Selection of issues relevant to a partnership in relation to rural and urban development
- Case study of the region „Südraum Leipzig“ -
Author:Prof. Dr. Usbeck - Büro für Stadt- und
Regionalentwicklung GmbH
Arnoldplatz 5 a, 04439 Leipzig-Engelsdorf
Tel.: (03 41) 2 51 45 51; Fax: (03 41) 2 51 45 56
E-mail:
By order of:Zweckverband Kommunales Forum Südraum Leipzig
Rathausplatz 1, 04416 Markkleeberg
Leipzig-Engelsdorf, September 1999
Contents
I.Identification
II.General data about the region „Südraum Leipzig“
III.Characteristics of the region „Südraum Leipzig“
III.1.Situation, historical overview, topics
III.2.Settlement structure
III.3.Economic structural change
III.4.Planning culture and main actors
IV.References
Annex
I. Identification
Name: Region „Südraum Leipzig“ (southern region of Leipzig)
NUTS: The NUTS level at European level is II / III. The regions of Germany (”planning regions“ defined by the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning / BBR are located between NUTS levels II and III.
Localisation: Figure 1 (Annex) gives the localisation of the case study region „Südraum Leipzig“ in Germany.
II. General data about the region „Südraum Leipzig“
a) Total population:
City of Leipzig: 491,000 inhabitants (1999; administrative area 01.01.1999)
14 towns/municipalities (Südraum Leipzig): 107,000 inhabitants (1998)
b) GDP/capita:
This indicator is available only on the higher (statistical) level. The indicator „gross value production“ (1996) is used for the case study:
City of Leipzig: 0.031 million DM
14 towns/municipalities (Südraum Leipzig): 0.023 million DM
Germany: 0.039 million DM
c) % of population with higher education (1998):
This indicator is not available. We use percentage of employees with higher education.
City of Leipzig: 16.1 %
14 towns/municipalities (Südraum Leipzig): 9.6 %
d) Population by age structure:
age groups (%)total / <18 / 18 - <50 / 50 - <65 / >= 65
City of Leipzig (administrative area 1999) / 491,000 / 15.9 / 45.9 / 21.2 / 17.0
Südraum Leipzig / 107,600 / 17.5 / 45.1 / 20.8 / 16.5
e) Active population by activity sectors (1997):
total active population / activity sector % I / II / IIICity of Leipzig (area 31.12.1998) / 157,647 / 0.47 / 29.33 / 70.20
Südraum Leipzig / 38,477 / 1.87 / 43.03 / 55.10
f) Number of cars/ 1,000 inhabitants (1997):
City of Leipzig: 366
14 towns/municipalities (Südraum Leipzig): 519
g) Regional functionality/ productive specialisation:
The region „Südraum Leipzig“ is undergoing a fundamental process of structural transformation from an old industrialised monostructured region based on surface mining of lignite and basic industry to a region with a broader modern branch profile with high technological power and chemical industry, industrial services, commerce and public services. New branches are developing step by step.
h) Type of political administration:
The region „Südraum Leipzig“ is not an autonomous administrative region. In a broader sense it is more a „mental“ region, which represents the traditional old industrialised and mining area southern of Leipzig. The region belongs administratively to the county Leipziger Land. In 1996 the local administration union „Communal Platform Südraum Leipzig“ was founded. Members of the union are 14 towns and municipalities of the county Leipziger Land and the city of Leipzig (only the southern city districts). The local administration union represents not a political administration but a union of intraregional co-operation (urban - surrounding countryside) for regional development purposes.
i) Main actors in the process of development:
Because of the dramatic economic and structural changes during the last decade a wide range of actors exists in the region (see below). The main actors are:
- Regional and local authorities (Regional Planning Association, district headquarter, office of the county president, municipal/town/city councils)
- Local administration union “Communal Platform Südraum Leipzig“
- SL Südraum Leipzig GmbH (regional development agency)
- Economic, cultural, scientific et.al. associations
- Entrepreneurs and firms
- Regional „AGENDA-Group“ and its working groups
- Population.
j) Development model:
The recent development model is framed by the official planning institutions on different hierarchical levels:
State Saxony - State Development Plan
Region Western Saxony - Regional Plan
Municipalities - Land Use Plan
A „Lignite Plan“ (Braunkohlenplan) is a special official planning document for the region „Südraum Leipzig“. This plan contents the development of surface lignite mining and the transformation steps for the surface mines shut down (and their surroundings) in a new landscape and land use.
