Speaker
Description
Demographic change, the climate crisis, digitalisation and the change in mobility are among the topics that pose new challenges for local authorities. In particular the rural areas of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate must adapt to changing conditions and develop sustainable development paths. The aim of the research project "Kommune 2050" is to develop a data- and GIS-supported model municipality - the fictitious community "Zwirgberg". This model serves as an experimental planning tool to analyse spatial structures, develop future scenarios and transferable solutions for real municipalities.
The project examines sustainability in municipalities by analyzing spatial, functional, and socio-economic factors relevant for rural areas. The aim is to analyse the interactions between settlement structure, infrastructure and demographic development on the basis of data, to develop a digital model of a fictitious "cross-sectional municipality" and to derive from this a model vision of the future for municipalities. To achieve this, a three-stage methodology was developed:
1. Analysis of existing municipalities
The first step was to profile eleven selected municipalities.The aim of this step was to get an overall picture of the municipalities. In a second step, the area distribution of the municipalities was examined and categorised in order to group comparable or similar structures. The third and final step of the analysis was to create 'building blocks' that would serve as the basis for the construction of the fictitious municipality based on the standards of the previously analysed municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate.
2. Development of the model municiplity "Zwirgberg
The aim of the subsequent design phase was to work out the actual state of a fictitious municipality.The findings of the first phase formed the backbone of this process, and the fictitious municipality of Zwirgberg was constructed by first developing two types of municipality from basic designs using improvised sketches, and then combining them into one type of municipality.
With the help of analog sketches, the individual layers were digitised using GIS, so that in the end the basic structure of the municipality was available (consisting of water structures, forest areas, agriculture, meadow areas, viticulture and settlement areas). In a further step, the relationships within the settlement areas were analysed, from which the individual local communities of the fictitious municipality were constructed from fragments of real local communities.
3. Scenario planning and future visions
Based on current trends, the results of a Zukunftswerkstatt and the existing potential of today's Zwirgberg, three visions for the future of Zwirgberg in 2050 were developed. None of the visions stands alone; they are all interlinked and interdependent. In the future visions 'Net-zero tourism', 'Climate-positive Zwirgberg' and 'Connected community' there are core building blocks that can be implemented with the help of the tools developed.The cross-cutting themes of digitalisation and mobility are present in all three visions.
The development of "Zwirgberg" shows that a combination of analytical, digital and creative planning methods leads to particularly differentiated results. The combination of GIS-based modelling with hands-on methods such as sketching and scenario analysis allowed for an iterative refinement of the results. This approach identified municipalities' key characteristics and future development potential. This approach provides an innovative way of linking data-based planning processes with strategic vision.
The "Kommune 2050" project thus also provides valuable impetus for municipal development planning. It shows that GIS-based digital models provide a sound basis for future planning processes and enable realistic scenarios. "Zwirgberg" functions as a digital laboratory for spatial planning, systematically testing development strategies. The project's GIS-based approach strengthens data-driven planning and strategic foresight for municipalities.
| Keywords | Data-Driven ; Model Municipality ; Scenario Modeling ; Rural Development |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
