Regional development concept

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A regional development concept (REK) is an instrument of regional planning and regional economic development that has been used more and more, particularly in Germany, since the mid-1990s. The REK has an informal character, i.e. it has no direct legal effect.

REKs pursue the goal of influencing the development of a previously geographically determined area through various administrative / political measures. Such a concept usually takes into account local actors such as:

  • Human Resources (citizens of a region)
  • Local administration (first decision maker on a political level)
  • Educational institutions (vocational schools, universities, etc.)
  • Regional economics (first decision maker on an economic level).

The REK instrument is anchored in law in Section 13 of the Regional Planning Act . Nevertheless, it is not a binding planning instrument, but can be created voluntarily and is only effective through the self-commitment of the actors involved in the development. Because of their predominant action perspective, the planning horizon of a REK is usually short to medium-term, a maximum of six years is recommended. The reason for drawing up a REK is usually a special development problem within a regional context; However, since the problem can usually not be tied to the municipal boundaries, the REKs are usually based on the problem context and not on the layout of the municipalities. For the same reason, individual topic contexts are often hidden in order to concentrate on the core problem.

Completed REKs usually consist of a summarizing plan and a comprehensive text section, which is divided into the parts problem description, inventory, assessment, perspective development and development recommendations.

The planning approach of the regional development concepts has existed under different names since the mid-1970s. The REKs became more widespread in Germany with the spatial planning policy orientation framework of 1993, which emphasizes the importance of regional development processes and cooperation. In 1995, the spatial planning policy framework emphasized the importance of these non-formal instruments and called for the creation of specific action programs at regional level. REKs were recommended as a suitable instrument for this. They gained additional importance in economic development in 2000 with the start of the LEADER + program by the European Union, which requires a REK as the basis for a funding application.

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  1. ↑ according to Michael Pfeffer: Business start-ups as a success factor for regional development. Tectum-Verlag, Marburg 2006, ISBN 3-8288-9097-0

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