sustainability, defined as cross-sectoral integration of environmental, social and economic goals and interests. It will be shown that cross-border cooperation fosters antagonistic communities and therefore must be seen primarily as an obstacle in the search for sustainability. However, the empirical evidence does indicate that some cross-border regions may provide innovative platforms for multidimensional integration processes, which are needed for more sustainable ways of living