Work package 5 « Regional studies » : Regional intermediate report: Tyrol 1. Introduction (max. 3 pages) - goals of the WP 5 and of this report Same for all partners (Procedure: BČM, US and French team write text for this chapter and send it for revision comments to responsible WP5 persons in each partner region) - Output 1 - goals and methodology Same for all partners Output 2 - goals Same for all partners Methodology The survey of East Tyrolean residents and businesses (in the district of Lienz = PUSEMOR test area) was conducted in the form of telephone interviews. Private users of public services were polled in July and August 2005, and company proprietors or managers in September 2005. The random sample can be considered representative in terms of the parameters age, gender and spatial distribution, as well as the range of business sectors. The questionnaire comprises a general and a more specialised section. The general part contains questions relating to the accessibility, quality and use of six consolidated fields of public service. The specialised section contains similar questions on four telecommunications services and additional questions relating to the respondents’ interest in the content of the Internet as well as problems encountered in its use. - Output 3 & 4 - goals and methodology Same for all partners - Structure of the report Same for all partners PUSEMOR REGIONAL REPORT_TEAM_TYROL.DOCMay 2006 Side 1 2. Country profile - Territorial organisation The Tyrol is a province of the democratic Republic of Austria (created 1918, re-established 1945). The Austrian constitution (dating back in its basics to 1919) provides for a tripartite state structure with federal, regional and local authorities. The legislative power is vested in the federal authority in a number of defined fields such as public safety, transport, postal services and telecommunications, etc. and in the regional authorities for all other matters, e.g. environmental protection, health and social services, spatial planning, etc. State administration is divided up between the three levels of public authorities in their respective territorial areas. Executive power can be exercised directly at the federal level, or through the agency of the regional authorities or within the sphere of action of the local authorities. In implementation of the law, the administrative authorities are empowered to issue ordinances. All agencies of the federal, regional and local authorities have a duty of mutual assistance. - A few words about spatial policies in the partner country Austria’s constitution defines the legal framework for spatial planning: the federal government, the regional and local authorities are actors in this sphere, albeit with varying scopes of competence. Therefore, the general nature of spatial planning is assigned to the Länder (regions), while the federal government has more influence at the political level of the factual conditions. With the accession of Austria to the EU, spatial planning and regional development have ceased to be a purely national issue. The new tier of actors has modified the interaction between the forces in play up to a stronger spirit of partnership. - Roles and responsibilities in public services themes. Actions at the federal level regarding transport policy, funding for research, education on university level, energy policy, as well as health and social policy have consequences of spatial relevance. However the main role on implementation of public services is run by regional and local authorities. PUSEMOR REGIONAL REPORT_TEAM_TYROL.DOCMay 2006 Side 2 3. Regional and test areas profile Map of PUSEMOR test area: District of Lienz (East Tyrol) 3.1. Geographical situation The Tyrol is a completely mountainous region located in the Eastern Alps. North Tyrol constitutes by far the biggest part of the Tyrol with a west-east extension of over 200 km from the Canton of Grisons (CH) and the Province of Vorarlberg (AT) in the west to Salzburg Province (AT) in the east. From the main Alpine chain and the border to South Tyrol (IT), the average distance to the Bavarian Pre-Alps (D) is about 80 km. The waterways of the Tyrol comprise the River Inn (475 m above sea-level at Kufstein) and its tributaries with their high annual flows and also the River Lech. They discharge into the Black Sea via the Danube. Steep limestone mountains (up to 3000 m above sea-level) rise up steeply north of the River Inn, while to the south stand gentler slate mountains and less erosive and partly glaciated granite and gneiss massifs (up to 3700 m high). At 1370 m above sea-level, the Brenner Pass is the lowest crossing over the Alps and was thus much frequented in historical times already. The smaller and – for historical reasons – more isolated part of the Tyrol called East Tyrol (PUSEMOR test area) occupies an inner Alpine location south of the main Alpine chain (bordering on Salzburg Province to the north). The youthful River Drau (650 m above sea-level at Lavant) and its biggest PUSEMOR REGIONAL REPORT_TEAM_TYROL.DOCMay 2006 Side 3 tributary the Isel carry the run-off from the glaciated massif of the Hohe Tauern (Grossglockner 3800 m above sea-level) through the neighbouring province of Carinthia (AT) and on to the Black Sea. To the south the Lienz Dolomites (limestone mountains) form a natural border, while the Pustertal leads to South Tyrol (IT) in the west. The Tyrol covers a total of 12,648 km², but only a small portion of that area, namely 12.2 %, is available for intensive use for human settlement, transport infrastructure and farm-centred agriculture (the valley floors and terraces). 