WORK PACKAGE 10 First Confrontation of Theory and Practice: Test of the Tools and Discussion of their Use for Sustainable Regional Development in Five (Six!) Test Regions FINAL REPORT – 9. 11. 2007 WORK PACKAGE RESPONSIBLE: Anton Melik Geographical Institute of Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (AMGI SRC SASA) CONTENT I. Introduction II. Methodology III. Searching for sustainable regional development in the Alps: Bottom-up approach IV. Workshops in selected test regions 1. Austria - Waidhofen/Ybbs 1.1. Context analysis of the test region 1.2. Preparation of the workshop 1.2.1. The organizational aspects of the workshop 1.3. List of selected instruments 1.4. List of stakeholders 1.5. The structure of the workshop 1.5.1. Information on the selection of respected thematic fields/focuses 1.6. Questions for each part of the workshop/ for each instrument 1.7. Revised answers 1.8. Confrontation of the context analysis results with the workshop results 1.9. Starting points for the second workshop 1.10. Conclusion 2. France – Gap 2.1. Context analysis of the test region 2.2. Preparation of the workshop 2.2.1. The organizational aspects of the workshop 2.3. List of selected instruments 2.4. List of stakeholders 2.5. The structure of the workshop 2.5.1. Information on the selection of respected thematic fields/focuses 2.6. Questions for each part of the workshop/ for each instrument 2.7. Revised answers 2.8. Confrontation of the context analysis results with the workshop results 2.9. Starting points for the second workshop 2.10. Conclusion 3. Germany - Alpsee-Grünten 3.1. Context analysis of the test region 3.2. Preparation of the workshop 3.2.1. The organizational aspects of the workshop 3.3. List of selected instruments 3.4. List of stakeholders 3.5. The structure of the workshop 3.5.1. Information on the selection of respected thematic fields/focuses 3.6. Questions for each part of the workshop/ for each instrument 3.7. Revised answers 3.8. Confrontation of the context analysis results with the workshop results 3.9. Starting points for the second workshop 3.10. Conclusion 4. Germany - Traunstein/Traunreut 4.1. Context analysis of the test region 4.2. Preparation of the workshop 4.2.1. The organizational aspects of the workshop 4.3. List of selected instruments 4.4. List of stakeholders 4.5. The structure of the workshop 4.5.1. Information on the selection of respected thematic fields/focuses 4.6. Questions for each part of the workshop/ for each instrument 4.7. Revised answers 4.8. Confrontation of the context analysis results with the workshop results 4.9. Conclusion 5. Italy – Tolmezzo 5.1. Context analysis of the test region 5.2. Preparation of the workshop 5.2.1. The organizational aspects of the workshop 5.3. List of selected instruments 5.4. List of stakeholders 5.5. The structure of the workshop 5.5.1. Information on the selection of respected thematic fields/focuses 5.6. Questions for each part of the workshop/ for each instrument 5.7. Revised answers 5.8. Confrontation of the context analysis results with the workshop results 5.9. Starting points for the second workshop 5.10. Conclusion 6. Slovenia – Idrija 6.1. Context analysis of the test region 6.2. Preparation of the workshop 6.2.1. The organizational aspects of the workshop 6.3. List of selected instruments 6.4. List of stakeholders 6.5. The structure of the workshop 6.5.1. Information on the selection of respected thematic fields/focuses 6.6. Questions for each part of the workshop/ for each instrument 6.7. Revised answers 6.8. Confrontation of the context analysis results with the workshop results 6.9. Starting points for the second workshop 6.10. Conclusion V. Common results of the workshops VI. Common starting points for second workshop VII. Conclusions VIII. References I. Introduction The goal of the working package 10 in correspondence with the project announcement is to combine theory with practice on a basis of tools of regional development in test regions, which were selected beforehand. For the planned assignment, we confronted the practical needs of the chosen test areas with the theoretical basis, which was determined with preceding deduction of the project. ''Land take management'' was chosen as the main problematic big challenge, which represents the basic phenomenon, taking into account all the geographical peculiarities of the Alps (difficult land access, deficit of space suitable for building) and should also combine a majority of key development questions and areas: population, land usage, regional management, regional planning... Although the research field has been shrunk to just one complex of phenomena and the method of choosing test areas was standardized (the question of methodology of choosing test areas