Philipp Gareis (p), Claire Duvernet, Florian Rödding

Matteo Berzi

Cross-border accessibility is a crucial aspect of European integration, particularly for the 40% of EU citizens residing in border regions. The Schengen Area has facilitated seamless movement, but disparities persist in cross-border public transport (CBPT) availability, particularly in rural areas. Commuters, service users, and businesses face challenges due to inconsistent CBPT networks, high fares, and long travel times. Existing research often focuses on travel time analyses by car or case studies of specific transport routes, neglecting the most important basis for evidence based policy making: comparable data on cross-border mobility by public transport with different multi-modal splits.
This study addresses these gaps by introducing a new methodological approach to analyzing CBPT accessibility through multi-modal travel time matrices. Using data from OpenStreetMap (OSM), Google Transit Feeds (GTFS), and various Points-of-Interest (POI), we show how with the help of Rapid Realistic Routing on Multimodal Transport Networks (r5r) it is possible to create granular accessibility data at a 1 km² grid level resolution. We focus on key services such as education, healthcare, and supermarkets, integrating Eurostat and OSM datasets to evaluate accessibility based on various travel combinations, including walking, biking, and e-bikes in combination with public transport.
Our results highlight significant disparities in CBPT access across European border regions. While some regions benefit from well-integrated transport networks, others face limited connectivity, undermining equal living opportunities. By providing policymakers with detailed, interactive dashboards displaying accessibility data, we close this black box in CBPT on the macro level to benchmark regions with similar problems and best-practice solutions.
The data should be understood as a starting point for improved cross-border spatial planning using real-world data. By adapting tools originally designed for urban mobility to the cross-border context, we demonstrate how this data can be created, utilized and be of use in different policy settings.

Tomasz Komornicki (p), Rafał Wiśniewski, Piotr Rosik, Marcin Mazur, Patryk Duma

Benedikt Herrmann

Between 2020 and 2022, the ESPON IRiE project (Interregional Relations in Europe; www.espon.eu; Velasco Echeverria 2022) aimed to comprehensively assess the European space of flows. This project, likely for the first time, simultaneously analyzed several types of interregional connections of various natures. The study covered capital investments, foreign trade, migration, tourism, knowledge transfers, student exchanges, and transport flows. For each type of relationship, a 297x297 matrix was created, corresponding to the number of NUTS2 regions (each roughly the size of Polish voivodeships) across the European Union, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Where possible, observed data were used, and where data were unavailable, modeling was applied.
Given this data, the position of border areas requires a new perspective, providing new grounds for their delimitation. It becomes possible to compare the intensity of cross-border relations with other international relations. The aim of this study is to highlight the importance of cross-border relations both at the European and local levels (with Poland as a case study). This study extracts relationships between neighboring regions across political borders from matrices of people flows (migration, tourism, ERASMUS). It evaluates their weighted intensity, concentration, and dynamics (2010–2018) compared to the full European matrix, internal relations in selected EU states, and sub-matrices of neighboring countries. The research tests hypotheses that border regions exhibit: a) higher and growing intensity of flows; and b) higher geographical concentration of flows. Findings will identify functional border regions through spatial mobility and economic cross-border interactions.

Matteo Berzi (p), Chris Jacobs-Crisioni

Järv Olle

Our contribution focuses on exploring the concept of cross-border Functional Rural Areas (FRAs) in the European Union, where economic and social interactions transcend national borders. Building on the existing FRA framework, we aim to identify and analyze these cross-border regions, shedding light on their economic, social, and spatial dynamics. By developing a harmonized methodology for cross-border FRA definition, we will enable comparability and data aggregation at the pan-European level, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of local and regional cross-border interactions and the role of rural areas in shaping cross-border regions in the EU.