**About the Editors**

**Maciej J. Nowak** (born 1982), is a professor at the West Pomeranian University of Technology, head of the Real Estate Department, and member of the Presidium Committee for Spatial Economy and Regional Planning, Polish Academy of Sciences. Author of over 200 works in this field, including more than 30 monographs. Participant in several dozen grants and projects, realized for the National Science Center, polish ministries and central institutions and regional/local governments. Member of governmen<sup>t</sup> teams developing changes in the spatial managemen<sup>t</sup> system in Poland. Author of recognized legal commentaries on spatial planning regulations. Legal advisor participating in numerous court and administrative cases related to spatial planning. In the implementation of projects and publications, extensively cooperated with representatives of other countries (including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Ghana and Germany).

**Giancarlo Cotella** is an Associate Professor of spatial planning at Politecnico di Torino. His research focuses on the comparison of spatial governance and planning systems in Europe and beyond, and on the mutual influence between the EU and the Member States in that field. He has been widely published in the international scientific literature and participated in several international research projects, including the ongoing ESPON METRO and the recently concluded ESPON SUPER, COMPASS, URRUC and ReSSI. He has actively been involved in the activities of the Associations of European Schools of Planning since 2006, and he coordinates the AESOP Thematic Group on Transboundary Planning, Policy Diffusion, Planning Cultures.

**Przemysław Sleszy ´ ´ nski** (born 1973), is a professor at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish Academy of Sciences, member of committees of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Committee of Geographical Sciences PAS (scientific secretary), Committee of Demographic Sciences PAS, Committee on Migration Research PAS and Spatial Management Committee of PAS. Vice-Chairman of the Polish Geographical Society and chairman of its Commission on the Geography of Settlements and Population, member of the Main Urban Planning and Architectonic Commission and the Society of Polish Town Planners, chairman of the Task Committee of the Geographical Olympics. He deals with socio-economic geography and spatial management, including the spatial structures of population and enterprises, urban and regional development, migration, transport geography, spatial planning, landscape aesthetics. He is the author of over 400 works in this field, including more than 20 monographs (including about 100 works in English). He has been the coordinator of and participant in several dozen grants and projects, realized for international institutions (among others, ESPON, INTERREG programs) and central and local governmental public entities, including 15 years as the coordinator of governmen<sup>t</sup> reports on the state and progress of planning works in municipalities. He is also the author of the "List of medium cities, losing their social and economic functions" and other solutions, which are included in the key strategic documents of Poland: The Concept of National Spatial Development 2030 (2011) and the Strategy for Responsible Development (2016).

*Editorial*

### **The Legal, Administrative, and Governance Frameworks of Spatial Policy, Planning, and Land Use: Interdependencies, Barriers, and Directions of Change**

**Maciej Nowak 1,\*, Giancarlo Cotella 2 and Przemysław Sleszy ´ ´ nski 3**


**Abstract:** The article provides an overview of the legal and administrative aspects of spatial governance and planning and of the related challenges. The legal dimension of spatial planning, administrative spatial planning traditions, as well as different frameworks and conditions for the governance of territorial regions are briefly introduced. On this basis, the various contributions that compose the special issue are framed and presented to the readers. In conclusion, a number of directions for further research are identified. Overall, the article serves as an editorial introduction and the various issues it touches upon are further specified in the individual contributions the compose the special issue.

**Keywords:** spatial policy; spatial planning; territorial governance; land use; law
