Our Project

Options of actions - strategic positioning of small and medium sized cities

Demographic change, advanced de-industrialization and the current financial crisis together with the linked danger of job losses pose specific challenges for small and medium size cities.

Whenever the economy is in danger and the population figures are predicted negatively, shrinking is a thread. The increasing need of action is accompanied by decreasing financial means. The subject that the network therefore addresses are the most urgent questions arising with this phenomenon.

Challenges

Challenges

Most cities have gone through difficult economic restructuring processes in recent years. The current economic crisis has intensified these structural problems. Therefore many cities are struggling with de-industrialization accompanied with job losses and declining population figures. Thus these conditions cause less tax incomes and financial shortage.

In respect of declining population figures and the aging population cities have to become attractive cities for young people and families. This can only be achieved through good social and living conditions also focusing especially on inhabitants with migrant backgrounds. Mutual understanding within social groups is a big challenge to overcome.

Inhabitants should be proud of their city therefore a good city image is relevant for the attractiveness for new businesses and inhabitants.

Key point of focus

We see the main focus in the implementation of a sustainable and efficent financial and economic structure within the cities in order to overcome problems related to the economic crisis.

To counteract the problem of declining population figures we focus on providing attractive social and living conditions to attract new inhabitants and to satisfy existing inhabitants expectations.

Another important aspect is the build up of a sustainable city image which we want to achieve through cooperations within the city between culture and tourism or education facilities and local enterprises.

A word from the lead partner