Abstract
Living conditions and development perspectives are influenced by territorial inequalities. In this study, an assessment of long-term local and regional resilience was conducted in order to understand the structural strengths and weaknesses in spatial development in Austria. To gain new insights into the known development patterns, a new resilience-oriented assessment was conducted. A growth-oriented assessment was carried out in parallel to provide a reference for interpreting the results. A set of criteria corresponding with each of the two assessment approaches was applied to obtain quantitative results. To determine the spatial dependency of the values’ characteristics, spatial statistics was applied. The reinterpretation of existing data and comparison of the results revealed a new level of insight into regional development and made it possible to determine the level of resilience of a region or municipality. The resilience could be evaluated relatively, by comparing the resilience of different spatial units within the study area. Similarities and differences between the results of the two approaches were revealed and discussed. The outcomes confirmed that the growth-oriented perspective is too narrow and further approaches are necessary in order to assess the sustainability and resilience of the local and regional spatial structures and development.
Highlights
Growth is considered to be a driving force and a means to achieve prosperity
The reinterpretation of existing data and comparison of the results revealed a new level of insight into regional development and made it possible to determine the level of resilience of a region or municipality
The difference in how structural strength and structural weakness are determined in these procedures is whether or not spatial statistics is included for identifying the spatial significance of indicator values
Summary
Growth is considered to be a driving force and a means to achieve prosperity. It is seen as the prerequisite of a high standard of living, contributing to the satisfaction of human needs. Structural strength and structural weakness go hand in hand with developmental starting conditions and perspectives that are either above or below average Behind this background, reducing spatial disparities has been defined as a main goal of (spatial) development in order to provide equal living conditions [13,14,15]. A countrywide study on structural strength and weakness, based on the quantitative evaluation of municipalities using indicators like population growth, employment development, female employment rate, employment in primary sector, number of commuters, attractiveness for tourism, and tax revenue, was done in Austria in 2007 [24]. In order to measure the stability and potential of the continuous improvement of living conditions, regardless of the economic performance and state of a region, the ability of that region to bear up to a crisis must be evaluated. Which of the new indicators are relevant for resilience assessment is determined
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