Book Review. The Poverty of Territorialism. A Neo-Medieval View of Europe and European Planning

Abstract

In his recent book 1 , Faludi -one of the most innovative and non-schematic contemporary researchers and observers of the European spatial realm -summarises and shares his experience on key issues related to space, and the latter's role and significance in governance in the European context.At first glance, this book might appear to be a routine task for a scholar of such calibre, but it is far from a typical scientific resume.On the contrary, this book is a breathtaking read, full of smart anecdotes and unexpected real-life examples that greatly illustrate the author's thinking, rich with historical parallels and universal parabolas.Each page and chapter speaks to the reader and contains such passion and strength that one might very well gain the impression of participating in a real-time personal chat with the author.Of course, this is on purpose.Through this dynamic and seemingly interactive narrative style, Faludi tries to convey significant information regarding space, as well as the future of the European project itself.He looks ahead into the coming decades, identifies potential key frictions and inconsistencies and horns a warning bell, challenging, not only our stereotypes, but also several crucial axioms underpinning the spatial sciences.And who, if not Faludi, has the right and intellectual capacity to do that?Born in Hungary, brought up in Austria, sharing his professional life between universities in the UK and the Netherlands, Faludi belongs to the new category of global citizens who identify themselves more with ideas and issues than with the territory or power of nation-states.He is quite aware of his uniqueness in this regard (Faludi 2010: IX-XI), being part of a "roving band of planners", who put an immense amount of effort into the progression of European-type thinking and Europeanisation.As a propagator of a European Model of Society (Faludi 2007), as formulated by Jacques Delors and others, Faludi is aware of the key informal mechanisms and syndromes constituting and sustaining the EU as a mental process.

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