Entwicklungsprobleme und Entwicklungsperspektiven im ländlichen Raum Lothringens

Abstract

At the moment, the rural area of Lorraine which has experienced a regressive process for a long time is going through a process of tangible regeneration. On the one hand, this is the result of a general structural change, in the course of which even the sparsely populated rural areas have gained new functions. There is evidence for this revival in the rural landscape, for example, there is an increased tendency to preserve and renew the village structures which have been degraded. Nonetheless, fundamental development problems remain: despite a general improvement of the demographic development, there are still some areas in which the exodus of the rural population has not yet been halted. The process of concentration in farming, which still continues and which even has accelerated recently, means that the problems linked to this, still remain. The political-geographical dissipation in many small communities and in many particular interests is one of the greatest development impediments in the rural area. It is above all here that promising development perspectives have opened up: the concept of a local development, linked to various forms of intercommunal cooperation, provides suitable instruments of development and therefore intervenes sucessfully in the process of regeneration in the rural area. Lacking transparency remains a problem, which results from the manifold various initiatives and cooperation possibilities. Additionally, the concept of local development and intercommunal cooperation has not yet had its effects in all areas. Due to the binding of state subsidies and regional subventions to the existance of a local development planning, there is further danger in these partial areas of being pushed out on to the periphery. The persistance of centralist structures can be seen once again in the microregion's financial limitations and the dependence on the fluctuating state subvention allocations. It will be of major importance for the future development, that the independence and stability of the microregionsare promoted in an appropriate manner by long-term financial and instrumental provision.