ARL – Akademie für Raumentwicklung in der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft Strategische Regionalplanung

Strategic Regional Planning aims primarily to provide orientation and give a long term dimension to regional development. A successful planning process thus increasingly requires new and intensive interlinking between guiding principles (goals), concepts (plans) and implementation, each step of the latter being oriented on the former two stages. Strategic Regional Planning is thus a three-stage, closely interlinked planning process based on the formation of networks, comprehensive participation and the early creation of strategic partnerships (alliances), as well as on support from actors when implementing concepts, plans and programmes. Continuous monitoring and controlling are essential for the majority of activities. These are the themes that have been under discussion by an interdisciplinary working group of academics and practitioners. Based on analysis of national and international case studies, the group presents the fundamentals (modules) of a well-researched and consistent model of Strategic Regional Planning. The model focuses particularly on aspects of regional development and enables development to be managed in urban as well as in rural regions.