Cross-Border Cooperation and Land-Use: Studying Two European Cities in the Period 2000–2018

Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC) denotes the joint effort and harmonization of endeavors between neighboring countries or geographically connected regions. It encompasses collaborative initiatives spanning economic, political, social, and environmental domains. Land Use (LU) dynamics are one of the main topics in the interests of sustainable development studies, particularly in the territories facing high socioeconomic and environmental concerns and challenges. Therefore, we used a four-stage methodology: data collection; case study selection criteria; analysis of case studies; and, finally, the relation between CBC and LU for sustainable development. The study provides us with some exciting guidelines about actions to promote sustainable development through CBC (in the case studies) – i.e. promote knowledge sharing and best practices among successful cities; Offer capacity-building programs to enhance skills in sustainable land use planning and CBC; or foster collaboration on common projects and create communication networks for regular interaction.