The Flemish Region wish to express an interest in ESPON projects in the following areas of interest:

1.      How do functional urban areas, consisting of various smaller cities but without a European Mega, function and which spatial policies would be most appropriate to maximize their potentials.   
 
2.      How do regions plan? Can one particular system be considered more effective than another planning system or are differences mainly due to external factors such as geography, public and political support, planning tradition, etc.
 
3.      How can regions that function as a gateway to  Europe  with major transport flows best manage this situation to maximize the benefits and minimize the negative consequences?
 
4.      Which role can spatial planning play in densely populated delta regions in handling the specific environmental challenges that this socio-geographical situation implies (e.g. air quality, water quality)?  
 
5.      Which role can spatial planning play in obtaining the targets of the  Lisbon  strategy within a region where available space for large-scale investments is limited?