Chapter 2 From suburbia to rural backwater: Exurban rural development in Germany

Abstract

Purpose – The rural–urban fringe is a highly differentiated zone. This chapter takes a closer look at the different types of rural municipalities in the vicinity of metropolitan areas in the northern part of Germany.Methodology – The examination of the most important dimensions of rural development was done by means of a factor analysis. A cluster analysis was conducted in order to identify certain categories of municipal development paths and to ascertain possible causes for their spatial distribution (e.g., central-peripheral or regional).Findings – Five different types of development paths were identified: urban, residential, growing, agricultural and stagnant municipalities. The spatial distribution of these clusters suggests that the development of exurban areas is more fragmented than general explanations may suggest. Development paths which resemble a “rural gentrification” may first of all be found in “urban municipalities” and “residential municipalities”. Anyway, often in immediate vicinity to these municipalities we either find municipalities which are characterized by a rapid growth of the population or still show clear traces of a local dominance of agriculture. Local development paths are shaped by a multitude of factors reaching from macro-economic impulses to the implications of regional planning and further down to the local socio-political dynamics in the municipality itself.Originality/value of chapter – The chapter analyses data on periurban development in Germany and contribute in this way to the scientific discourse on periurbanity in Western Europe.