Spatial boundary choice and the views of different actors

An examination of the completed transboundary Long Term Vision Study (LTV) of the Scheldt Estuary, commissioned by the Flemish and Dutch governments, is used to illustrate how actors vary both in the boundaries they choose and the assessment they make of the implications of that boundary choice. Consequently, no perfect spatial scale choice appears to exist. The paper recommends ways to structure the problem of scale selection to facilitate rational deliberation. It is suggested that the methods used to analyse different actors perspectives for the completed LVT study, in future could be employed up-front at the start of other projects. Scale-dependent decision trade-offs could then be made more transparent.