1_Conceptual Framework

For additional information please look here:
1.1 Models and Theories
1.2 Best Practices

Theoretical framework

1. Sustainability of the peri-urban landscape

• Resilience: “the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance, undergo change and still retain essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks” (The Resilience Alliance, 2009)
• Urban Metabolism is a model to facilitate the description and analysis of the flows of the materials and energy within cities, such as undertaken in a Material flow analysis of a city. It provides researchers with a metaphorical framework to study the interactions of natural and human systems in specific regions (Pincetl, S., Bunje, P., & Holmes, T. , 2012) 
• Ecosystem services (The UN 2004 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment) 
• Provisioning, such as the production of food and water; 
• Regulating, such as the control of climate and disease;
• Supporting, such as nutrient cycles and crop pollination; and 
• cultural, such as spiritual and recreational benefits.
• Multi-functional Landscapes: are intended as open spaces where different types of ecosystem services take place at the same time, creating values and services both material (eg. food, fiber, fuel) and immaterial (eg. nutrient cycling, recreational opportunities) 

2. Metropolitan Governance

• Governance being defined as “actions and institutions within an urban region that regulate or impose conditions for its political economy” (Sellers 2002, p. 9). 
• Types of Governance (Marks, Hooghe, 2003, 2004) 
• Type I (Multi-level interplay): form of MLG builds upon ‘general-purpose’ jurisdictions (governments) at different levels, and is mostly interested in the interaction between these levels and the sharing of competences between them. 
• Type II (Cross-sectoral governance): is task-specific jurisdictions, intersecting emberships and a flexible design that is responsive to temporary need 
• Thickness of governance institutions on the territory 
• One metropolitan structure 
• Co-existence of local governments with metropolitan structures 
• Intercommunity co-operation