The achievement of the objectives of the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP), of harmonious, balanced and sustainable development, depends to a large extent on the effectiveness of metropolitan governance and spatial planning and development practice. InterMETREX offers practical benefits by enhancing the competence, capability and processes of existing metropolitan planning, and by providing a basis on which effective metropolitan governance can be established where such competence, capability and processes do not currently exist. Achievements: Achievements so far In 8 Analysis Workshops, all Partners assessed their metropolitan planning practice against the METREX Practice Benchmark, and gained awareness, understanding, information and access to good practice. Emerging issues, their implications for improvement in Partners practice, and the need to update, refine and amend the METREX Practice Benchmark in the light of Partners experience has been discussed in 2 Synthesis Workshops; WK6-Barcelona (Oct 04) for 20 Partners from former EU15 Member States and Switzerland, prior to the dissemination of findings and conclusions at the METREX Barcelona Conference; WK10-Glasgow (May 06) for 8 Partners and 3 Contributors from the New Member States, Belorus, Russia, Romania and Bulgaria, whose findings and conclusions were disseminated at the METREX Szczcecin Conference in Sep 2006. Partners have also prepared a submission for the e-Atlas, a resource tool on the METREX website to promote networking between metropolitan areas. Improvement of practice was identified in the need for better relationships between planning at national, regional, sub-regional and municipal levels, and greater coherence between administrative boundaries and functional urban regions and areas; better integration of forecasts, projections, scenarios and sectoral plans, particularly on socio-economic issues; the polycentric development of retail centres; urban capacity studies for sustainability; the protection of traditional water and agricultural areas within the metropolitan area; the development of integrated metropolitan transport systems; the integration of the planning and implementation processes; earlier involvement of stakeholders in the planning process; greater transparency and improved monitoring; better management of planning strategy; tighter controls on monitoring and review; and, significantly, the need to measure, monitor, adapt and mitigate current practice with regard to climate change and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GGEs). A tool to assess and monitor GGEs at the metropolitan level was commissioned from the University of Manchester, and was presented to the project's partners at a meeting of the project's Steering Group in Vicenza in May 2007, illustrated by case studies from Glasgow (LP), Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Stockholm. Application of the Benchmark includes pedestrian zoning of retail centres, the recovery of land for leisure amenity, and the design of an urban light railway system; revision of Metropolitan Plans; review of structure plans and polycentric development in relation to Vilnius-Kaunas; improved scenario planning, stakeholder involvement and integrated regional strategies; improved monitoring and testing procedures; stronger cooperation between stakeholder organisations; data collection and regional monitoring, public consultation, plan marketing and regional development; and the integration of demographic and economic forecasts with plans.