will be addressed later), it was not possible to define instruments of regional development, common to all areas. With this reason, we decided to replace the first examination of instruments which were ready, with the examination of instruments, already present in a certain area and in so doing define their deficiencies. Based on the results, we plan to collect and compare instruments, which would help the chosen test area to develop further. The goal of the workshop was also to identify potential conflicts in a single test area, which appear because of different points of view and positions of included stakeholders. With the reverse course of action a better review of the needs of chosen test areas was made. The project was also broadened with a bottom up approach, which managed to relate needs of the population with theoretical positions and knowledge of all the partners taking part in the project. Taking into account the peculiarities of chosen test areas, the adaptation of methodology to the circumstances of a certain area was necessary. That also meant that a possibility of comparing the results was more relative. Even though this weakens the value of the project, seeing that the comparison of results is limited, it was the only possible step with which we could combine the planned activities with the expectancies of stakeholders in our test areas. Adaptation to the specifications of a single case study area is a proof of our willingness to contribute to the development of these areas and form knowledge and instruments, which could be used in practice in the future. In the context of last WPs, and the overall objectives of the project, DIAMONT planned to set up workshops with local actors to intensify its participatory, networking and bottom-up approach, testing not only the data sets and indicators elaborated so far in the project but also tools to steer regional development and to enhance sustainable development processes. Therefore sets of indicators dedicated to sustainable development issues and instruments to steer regional development were presented as impulses to the participants of the workshops. These instruments have been stepwise elaborated in the course of the project: WP7 proposed an indicator-based approach focused on phenomena which are relevant for sustainable development, within the framework of Alpine main development issues; WP8 elaborated some indicators based on alpine wide available data; WP9 set up fact sheets describing main characteristics of development instruments that can be activated in alpine regions. These workshops objectives are to finalize DIAMONT tools and to ensure their ability to steer sustainable development in alpine regions, based on experiences in selected regions. Besides the elaboration of instruments that should be available in time for the tests, the preparation phase has to deal with a main issue, namely the selection of test regions, in complement with other issues, for example to decide which will be the main thematic focus of the workshops. Long discussions between partners resulted in establishing guidelines to select relevant test regions: these could be so-called Labour Market Regions, that is employment basins centred on an Alpine SMESTO. The main thematic focus envisaged from the beginning was ‘urbanisation processes in the LMRs’, but it was stepwise widened, in taking into account land take issues and even a more comprehensive issue, land management in area where urbanisation processes are manifested. In practice, DIAMONT partners had to choose one or two test regions in respective countries, basing on LMR delineations worked up by WP8, and to decide which aspects referred to land take or even sustainable land management would be focused on in the workshops. Then, WP10 responsible asked the partners to complete a SWOT analysis of the selected test regions, which would act as a starting point for discussions and exchanges with local stakeholders in the studied regions. The partners were also in charge of identifying relevant stakeholders, which could express opinions on DIAMONT tools and suggest ways to improve them. Table 1. Starting points for WP 10 according to application form. Title of WP 10 First Confrontation of Theory and Practice: Test of the Tools and Discussion of their Use for Sustainable Regional Development in Five Test Regions Responsible AMGI, Ljubljana leader Duration March 07 - End of July 07 (5 months) Objectives Drawing on the results of WP 8 and 9, this WP will: · test the tools developed in WP 9 · confront the scientific results with practical attitudes towards indicator based and qualitative tools for sustainable regional development · and provide first recommendations for the improvement of the tools. Main activities