Europe! A common (spatial) identity?

The degree of identification with the European Union is similar in both Germany and Denmark. In addition to the generally positive attitude towards Europe, the European identity is rather weak and the multicollectivity of the individuals is in the foreground.

Active border areas in Europe: border area policy & joint initiatives

One of the challenges of European border areas is related to the fact that many developments take place in a national context. Different spatial planning systems, legal and fiscal frameworks, responsibilities and competences in the individual countries lead to separate approaches. To meet this challenge, planning that is appropriate to the situation and implementation-oriented can be pursued. Formats and instruments that support such a development are regional development concepts, regional conferences or city networks, which foster and promote communication and the willingness of local actors to cooperate. At the same time, informal cooperation is strengthened. Individual projects and regions such as the EUREGIO (Rhine Ems Region) or INTERREG A (Upper Rhine) can serve as models for overcoming borders.

The Eurotunnel & the Øresund Link: Presentation of their (spatial) effects

The comparison of the examples of the Eurotunnel and the Øresund link shows that large projects consisting of pure infrastructure without complementary secondary measures have only a limited impact on the region. When connecting two structurally weak regions, they can only complement each other to a limited extent, as a pull factor is necessary to bring about an effective exchange. The charisma of economically strong regions is also of supraregional importance, as the settlement of international companies in the Øresund region shows. The will for joint development must exist on both sides to enable a positive and sustainable joint development of such projects.

The small town: current strengths & challenges

Many current trends such as the mobility and energy transition, digitalisation or demographic change have an impact on small towns in Germany as challenges or opportunities. However, the extent of the challenges and opportunities varies depending on the small town and its structural characteristics such as location, spatial embedding or size. In order to meet the challenges, it is important to recognise trends at an early stage and to adapt existing structures for the future. One starting point for creating resilience across municipalities is, for example, inter-municipal cooperation within a region.

Urban-rural-rural: a triangular relationship.

An unbalanced interweaving of functional relationships results from the relationship structure of urban-fringe-rural. These dependencies are increasingly reinforced by current trends. They can be seen in the loss of attractiveness of the city due to vacancies and high housing costs, in the increasing peripheralisation as well as in the demographic change in the countryside. The challenge for small towns is not only to strengthen their own centre, but also to create a balanced relationship between town and country. In this context, planning should not only be short-term, but should be future-oriented and focused on the common good, reacting flexibly to changing societal demands. Sustainable planning can be focused on with various spatial planning instruments such as IEK, ILEK or area development plans.

Individuality & Living: Perspectives for the Urban Fringe.

In both Germany and Denmark, the discussion among planners is similar when it comes to the future viability of building typologies and the question of whether the single-family house on the outskirts of the city is still in keeping with the times. But on both sides of the Fehmarn Belt there is also an unchanged demand from the population for single-family houses, so that the proportion of building projects with single-family house areas remains high. At the same time, the countermovement is intensifying, as housing vacancies tend to increase in the rural regions, while the housing shortage persists in the cities. In order to achieve the climate goals, a move away from single-family homes is unavoidable; at the same time, from a building culture perspective, it is important to protect the urban fringe with its qualities worth preserving.

Well-being country: currents, tendencies & developments in tourism.

There are many challenges and opportunities in tourism: Among the challenges are strong seasonal fluctuations in infrastructure utilisation (over-tourism). In addition, there is a high number of secondary residences, especially in Ostholstein, which leads to housing shortages and displacement of the local population. Competition between Denmark and Germany (workers, tourists, etc.) could also increase, so that communication between the two countries becomes more important.

Opportunities, on the other hand, lie mainly in the investment and expansion of infrastructure, reaching higher numbers of visitors and at the same time focusing on the quality of regional value chains and sustainability in tourism. For Denmark and Germany, there is an opportunity for greater cultural exchange and coexistence.

Content was developed by students of the Masters in Urban Planning at the TH Lübeck: Aldogan, Belau, Boy, Brüns, Carbuhn, Fleischer, Fleischfresser, Flohr, Fritzemeier, Hoffmann, Huck, Knoche, Könnecker, Kruse, Kutschke, Kücüker, Lehstmann, Leicher, Meyer, Nicolaus, Nürnberger, Petersen, Rink, Schlüter, Schulze, Söhrnsen, Spitzer, Thiel, Westphal