3.4 Regional development in rural areas

Two themes have been paid attention to: Sustainable development of rural areas in general; Development of natural and cultural landscapes.

3.4.1 Sustainable development of rural areas

VASAB Task (Stockholm Ministerial Conference 1996):
Prepare pilot projects for sustainable development of rural areas

Though rural areas cover major parts of the BSR, and though they undergo deep structural changes with spatial implications, they had not been a major issue in the VASAB2010 report. This gap was hoped to be filled through specific projects.

If rural areas are to be kept as areas with attractive living conditions and landscapes, the change from agricultural to diversified rural economies needs to be supported. This requires integrated approaches to cover rural urban centres as well as diverse landscapes, to extend from new forms of agriculture to other sources of income, and to involve sector institutions from agriculture through education to culture, economy and others.

No such project could be launched yet, due to lacking funds as well as human resources required to promote the issue. But the subject is still on VASAB's agenda.

InterregIIC projects concerning development of rural areas

In the framework of InterregIIC few projects deal specifically with rural areas. The lack of a wider interest is certainly not an indication that there are no problems. It rather indicates that these areas are also weak in developing joint approaches.

  • InterregIIC project:
    Villnet

    The project seeks ways to strengthen the competitiveness of rural areas so as to enable populations to maintain their places of residence.

    Natural, cultural and human resources in selected pilot areas in Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Germany are identified, and sustainable development potentials and strategies will be prepared. Strategies shall find a balance between development and protection.

    The project focuses on participation of rural populations, enterprises and institutions. It has generated a number of action proposals and has helped to attract the attention of relevant planners and actors (located in urban centres) to the development potentials and needs of rural areas.

  • InterregIIC project:
    Being neighbour to a large urban area

    The ESDP stresses the importance of rural-urban partnership. This InterregIIC project develops ideas on how regions bordering large urban and metropolitan areas can benefit from the opportunities resulting from such location, and how development gaps between project areas and large urban centres can be reduced.

    The project develops spatial strategies and arranges an exchange of experience on rural - urban relationship.

    Four regional authorities in Denmark, Sweden and Germany prepare pilot projects concerning settlement, infrastructure, teleworking, and business development. Experience gained will be summarised in a best practice manual.

  • InterregIIC project:
    BALTSURD

    Like the previous one, BALTSURD (Baltic sustainable urban and rural development) seeks ways to develop rural-urban relationships. The current structure of small towns and more dominating centres shall be strengthened through co-operation and exchange of knowledge.

    BALTSURD supplies "best practice" models for urban and rural development. Activities of participating county authorities from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Lithuania and Germany include the following:

    Analysis of current structures and urban -rural relationship; SWOT analysis; Discussion of approaches for growth of settlements and infrastructure in functional rural-urban networks; Identification of ways to improve spatial planning in rural urban systems; Development of guidelines for sustainable urban-rural relationship; Proposals to improve the use of GIS and computer networks in planning processes; Establishment of knowledge exchange networks between sectors.

  • InterregIIC project:
    BEST

    This project deals specifically with B7 islands (see map page 50) which can be largely characterised as rural areas. They have a potential to be further developed.

    Project activities concentrate on tourism dealing with following issues:

    • Sustainable tourism - state of the art, best practice.
    • Most promising segments of the sustainable tourism market.
    • Ways how to convert the islands' comparative advantage into a competitive one.
    • Joint marketing and benchmarking.
    • Sharing information and experience.

    Partners are municipalities and counties from these islands in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Germany. Results are developed by workshops and working groups, and will be documented in a green paper "Sustainable Tourism in The B7 Islands- definitions and markets".

  • InterregIIC project:
    ARCHIBAL

    This project (ARCHIBAL - Archipelago Baltic Networking) discusses concepts to develop tourism in Baltic archipelagos based on their natural and cultural heritage, and how to avoid that such tourism threatens these very fragile qualities.

    Project partners are county administrations or their organisations from Finland, Denmark and Sweden.

Regional development of rural areas Conclusions

This issue will get increasing importance in transition countries, with restructuring of agriculture in areas highly dependent on this sector. EU accession will accelerate such restructuring process.

In the InterregIIC programme few projects deal with this subject, and then focus on specific aspects: tourism and rural-urban relationships.

Problems of rural areas require broader approaches to include actions for the strengthening of often weak urban systems and concerted regional development measures across sectors (economy, education, transport etc.) as well as across administration levels (local, regional, national).

A new effort to promote this issue is required.

  • InterregIIC project:
    Big Lakes

    Big lakes exist in several BSR countries. They provide potentials for regional development through water supply (if clean enough), fishing, transport, but particularly for tourism. They are mostly also abundant in cultural heritage and attractive natural environment.

    The aim of the project is to create conditions for using the tourism market potentials in connection with these cultural and natural values.

    The project prepares a manual for sustainable tourism development, identifies infrastructure needs for this purpose, accumulates knowledge on existing cultural and ecological values, and creates networks around projects and activities. As a result it is expected that entrepreneurs of different destinations cooperate, that new tourism products are introduced, and that conservation strategies will be in place.

    Project partners cover lake Vänern (Sweden), South Päijänne (Finland) Mjøsa (Norway). The envisaged partner for lake Peipsi (Estonia/Russia) could not join as the funding application was not accepted.

  • InterregIIC project:
    Disadvantaged rural areas

    This project aims to elaborate concepts for the development of disadvantaged rural areas through sustainable tourism.

    Partners from Germany, Sweden and Denmark are not spatial planning institutions, but represent Ministry of Agriculture, Tourist Associations, a University.

    Each partner makes up a tourism concept for rural areas, involving spatial planning experts, entrepreneurs and other actors.

3.4.2 Development of natural and cultural landscapes

VASAB Task (Stockholm Ministerial Conference 1996):
Prepare an inventory, classification and exchange of experience with regard to natural and cultural landscapes in coordination with Ministers of Environment.

Natural and cultural landscapes Conclusions

The issue of cultural landscapes is highlighted in ESDP. It is reflected only in few InterregIIC projects.

These projects cover relevant aspects, but a broader approach is required to embrace different types of landscapes with all human uses developed there, and their relationship to nature protection.

Further promotion and VASAB support is required.

Further action shall concentrate on concepts and practical guidelines aiming at implementation rather than on an inventory and classification of existing areas.

No project could be started due to funding limitations. VASAB took an initiative to promote a demonstration project on sustainable development of green networks. Natural and cultural landscapes would be the main issue.

A workshop was held in May 1999 involving HELCOM and other organisations, resulting in a first draft for Terms of Reference. But this discussion needs to be taken further before a project can be started.

InterregIIC projects on natural and cultural landscapes

Some InterregIIC projects deal with specific aspects of natural and cultural landscapes (specific areas: coastal zones; specific potentials: tourism):

  • InterregIIC project:
    High-Quality Tourism

    This project deals with first steps to create a transnational network of valuable landscapes, together with the promotion of tourism compatible with the carrying capacity of these areas.

    Planning, management and promotion strategies are being developed by local and regional partners from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany), Sweden, Poland and Latvia together with the University of Hamburg.

    Working groups deal with regional accessibility, tourist marketing, synergy between tourism and other economic sectors.

    Partners prepare development plans and initiate implementation based on endogenous potentials.

    The project focuses on exchange of experience, and on a process to involve all relevant regional actors.