1. The ‘Cross-border Metropolitan Regions’ Initiative (IMeG) in its multi-level dimension
Dr. Gerd Hager
Regionalverband Mittlerer Oberrhein, Germany

2. Principle of countervailing influence
Levels of the German Spatial Planning System
Principle of countervailing influence
(Website commin.org) 2

3. The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development
The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) is a departmental research institution under the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS).
It advices the Federal Government with sectoral scientific consultation in the political fields of spatial planning, urban development, housing and building.
The core tasks of the BBSR include
Generating and securing information basis,
Drawing up reports,
Creating expertise and appraisals,
The management and expert care of various departmental research and support programmes,
Transferring results in politics and science.
BBR Bonn (headquarter)
Deichmanns Aue 31-37
53179 Bonn
Germany 3

4. Programmes of BBSR www.bbsr.bund.de
The Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) supervises the departmental research of the Federal Ministry.
Departmental Reseach
General Departmental Research
Experimental Housing and Urban Development (ExWoSt)
Demonstration Projects of Spatial Planning (MORO)
Future Building
European Programmes
European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON)
INTERREG 4

5. Demonstration Project of Spatial Planning (MORO) www.bbsr.bund.de
Demonstration Project of Spatial Planning (MORO) ‘Supraregional partnerships in cross-border functional regions’
‘MORO is a research programme of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS), supervised by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) in the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR). The initial phase of the IMeG will continue to be supported by MORO.’ 5

6. Demonstration Project of Spatial Planning (MORO) www.bbsr.bund.de6

7. Starting point 2005 Growth and innovation Wachstum und Innovation 7
BBSR/BMVBS 2006: 40 7

8. Cross-border dimension is missing
Analysis and Strategy
Cross-border dimension is missing
Only eleven metropolitan regions within the national territory
Questions:
- Is there a further category?
- What are the criteria for this category?
- Which German regions might be qualified? 8

9. Criteria cross-border functional interrelations and commonalities
existing institutional agreements for large-scale cross-border cooperation
large-scale regionalisation processes and a polycentric spatial structure
metropolitan locational factors and potentials for growth and innovation
BBSR/BMVBS 2006: 40 9

10. MORO ‘Initiative Group of German Regions in Cross-Border Functional Regions’
MORO-partnership
spokesman region
Ministerium für Inneres und Sport des Saarlandes
Further members of IMeG
Regio Aachen e.V.
Regionalverbände:
Mittlerer Oberrhein
Südlicher Oberrhein
Hochrhein-Bodensee
Bodensee-Oberschwaben
MORO project management
agl, Saarbrücken
Greater Region Lorraine – Luxembourg – Rhineland Palatinate – Wallonia – French- and German-speaking community of Belgium
(cartography: agl based on geodata of BBSR and the regions) 10

11. Euregio Meuse-Rhine
participating states: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands population: 3,9 Mio. area: km² core cities: Aachen, Düren (D); Liège, Hasselt (B); Maastricht, Heerlen (NL)
(cartography: agl based on geodata of BBSR and the regions; in: BMVBS 2011: 25; photo: Meuse-Rhine Euregio) 11

12. Greater Region Lorraine – Luxembourg – Rhineland Palatinate – Wallonia – French- and German-speaking community of Belgium
participating states: Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium
population: 11,3 Mio.
Fläche: km²
core cities: Mainz, Ludwigshafen, Koblenz, Trier, Kaiserslautern (D); Saarbrücken (D); Metz, Nancy (F); Luxemburg-Stadt (L); Charleroi, Lüttich, Namur, Mons (B)
(cartography: agl based on geodata of BBSR and the regions; in: BMVBS 2011: 27; photo: Wikimedia Commons/Cayambe/Claude Meisch) 12

13. Lake Constance Region
participating states: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein
population: 3,6 Mio.
area: km²
core cities: Friedrichshafen, Konstanz, Ravensburg (D); Zürich, St. Gallen, Winterthur (CH), Bregenz/Dornbirn, Feldkirch (A), Vaduz (FL)
(cartography: agl based on geodata of BBSR and the regions; in: BMVBS 2011: 32; photo: mikelieser / photocase.com) 13

14. Trinational Metropolitan Region Upper Rhine
Die metropolitanen Grenzregionen im IMeG
participating states: Germany, Switzerland, France
population: 5,9 Mio.
area: km²
core cities: Karlsruhe, Freiburg im Breisgau (D); Strasbourg, Mulhouse (F); Basel (CH)
(cartography: agl based on geodata of BBSR and the regions; in: BMVBS 2011: 30; photo: Stadt Kehl/Peter Heck) 14

15. Multi-level governance ?15

16. Multi-level governance !16

17. Conference of the IMeG in Luxembourg, 19./20.11.2012
(photos: Dirk Michler) 17

18. Metropolitan border regions are motors for development in Europe
Luxembourg Theses
Metropolitan border regions are motors for development in Europe
Using chances of metropolitan border regions: “Strengthening strengths – removing obstacles”
Metropolitan border regions – “Europe in miniature” – Europe close to its people
Strong organisational structures for a strong metropolitan border region
The basis for successful development: territorial strategic approach
Target-oriented funding instruments for metropolitan border region
Working together!
BBSR/BMVBS 2006: 40 18

19. Developing shared self-conceptions: What characterises metropolitan border regions?
cross-border functional interrelations and commonalities
existing institutional agreements for large-scale cross-border cooperation
large-scale regionalisation processes and a polycentric spatial structure
metropolitan locational factors and potentials for growth and innovation
Spatial distribution of metropolitan functions within the IMeG-regions (cartography: agl based on geodata of BBSR; in: BMVBS 2011: 52) 19

20. Updating the German spatial planning models
Growth and innovation
Wachstum und Innovation
Strengthening competitiveness
Wettbewerbsfähigkeit stärken
DRAFT!
BBSR/BMVBS 2006: 40
BBSR 2013: model 1 (draft) 20

21. Starting situation and shared aims
Starting points:
obstacles in cross-border regional development
model ‘growth and innovation‘
Demonstration Project of Spatial Planning (MORO) ‘Supraregional Partnerships‘
Aims and results:
strengthening shared self-conceptions and profiles of border regions
fields of action in cross-border regional development
Europe in miniature: optimising cross- border Governance
Working together!

22. Continuation of the ‘Cross-border Metropolitan Regions’ Initiative
Task fields (IMeG 2013 ff.)
Continuation of the ‘Cross-border Metropolitan Regions’ Initiative
Concretisation of common task fields within the national and European context
Positioning cross-border metropolitan regions within the European spatial development discourse
Contribution of cross-border metropolitan regions to territorial cohesion in Europe
Initiation of flagship projects
BBSR/BMVBS 2006: 40 22