Kleinstädte als Wachstumsmotoren ländlich-peripherer Regionen: Das Beispiel Waldviertel

Abstract

In spite of the continuing European integration process, some Austrian cities are still disconnected from the dynamic development in the big metropolitan areas. Being confronted with growing competition and threatened by shrinkage processes, these mostly small and mid-sized cities have to fulfill their role as regional centers and economic growth engines. This is especially true for small towns in the Austrian region of Waldviertel, where conditions have changed dramatically since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Hence, this paper will investigate whether the risk of further peripheralisation has been banned in this formerly peripheral region near the border to the Czech Republic. In this context the paper discusses the main theories and concepts explaining regional development in current literature. It examines the most relevant driving forces of regional economic development stressing the importance of endogenous factors and relational capital. The empirical analysis of the Waldviertel reveals the main characteristics of recent economic and demographic development and tries to identify processes of centralisation and peripheralisation within the region. The main results show a slight improvement of the economic situation in recent years and prove that the rural areas can only participate in growth impulses in the regional centers if they are economically linked to them. Based on these empirical findings, the paper elaborates the role of small towns in strategic planning approaches in Austria and discusses opportunities to offer endogenous strategies for sustainable development. It concludes that territorial competitiveness of peripheral regions needs to be supported by comprehensive and network-based planning approaches on a regional level. English Title: Small Towns as Growth Engines for Rural and Peripheral Regions: the Case of Waldviertel