The InTerAlp project (Jan-Nov 2024), funded by ESPON EGTC examined interface territories across the Alpine region. Alpine ‘interface territories’ are a highly relevant and interesting spatial category. By linking mountainous and inner-Alpine areas with pre-Alpine lowlands, they are a very specific territorial type: Highly dynamic flows and interdependencies as well as controversial stakeholder interests meet in a rather limited spatial framework. Organizing sustainable spatial development in thi...
A new report by Tobias Chilla, Hannah Paul, Dominik Bertram and Markus Lambracht brings together important arguments towards an Alpine Spatial Development Perspective (ASDP). This synthesis report brings together three input papers focusing on sectoral perspectives, namely transport & connectivity, green infrastructure and economic development. This process was initiated by the Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Working Group of the Alpine Convention.
The document summarises the...
Urban networks play a crucial role for spatial development in mountain regions. Efficient settlement systems are an important basis for a good quality of life. Effective spatial organization of urban functions can improve overall economic, social and environmental development.
A variety of obstacles, including relief and altitude, demographic change, and cross-border barriers, complicate spatial development efforts in mountain areas. Settlement systems assume a vital function in addressing th...
Viele Facetten der europäischen Integration werden an den Binnengrenzen Europas besonders deutlich. Das vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung geförderte Projekt ‚Cohesion in Border Regions (CoBo)‘ hat die Organisation des Zusammenhalts in den Grenzregionen Deutschlands mit seinen Nachbarländern untersucht und bestehende Potenziale ausgelotet (Laufzeit 2021 bis 2023).
Die unterschiedlichen Governance-Strukturen der Grenzregionen, ihre Themen, Herausforderungen und Potenziale und die ...
Qualitatives Process-Tracing: Ländliche Digitalisierungsprozesse als Beitrag zu sozialen Innovationen – und was wir anhand sogenannter ‚Critical Junctures‘ (Wendepunkte) lernen können.
Die neue Publikation von Carola Sommer und Tobias Chilla gemeinsam mit Lisa Birnbaum und Stephan Kröner (Lehrstuhhl für Empirische Bildungsforschungs, FAU) liefert eine vergleichende Perspektive auf vier ländliche Digitalsierungsprojekte. Basierend auf Fallstudien in Bayern, Niedersachsen, Sachsen und dem Most...
Cities and their networks play an important role in spatial development. This is true for settlement systems in general, and there is no reason why this should be different in mountain contexts. However, research on this topic is scarce, and it remains a relatively niche topic.
In our latest article, we present a scoping review of settlement systems in mountain regions. We reflect on thematic foci, temporal developments, and regional differences in the global scientific debate. The paper is p...
A short new article in the ESPON magazine TerritoriALL: Dominik Bertram and Tobias Chilla reflect on ‘roles beyond size’ of small towns in the European Alps. Providing equitable access to services of general interest (SGI) is an explicit objective of the EU Territorial Agenda 2030. Especially in mountain regions, ensuring fair accessibility to SGI is a significant challenge due to low population density and topographical barriers.
The TerritoriALL article refers the concept of Population Catc...
Our Regional Development Working Group will explore Alpine Solutions for the Transition of the textile and plastic Equipment industry and the harmonization of interregional 5R strategies: In a consortium of 11 partners from 5 Alpine countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia), the Interreg Alpine Space Programme project ASTER is one amongst 18 classic projects that were approved by the Alpine Space Programme Committee. It will start in September 2024 and has a duration of 3 years.
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Together with scientists from the Palacký University in Olomouc led by Mgr. Vít Pászto, Ph.D., the Regional Development Working Group led by Prof. Dr. Chilla will explore new possibilities for improving the knowledge base on border regions over the next 2.5 years. The project “The potential of new data sources for border-related knowledge gaps (BorderData)” brings together two research teams that have a high level of international expertise in their fields and are at the same time complementary....
The Swiss Presidency of the EU Alpine Strategy (EUSALP) 2023 has focused on transversal topics and their political relevance. At the end of the presidency, the Annual Forum and the General Assembly took place in Bad Ragaz (19th Oct 2023), where four cross-cutting priorities were discussed: a) Promoting Digitalisation for the Alps, b) Accelerating the Energy Transition for a Carbon-Neutral Alpine Region, c) Promoting a Joint Water Management Transition and d) Boosting Circular Economy.
We were...
