This lecture seeks to provide an understanding of the specific spatial development challenges in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. In the winter-semester 2018/19 the focus is set on the Danube Region. The European Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), a macro-regional strategy, was initiated in 2011. The Danube Transnational Cooperation Programme became its successor in 2015. Twelve nation states are expected to cooperate in the frame of this strategy.

In European spatial development, the complexity of co-operation on spatial development issues across state borders is often underestimated. State borders are very often generalized, because of their "permeability" and are in most cases assigned to one of the following two categories: "closed borders" (the external borders of the European Union) and "open borders" (the internal borders of the European Union).

These simplistic approach - which is quite justified for individual topics, as in the case of European trade and economic relations - deceives about the actual complexity of cross-border spatial development issues. A situation that needs to be questioned.

Other questions to be considered in this context are:

• Which function and meaning does the Danube Region have in the European context?
• How have the relationships changed throughout history (both geographically and in terms of their spatial-functional character, etc.)?
• What specific historical, geopolitical, socio-economic developments are visible in the Danube region?
• Which development trends in the Danube region are foreseeable and how can this heterogeneous and unique macro region develop in the future?
• What kind of planning and development problems can be expected in this area and how can these obstacles be overcome?
• Which role does the Danube Strategy (EUSDR) play in cross-border planning processes in the Danube region?
• How can a macro regional cooperation be strengthened and promoted?

Spatial development challenges in macro regions will be identified analysed and discussed in the context of lectures and joint discussions focusing on the reflection and interpretation of literature on macro regional strategies, cross-border cooperation and standardisation, pre-accession and development aid. Following this interdisciplinary theoretical discourse, future visions for the Danube region have to be developed with the help of the visioneering approach.

 Main topics:

• Understanding the historical specifications of the Danube region
• Importance of macro regional strategies
• Understanding the importance of cross-border cooperation in spatial development issues
• Danube Strategy (EUSDR) as macro regional strategy
• Joint Development Priorities in the Danube Region

Task

Based on the lectures, discussions, conference contributions and literature research, the students are invited to develop future pictures for the macro region Danube-Region. All visioneering contributions (from models of stagnation, development hype, real future-oriented, futuristic-utopian or even dystopian approaches) should be argue plausible and professional.

The end product by which the task can be illustrated and presented is freely selectable and ranges from strategy papers (policy paper), to interactive maps, graphic processing such as picture book, comic book, picture exhibition or catalogue, to interactive presentations such as “Prezi”, dance and vocal performance or a short film.

written and oral

Deliveries

Interim presentation on 10.12.2018

Final presentation: January 2019

Attendance

During the course attendance is obligatory on all dates!

Teil des Modul 5 "Europäische Regionalentwicklung"

Bitte möglichst bald anmelden, die LVA ist auf 30 TeilnehmerInnen beschränkt! Bei einer größeren Zahl von Anmeldungen (Warteliste!) werden Masterstudierende die das gesamte Modul absolvieren bevorzugt.