Abstract
This paper analyses the question of cities that are localised at each part of an international border. We take as an example the two cities of Dover and Calais and look at if they can be considered as binational cities, because they have been recently connected by a tunnel, the ‘fixed link’, and because since 1993, the inner state borders of the European Union have disappeared. It determines firstly if these two towns have been brought closer by the construction of the Channel tunnel and if specific ties are linking these two towns. The article scrutinizes actions taken under INTERREG funds under the general framework of the creation of the ‘Transmanche Region’ and its extension towards a Euroregion to sort out these two cities joint involvement. Finally, it checks if this new area could lead to cross-border activity either for work or tourism and leisure purposes that could conduct the cities of Dover and Calais toward a new type of relationship, premises of a binational city.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Buléon P., et (coll) Rocher T., Lefevre S., 2000: Nouveau contexte pour le transmanche maritime? Transport 402: 264-272.
Buléon P., Shurmer-Smith J. L., 1997a: Relations culturelles et jumelages dans la région transmanche, Atlas Electronique transmanche, http://infodoc.unicaen.fr/transmanche.
Buléon P., Shurmer-Smith J. L., 1997b: Les coutures de l'Europe sont aussi maritimes; des regions frontalières aux regions transfrontalières, Atlas Electronique transmanche.
CERT 2000: Sélection d'indicateurs transports année 1999, Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Lille
Church A., Reid P., 1996: Urban power, international network competition: the example of cross-border co-operation, Urban Studies 33: 1297–1318.
Church A., Reid P., 1999: Cross-border co-operation, institutionalisation and political space across the English Channel, Regional Studies 33: 643–655.
CRT Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 1999a: Les indices du tourisme, Bilan de l'activité touristique du Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Bilan hôtellerie.
CRT Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 1999b: Market study on excursion trips in the Euroregion, Lille.
CRT Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Kent County Council, 2000: Transmanche Tourism facts 2000.
Delebarre M., 1998: Cinq régions d'Europe pour une Eurorégion, Hommes et Terres du Nord, 3: 123–128.
Ehlers N. and Buursink J., 2000: Binational cities: People, institutions and structures. In: van der Velde M. and van Houtoum (eds) Borders, Regions and People, pp. 182–201, European Reasearch in Regional Science, Pion, London.
Ehlers N., Buursink J. and Boekema F., 2002: Binational cities and their regions, from diverging cases to a common research agenda, GeoJournal this issue.
EPR, 1997: L'Euroregions, Etudes Pour une Région N°1, mai, Conseil Régional Nord-Pas-de-Calais, pp. 80–81.
European Commission 1999: Cohesion and Transport, Brussels, COM(1998)806 final.
Flament E., 1997: Tourisme et frontières. In: Renard J.P. (ed), Le géographe et les frontières, L'Harmattan, Paris.
Gijsel, P. de, Janssen M., 1999: Perceived obstacles and willingness to enter Dutch-German cross-border labour markets: The case of highly educated workers in border regions, 38th Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association, February, Ojai, USA.
Haekli J., Kaplan D., 2000: Evolving European Borderlands: the challenge of contextuality, The Regional Studies Association Conference, September, Aix-en-Provence, France.
Heddebaut O., 1998: La stratégie d'accompagnement transmanche dans le Kent et le Nord-Pas-de-Calais: entre contextes institutionnels spécifiques et temporalité décalée. In: Nemery J.C. et Loinger G. (eds), Construire la dynamique des territoires, pp. 293–315, L'Harmattan, Paris.
Heddebaut O., 1999a: Cross channel back-up policy and tourist frequentation evolution at Nord-Pas-de-Calais regional borders. In: Meersman H., Van de Voorde E., Winkelmans W. (eds), 8th World Conference on Transport Research 12–18 July 1998 Antwerp, selected proceedings, Vol 3: 471–484, Transport Modelling/Assessment, Pergammon.
Heddebaut O., 1999b: Le tunnel sous la Manche, facteur d'intégration des régions? Revue Administration, Numéro spécial ‘L'Angleterre, une Île?’, No 184: 113–122.
Heddebaut O., 2001: Does the Channel tunnel infrastructure contribute to the integration of different regions? Lessons for the Øresund region pp. 227–242. In: Andersen A.K. and Karlström A. (eds) The Regional Development Impacts of the ‘Öresund Bridge’, Research Report at the Department of Infrastructure and Planning, Royal Institute of Technology, University of Stockholm, Stockholm.
Heddebaut O., Laudren E., 1998: La rocade du littoral participe-t-elle à une transformation du littoral du Nord-Pas-de-Calais? Evaluation expost du programme d'accompagnement routier transmanche, Cahiers économiques de Bretagne 4: 17–48.
Houtum, H. van, 1999: Do borders matter in international economic networking? 38th Annual Meeting of the Western Regional Science Association, 21–24 February, Ojai, California, USA.
Joan J.M., 1998: Les liaisons transmanche Compétiteurs et marchés des transports, Editions Hermes, Paris.
Kramsh O., 2000: Governance in the Euroregions, Ten Years On: Assessing the construction of Transborder Space within the European Union, Regional Studies Association Conference, 14–15 September 2000, Aix-en-Provence, France.
Luchaire Y., 1992: L'euro-région, fille naturelle du tunnel sous la Manche? In: Marcou G., Vickerman R., Luchaire Y. (eds), Le Tunnel sous la Manche entre états et marchés, pp. 379–415, Presses Universitaires de Lille, Lille.
Pepy G., 1998: 'Le train plus simple et moins cher. Deux axes pour la reconquête commerciale voyageurs de la SNCF', Transport 389: 157–165.
Perkmann M., 1999: Building Governance institutions across European borders, Regional Studies 33: 657–667.
Soutif V., 1997: Domicile/travail: deux lieux, deux mondes. In: Renard J.P. (dir) Le géographe et les frontières, pp.113–147, L'Harmattan, Paris.
Ratti R., 1991: Regioni di Frontera, Banca di Credito commerciale e Mobiliare, Lugano
Ricq C., 1992: Les régions frontalières et l'intégration européenne, Livre blanc de l'ARE, Centre d'Observation Européen des Régions.
Vandermotten et al., 1999: L'Eurorégion, Schéma d'Objectifs Stratégiques, Rapport de la Conférence permanente du développement territorial de la Région wallonne, projet financé par la DGXI, décembre, 102 p.
Vickerman R., 1997: The emperor without clothes: regional impacts of the Channel tunnel and associated infrastructure in Kent. In: Burmeister A. and Joignaux G (Eds), Infrastructures et territoires, approches de quelques grands projets, pp. 57–82, L'Harmattan, Paris.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Heddebaut, O. The binational cities of Dover and Calais and their region. GeoJournal 54, 61–71 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021140732332
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021140732332