Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung

Spatial development and governance

Good governance is a success factor for sustainable regional development. Integrated strategies and a joint implementation by actors at different spatial levels are required. This is also a basis for the European macro-regional strategies. The transnational programmes make a significant contribution to implementing macro-regional strategies.

Integrated urban and regional development with Interreg B

Wortwolke Raumentwicklung und Governance, Quelle: BBSR

How can our municipality become more resilient towards crises? How do we as a society react to migrations or crises? How can we in urban and rural areas in the same way benefit from the digital transformation?

Municipalities and regions are the levels at which social transformations are implemented. At this level, it is important to cooperate with other departments to implement a solution on site. This is precisely where the principle of integrated spatial development starts: Several disciplines work together and develop solution concepts adapted to the respective local conditions.

Regional transformation processes must be shaped so that the potentials can become effective for all citizens. While political strategies include development goals, mayors, for example, are required to become creative in implementing these goals. Under Interreg B, cities, towns and villages can work together across disciplines and municipal levels. In this way, supra-municipal topics can be dealt with more holistically and conflicts of use can be resolved. The Interreg B programmes are well suited to address integrated urban and regional development issues:

  • Urban-rural cooperations, for example in transport connections
  • Integrated planning processes, for example in the event of natural disasters
  • Access to public services, services of general interest, digitisation

In the current 2021 – 2027 programming period, the Interreg B programme areas with German participation promote topics of integrated urban and regional development with sometimes different focuses. Thematic clusters are services of general interest, energy, circular economy and sustainability, tourism and transport. In some programme areas, there is a separate “governance” priority promoting integrated governance. All programmes support strategies and pilot actions, concepts and solutions that contribute to a holistic urban and regional development.

More information

For good examples of the topic “spatial development and governance”, please have a look at Projekte (in German).

Related publications

Integrierte Stadt- und Regionalentwicklung mit Interreg B. Fördermöglichkeiten der transnationalen Zusammenarbeit 2021-2027 für fach- und ebenenübergreifende Ansätze. Einzelpublikation. Ed.: BBSR, Bonn, April 2022 BBSR website (in German)