4.1.4. Governance

Governance interventions that try to improve the mechanisms through which governmental stakeholders manage urban and rural areas seem to influence the ways sustainable development is carried out at regional and local levels. However, these types of interventions seem to have produced results that are more varied than those presented above.

Certain characteristics, such as when interventions promote a long-term sustainable development perspective and adopt an integrated approach, are usually more effective. For example, in Stockholm (Sweden), the urban transformations and modalities of integrated planning are considered successful cases of integrated land use, housing and transport planning. Nevertheless, multi-level collaboration in Stockholm's urban transformations favoring the integration of local actors has had to face challenges, such as the intervention of the central governmen<sup>t</sup> [43]. In Helsinki (Finland), the agreements on land use, housing, and transport (MAL) for the 2016–2019 period are also perceived as successful. In fact, the intervention promotes a more effective land use managemen<sup>t</sup> and cooperation between municipalities.

As regards the adoption and implementation of urban plans, governance interventions seem to have had diverse impacts in the different cities and regions. In general, multilevel collaboration seems to improve the effectiveness of these types of interventions. In Poland, the 2016 planning law and housing policy of the Warsaw metropolitan area is a positive intervention, which has contributed to improving the spatial structure of both the city and its surrounding area, in the light of long-term sustainable development (e.g., green corridors, protecting green areas, reducing sprawl). Likewise, the Tri-City metropolitan area planning (Poland) aims to promote a harmonious development of the coastal area of Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot, enhancing public transport. The intervention is generally perceived as successful due to the integrated governance structure it set up; however, despite its good potential, more time is still needed to fully assess its success. On the contrary, the attempt to promote bottom-up, integrated metropolitan planning led to the approval of the Pozna ´n metropolitan area planning law (Poland) that, despite identifying areas that are important for environmental protection (e.g., degraded areas that require urgen<sup>t</sup> revitalization actions), failed to achieve the expected results in terms of municipal coordination.