36.8 % of the area of the Tyrol, in particular the mountain slopes, is covered by forest (mainly coniferous), with alpine grazing areas (26.9 %) located above the forests. Almost one quarter of the total area (24.2 %), primarily at high altitudes, is covered by rock and glaciers. The district of Lienz – East Tyrol (PUSEMOR test area) covers an area of 2,020 km², i.e. almost one sixth of the total area of the Tyrol. Only 8.2 % of that area is subject to intensive use, while the shares of the forests (39.6 %) and mountain pastures (32.0 %) are above average for the Tyrol as a whole. The last fifty years have witnessed pronounced suburban settlement developments in the central area of the Tyrol (lower Inntal and the environs of Innsbruck). These developments have mainly taken the form of new detached housing within established village structures. In the last fifteen years, however, this trend has clearly abated and growth has shifted to the central towns and cities (Innsbruck) and the fringes of the central area. In the peripheral areas of the Tyrol, including East Tyrol, settlement growth has been strongest in the last few decades in the main towns and their surroundings (Lienz Basin) and in the tourism resorts. In the less attractive rural communities, the authorities are encouraging young people to remain by providing them with building land for housing at preferential prices. In terms of spatial planning it must be said that – in spite of the availability of the relevant legal instruments (mandatory zoning plans for municipalities) – it has not been possible to prevent urban sprawl. This growth in the size of the built-up area has led to a pronounced increase in the volume of traffic to the workplace, places of learning and retail outlets in the main centres. As a result of the spread of the local settlement areas, the relative accessibility of central amenities and the availability of public transport services have tended to decrease, while there has been a dramatic increase in the volume of individual car traffic. In spite of Innsbruck’s dominant role as a central city of national significance, the other urban centres of the Tyrol are well distributed throughout the region. The main towns of all administrative districts are well provided for (in terms of public and private services) with average centrality. In addition, the region has a number of centres of employment in which key industrial facilities have been established, while the main tourism resorts also have a certain supply function for their surrounding areas. In East Tyrol (PUSEMOR test area) the centrality of Lienz as the main town is very pronounced. Together with the surrounding municipalities, Lienz forms the main centre of settlement and business activity in the district with a clear lead in terms of development over the remoter municipalities. Matrei i.O. in the Iseltal and Sillian in the upper Drautal are two lower-level central communities that are of some importance for the surrounding areas. PUSEMOR REGIONAL REPORT_TEAM_TYROL.DOCMay 2006 Side 4 3.2. Demography and Human potential Demography Test area Region Nation District of Land Republic Lienz Tirol Austria Population Population 2001 50.330 673.504 8-020.946 Change of population 1981 - 2001 + 6,1 % +14,8 % + 6,2 % % of population >65 years 2001 14,9 % 13,4 % 15,5 % % of population <20 years 2001 26,6 % 24,8 % 22,9 % Taken as a whole, East Tyrol is a region with a tendency to out-migration . This development relates directly to the region’s isolated Alpine location and consequent below-average economic development. Individuals with a higher education are particularly affected (brain drain) as the region has few jobs for young graduates. Within the district there are clear migratory movements to the central and economically better developed locations, especially to the Lienz Basin, as well as to the Drautal around Sillian, and to Matrei/Osttirol. The source communities are mainly peripheral and high-altitude communities in the side valleys. Areas with any significant degree of tourism are significantly less affected by out-migration. As a result of recent sociological developments, what was once a high rate of natural increase – especially in the rural communities – has fallen and is now only slightly above the average for the Tyrol as a whole.