KONCEPČNÍ PŘÍSTUPY K ZAJIŠTĚNÍ VEŘEJNÝCH SLUŽEB NA VENKOVĚ: ZKUŠENOSTI Z NĚMECKÉ REGIONÁLNÍ POLITIKY A PROSTOROVÉHO PLÁNOVÁNÍ
CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES TO ENSURE RURAL PUBLIC SERVICES: THE EXPERIENCE FROM GERMAN REGIONAL POLICY AND SPATIAL PLANNING

Author(s): Jiří Ježek
Subject(s): Public Administration, Rural and urban sociology
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: public services; rural areas; regional policy; spatial planning; conception; central places; territorial categories;
Summary/Abstract: The paper analyses conceptual approaches to ensuring public services (civic amenities). In the spirit of “theory for practice”, it critically summarizes the experience of solving this problem in Germany. It pays particular attention to the normative delineation of central sites (central districts of different order) and territorial categories (e.g. different types of rural areas). Based on the study of literature and expert interviews, it demonstrates that the regional policy and spatial planning tools have been "softened" over the last decade. Experts are skeptical about the practical use of traditional concepts. In their opinion, new integrated and cooperative approaches need to be sought. According to them, the normative delineation of central sites and territorial categories plays nowadays only an informative role. Needs in public services and the possibilities for their satisfaction are so spatially differentiated that they need to be approached individually in each region. Regional policy and spatial planning should have more confidence in the capacity of local and regional communities that they are able to identify and solve needs and measures to support public services responsibly. Public support for public services, especially in peripheral regions, should also correspond to this. They should be support programs going beyond framework of individual ministries (currently sectoral approaches are prevalent) and allow more ways to solve problems. The German experience can also be a starting point for the Regional Development Strategy of the Czech Republic 2021+.

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