Introduction: Territorial Governance: A New Take on Development/Introduction: La Gouvernance Territoriale: Un Nouveau Regard Sur Le Developpement

The question of territorial governance has been dealt with extensively over the last decade, both in America and in Europe (Chaskin 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005; Fontan et al 2006; Glaser et al 1996; Glaser 1997; Khakee 2005; Leblanc 2006; Magnusson 2005; Moulaert and Nussbaumer 2005; Mcguire 2001; Norton 2005; Offner 2007; Proulx 2004; Reese 1993 a, 1993b, 1994; Reese and Rosenfeld 2001, 2004; Reese and Fasenfest 2003; Sanyal 2006; Selsky 1991, 2005; Shaffer and Marcouiller 2006; Thomas 2006; Visser 2002, 2004; Wrigley and Lewis 2002). (1) Despite this, and the obvious popularity of the topic, as an area of research it has not yet been covered in a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Regional Science. This special issue is innovative in that it presents--mainly in French--the results of research undertaken by Canadian researchers. The research profiles a number of different questions that have recently emerged as governance has been plied to territorial development processes. The synthesis we provide will allow the reader to appreciate whether this 'governance of proximity' is--or is not--a unique and original approach to thinking about and living in a territory. Without having the pretension of examining the issues thoroughly in a single special issue, given current circumstances we felt it more pertinent than ever to present an intersecting perspective, through a series of articles, on innovative practices in territorial governance, particularly in relation to issues of education, natural resources, aboriginal peoples, the approaches to local development and the multiple initiatives of civil society.