After successful completion of the course, students are able to

• recognise the opportunities and new fields of action as well as the challenges that digital change offers for communities and regions
• assess how the megatrend of digitalisation is changing the scope of action of communities and regions and their inhabitants and businesses
• assess the impact of digitalisation on different types of space, in particular on the attractiveness of rural areas as well as urban and metropolitan areas
• provide an overview of the activities of (Austrian) regions and municipalities in order to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalisation and avoid undesirable effects
• share knowledge about digital tools that are already available to communities and regions
• develop ideas and proposals for digital tools which communities and regions can use to master current issues and tasks such as quality of life, demographic and social change, services of general interest, local supply, mobility, education, care, jobs, urbanisation, climate change adaptation and conservation of resources.

Digital regions: Opportunities and possibilities for action through digital transformation in regions – a look into the future

Digitalisation makes knowledge available at any (digitally connected) location and at any time – strengthens and drives the daily flow of communication – connects people and machines and generates a flood of data, which in turn generates new fields of application through automated evaluation. In this course, we will work together on questions relating to "Digital Regions" with the help of expert panels. After all, is there not a contradiction underlying the concept of a digital region? Do the principles of digitalisation and networking represent completely new possibilities to overcome space and time? Can the internet even be regional? What does regional mean in this context? Is it the interconnectedness of the actors and the degree of digitised applications rather than the spatial delimitation that is decisive? Is digitalisation the creative answer to all structural problems or are expectations exaggerated? How can we prepare communities and regions for the process of digitalisation? Where do municipalities and regions stand in this process today? Which tools, so-called digital tools, can we give to the various actors for their digital design process? What opportunities and challenges does this present for spatial development?

• Inputs and discussion in four expert rounds (plenary)
• Desk research and individual on-site visits and interviews with users of digital tools for regions and municipalities
• Discussions about the status quo and future perspectives as well as digital utopias on special topics (e.g. mobility, energy, participation, e-governance, intercommunal aspects, utilities, communication, working and housing)
• Development of proposals for practical digital applications (toolkit for regions)
• Definition of cornerstones of a Digital Regional Agenda as a basis for the digital process of a region
• Presentation and Closing Plenary: Joint reflection on whether digitalisation processes need more than just digital tools: How does space change? Are new spaces or infrastructures created? How high must the degree of public participation be in order to be able to implement them? What attitudes do we encounter? (Scepticism and rejection are just as important as openness and curiosity.)
• Working method: group or individual work, plenary

1) Seminar paper (30%)

• What does digitalisation mean in rural areas in comparison to urban areas?
• What does digitalisation in regions mean to you as a future planner?
• Where are the opportunities and challenges? What goals and guiding principles exist on the level of the state / federal government and the EU? And how are these implemented or promoted?

2) Digital Agenda (50%)

As a spatial planner, you are being asked by a region to advise it on digitalisation.

• Choose a relevant topic with regard to digitalisation processes (e.g. mobility, energy, administration, utilities or communication etc.).
• Choose a region for which you show or discuss existing activities and future opportunities and challenges through the use of digitalisation measures.
• Develop a clear digital toolkit for this region: Which products, instruments or practical implementations could be made available to the region?
• Discuss and consider an implementation process from the involvement of municipalities (and their representatives) to regional actors in business and civil society.
• Summarize the results in a project sheet.

3) Participation and presentation (20%)

Attendance and active participation at plenaries, presentation