Learning from Sweden - Development of rural areas in Rhineland-Palatinate 

Duration: 18. April - 24. June 2011 (10 weeks)

Participants: 8 students

Supervisors: René Fleschurz, Christina Steinhauer

Language: German, literature and interviews partially in english 

The aim of the bachelor project was to develop proposals for action for the future-oriented development of rural areas in Rhineland-Palatinate, inspired by experiences and examples from Sweden.

The starting point was the diverse problems in rural areas in Germany, caused by demographic change and the declining financial strength of local authorities. One major challenge is the provision of social infrastructure facilities (kindergartens, schools, etc.) for the rural population.

When working on possible solutions, it made sense to take a look at Sweden, one of the least populated countries in Europe, where this problem has been addressed for several decades.

As part of the project, excursions were made to the municipality of Pirmasens-Land and to Stockholm and the surrounding area, during which a large number of interviews were conducted. The highlight of the 5-day excursion to Sweden was a joint workshop with Swedish students at the University of Uppsala.