Relations between cities. The importance of relations between cities and their effects on urban development

Abstract

Small towns all throughout Europe are facing severe challenges. Many are shrinking in terms of population size, losing particularly the younger generation (Eurostat, 2017). This often results in a close-down of infrastructures that are necessary for local supply, education, medical care and public transport. This causes the well-known negative consequences on the quality of life of these places’ inhabitants. Experts in the fields of urbanism, traffic planning and administration are actively engaged with studying these towns to find reasons for and possible ways out of this development. Often overlooked is the fact, that not only the conurbations themselves are changing, but that their transformation is linked closely to the surroundings. They are part of a territory that exists and functions as a unit - or not. The transformation processes of relations within a territory are directly related to the development of individual conurbations. In fact, territorial relations and, with them, everyday realities, and mobilities in and between European cities have changed at least as much as the situation within these cities themselves. While a classification of areas that no longer applies is still utilized.