Inter-municipal collaboration in spatial planning

Inter-municipal collaboration is a widespread and versatile instrument for the joint provision of services by local authorities. Many municipalities are developing inter-municipal collaborations in order to be able to continue to provide certain services in times of tight public budgets. In this context, inter-municipal collaboration is primarily a strategy for reducing the burden on budgets. Despite this incentive to develop inter-municipal collaboration, there are many obstacles that stand in the way of fully utilising the potential for cooperation.

While inter-municipal collaboration is generally mostly task-related and thus organised on a sectoral basis, inter-municipal collaboration in the area of settlement development also serves to implement integrated and cross-municipal land development.

This research project specifically analyses inter-municipal collaboration in the area of settlement development. The focus is on collaboration for the development of residential areas, commercial areas and compensation areas. This research project aims to identify a nationwide overview of thematic priorities, formats, success factors and obstacles to inter-municipal collaboration in the area of settlement development.

In cooperation with the ARL - Academy for Territorial Development in the Leibniz Association