HINTERLAND

Potentials for a Spatial Development under the Aspects of Decline

The BSR is characterised by various Hinterland areas in a distance of 50 km and more to coastal zones and to metropolitan areas and larger cities. Most of these Hinterland areas suffer from a long-term decline in population, Europe has not experienced for hundreds of years. Decreasing demand of employment in agriculture and in lesser competitive SME structures with an increasing mobility makes people move away from Hinterlands, leading to lesser active and over-aged population, lesser economic and social activities and waste of houses and infrastructure. This process might create a "downward spiral" accelerating and combining several decline processes with waste areas, loss of central functions in neighbouring towns and decreas-ing attractiveness and competitiveness of whole regions.

The project aims to manage the process of decline in the Hinterland region by mod-ern, innovative spatial development approaches. Decline has to be organised even where no or only few potentials can be found or expected, affecting a stronger con-sciousness about decline and its long-term character. Also stronger potentials with effects on stabilisation or even slight growth must be found, bundled and mobilised most effectively - using bridges to neighbouring "Vorderland" regions for wider co-operations.

With the enhancement of knowledge about the facets of decline and with the scientific support the project partners will be able to develop local/regional foresights and specific development strategies for future settlement structures, rural-urban business relations, transport and infrastructure matters as well as landscape and agriculture aspects, and apply them in their pilot activities.

The Hinterland Transnational Network will accompany this process and sustain close co-operation with the European and BSR development visions and policies. It will also create an inter-regional concept underlining the specific facets of decline experienced by different partners.

Hinterland project partners areas are characterised by decline in started or already advanced stadium. The scope of the decline of the inhabitant's number since last 3 - 5 years is -2% to -7%. The forecasts for the next 15 years expect -5% to -43% additional.

Complementing the local and regional partners Hinterland will have strong support and control by other key experts - partners like universities, planning and develop-ment institutions and Vorderland linking authorities. So a Hinterland triangle partner-ship between local authorities - regional co-ordinators - decline experts builds on strong horizontal and vertical cooperation in spatial planning and development. Also the project partners involves more than 100 villages in the whole BSR where will im-plement best practice pilots.