Das emsland - "Auffangraum" für problematische groß projekte oder "Erfolgsstory" im ländlich-peripheren raum?

authored by

Rainer Danielzyk, Claus Christian Wiegandt

Abstract

The Emsland is a county in north-western Lower Saxony which no longer corresponds to the usual stereotype of a rural-peripheral, structurally weak area. The contribution describes and explains the exceptional development of the Emsland in the period after the Second World War. During the 1950's and 1960's an integrative, comprehensive regional development programme existed, as a result of which the infrastructure was considerably improved and agriculture was developed. During the 1970's and 1980's two nuclear power stations, several subsidiary industrial plants and large infrastructural projects (test tracks for a magnetic railway and for Mercedes Benz) were located here, which were controversial in other parts of Germany. Since the beginning of the 1980's especially the manufacturing sector shows an above-average increase in the number of employees in many different small and medium-sized enterprises. For this reason the unemployment rate is relatively favourable. In addition to hard" location factors, soft" location factors explain this development particularly well. These include a specific mentality of the population with a particular openness for industrial and technological development. In addition, administrative and political management is effective, with an uncomplicated, economic way of thinking. Modernisation is generally considered to be positive in the region. Secondary effects are not discussed in public. The future will show how the foreseeable increase in energy costs will affect the economic structure in the Emsland. It is also open whether general social changes will influence the specific location factors in the Emsland in future.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Environmental Planning

Type

Contribution in non-scientific journal

Journal

Berichte zur Deutschen Landeskunde

Volume

73

Pages

217-244

No. of pages

28

ISSN

0005-9099

Publication date

1999

Publication status

Published

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geography, Planning and Development, Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth