Keywords
Competitive Intelligence (CI)
Rural public landscapes
Landscape governance
Regional competitiveness
How to Cite
Abstract
Purpose: This study conceptualizes spatial justice as a competitive intelligence framework for rural territories, examining how justice-oriented governance of rural public landscapes generates strategic knowledge that supports decision-making and enhances regional competitiveness. It addresses a key gap between spatial planning and competitive intelligence by reframing rural public landscapes as intelligence-generating territorial assets rather than merely environmental or policy instruments.
Methodology/approach: The study adopts a systematic conceptual review and analytical synthesis approach. A structured literature review was conducted using Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, covering the period 2000–2024 and focusing on spatial justice, rural landscape governance, competitive intelligence, and regional competitiveness. The selected studies were analyzed using a thematic analytical matrix integrating justice dimensions, governance mechanisms, intelligence processes, and competitiveness outcomes.
Originality/Relevance: The originality of the study lies in extending competitive intelligence analysis to the territorial scale, moving beyond firm-centric perspectives. By positioning spatial justice as a strategic capability and rural public landscapes as intelligence platforms, the article aligns directly with the analytical scope of the Journal of Sustainable Competitive Intelligence and contributes to debates on strategic territorial governance.
Key findings: The findings indicate that spatial justice-oriented governance functions as an intelligence-processing system that enables the collection, interpretation, and mobilization of territorially embedded information related to access, participation, and recognition. These processes enhance strategic coordination, policy learning, and adaptive capacity, supporting multidimensional regional competitiveness, including economic resilience, social cohesion, environmental sustainability, and territorial attractiveness.
Theoretical/methodological contributions: The study advances competitive intelligence theory by integrating spatial justice into territorial governance analysis and demonstrates the value of systematic conceptual review and analytical synthesis for developing intelligence-based frameworks in interdisciplinary regional research.
References
Ansell, C., Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic as a game changer for public administration and leadership? The need for robust governance responses to turbulent problems. Public Management Review, 23(7), 949–960. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2020.1820272
Antrop, M. (2005). Why landscapes of the past are important for the future. Landscape and Urban Planning, 70(1–2), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2003.10.002
Barca, F., McCann, P., & Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2012). The case for regional development intervention: Place-based versus place-neutral approaches. Journal of Regional Science, 52(1), 134–152. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9787.2011.00756.x
Camagni, R. (2002). On the concept of territorial competitiveness: Sound or misleading? Urban Studies, 39(13), 2395–2411. https://doi.org/10.1080/0042098022000027022
Cosgrove, D. (2008). Geography and vision: Seeing, imagining and representing the world. I.B. Tauris.
Dikeç, M. (2001). Justice and the spatial imagination. Environment and Planning A, 33(10), 1785–1805. https://doi.org/10.1068/a3467
Davoudi, S., & Brooks, E. (2014b). When does unequal become unfair? Judging claims of environmental injustice. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 46(11), 2686–2702. https://doi.org/10.1068/a130346p
Farole, T., Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Storper, M. (2011). Cohesion policy in the European Union: Growth, geography, institutions. Journal of Common Market Studies, 49(5), 1089–1111. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2010.02161.x
Fainstein, S. S. (2013). The just city. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 18(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2013.834643
Fraser, N. (2009). Scales of justice: Reimagining political space in a globalizing world. Columbia University Press.
Halfacree, K. (2006). Rural space: Constructing a three-fold architecture. In P. Cloke, T. Marsden, & P. Mooney (Eds.), Handbook of rural studies (pp. 44–62). Sage.
Harvey, D. (2009). Social justice and the city (Rev. ed.). University of Georgia Press.
Ingold, T. (2000). The perception of the environment: Essays on livelihood, dwelling and skill. Routledge.
Jessop, B. (2002). The future of the capitalist state. Polity Press.
Kitson, M., Martin, R., & Tyler, P. (2004). Regional competitiveness: An elusive yet key concept? Regional Studies, 38(9), 991–999. https://doi.org/10.1080/0034340042000320816
Kanbur, R., & Venables, T. (2005). Introduction: Spatial inequality and development. Journal of Economic Geography, 5(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnlecg/lbh059
Lefebvre, H. (1991). The production of space. Blackwell.
Marcuse, P., Brenner, N., & Mayer, M. (2009). Cities for people, not for profit. City, 13(2–3), 176–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/13604810903020548
Mahon, M., Woods, M., Farrell, M., Jones, R., & Goodwin-Hawkins, B. (2023). A spatial justice perspective on EU rural sustainability as territorial cohesion. Sociologia Ruralis, 63(3), 683–702. https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12444
McDonagh, J. (2022). Rural futures and the future of the rural. Sustainability, 14(11), 6381. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116381
OECD. (2016). A new rural development paradigm for the 21st century. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264252271-en
OECD. (2020). Rural well-being: Geography of opportunities. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/d25cef80-en
Ostrom, E. (2010). Beyond markets and states: Polycentric governance of complex economic systems. American Economic Review, 100(3), 641–672. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.100.3.641
Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Ketterer, T. (2019). Institutional change and the development of lagging regions in Europe. Regional Studies, 54(7), 974–986. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2019.1608356
Selman, P. (2012). Sustainable landscape planning: The reconnection agenda. Routledge.
Soja, E. W. (2010). Seeking spatial justice. University of Minnesota Press.
Undurraga, J. T., & Pokorny, B. (2024). Rural development opportunities through contextual interventions: A systematic review. Environment, Development and Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-05245-6
Woods, M. (2011). Rural. Routledge.
Young, I. M. (1990). Justice and the politics of difference. Princeton University Press.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Sustainable Competitive Intelligence