Beside the official plans the local administration union „Communal Platform Südraum Leipzig“ has initiated the elaboration of a „Regional Development and Action Concept for the Region Südraum Leipzig“. It will be finished in the year 2000. The main regional and local actors are incorporated in the elaboration of this development concept.
III. Characteristics of the region „Südraum Leipzig“
III.1. Situation, historical overview, topics
The region „Südraum Leipzig“ is a part of the „Central German Economic Region Halle-Leipzig-Dessau“ and includes the major part of the county Leipziger Land.[1] The region „Südraum Leipzig“ includes 14 towns and municipalities and an area of 450 square kilometres. It borders on the southern districts of the city of Leipzig and is situated at the borders of the states Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia (Figure 1). The region has about 107,000 inhabitants. The population density is 243 inhabitants per square kilometre. According to this density a major part of the region „Südraum Leipzig“ is characterised as an agglomeration area (State Development Plan of Saxony) and belongs to the agglomeration region of Leipzig.
The region „Südraum Leipzig“ is not a rural area in the classical meaning. Within the last 100 years it has developed from a country with predominantly rural settlements to an industrial and mining region. Basis were extensive lignite deposits, which were quarried in lignite surface mining. On this basis large sites of chemical industry, power industry and briquette factories developed (for example the sites Böhlen, Lippendorf, Espenhain, Thierbach). They were the main employers for the southern region’s population but also for employees from Leipzig, who commuted to the large enterprises. With the industrialisation of the southern region close economic interconnections with the city of Leipzig developed (for instance engineering for the mines, chemical industry).
Until 1990 3.2 thousand million tons of lignite have been quarried in the region „Südraum Leipzig“. Because of surface mining more than 250 square kilometres of landscape and 70 settlements have been devastated. The inhabitants of those settlements were removed, mainly to the cities and towns (Leipzig, Borna).
Large changes of land use were related to mining (Table 1). Especially large areas of arable land and forests were devastated. Today, one quarter of the territory of the region „Südraum Leipzig“ are areas which are affected by surface mining.
Table 1: Land use changes in the region „Südraum Leipzig“
Land use / 1900 (%) / 1996 (%)Settlement/ Communication / 10 / 13
Agriculture / 68 / 47
Forest / 8 / 7
Water / 1 / 4
Mining / - / 24
Floodplains (and other) / 13 / 5
Source: Berkner: Die beieinträchtigten Oberflächengewässer mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Pleiße. HTWK-Beiträge.Sonderheft.
Statistisches Landesamt des Freistaates Sachsen; calculations by USBECK GmbH
Lignite surface mining, chemical industries and power industries caused not only heavy landscape damages but also heavy air and water pollution. This resulted in the development of a committed ecological movement, particularly in the region „Südraum Leipzig“.
Since 1990 almost every lignite surface mining site, the briquette factories and most of the old chemical factories and power plants have been closed. Therefore, more than half of all jobs of the region were lost. At the same time, diverse measures to reorganise the regional economy, to promote environmental reconstruction and to improve infrastructure have been initiated.
The main regional development topic is to transform the region from a monostructured region of mining and basic industry with large damages of environment and landscape to a modern centre of lignite based power industry (new power plant Lippendorf), chemical industry (basic synthetic materials; firm system Buna-Böhlen-Leuna) and a broad modern branch profile. This economic model has to be connected with high environmental standards and attractive housing and leisure conditions. In the course of this, the reconstruction of landscape after mining and the genesis of several lakes in the direct neighbourhood to the city of Leipzig plays a major role.
This transformation process calls for an integrative perspective, taking into account the economical, social, political and cultural dimension. It also requires the co-operation between the 14 towns and municipalities of the region „Südraum Leipzig“ and the city of Leipzig (in the sense of „rural“-urban partnership). For this purpose the local administration union „Communal Platform Südraum Leipzig“ was founded. The transformation process requires also the inclusion and involvement of many regional and local protagonists and actors as well as support by the state of Saxony, the Federal Government and the EU.
The transformation of the economy and the labour market, selected aspects of settlement structure and the planning culture will be viewed below.
III.2. Settlement structure
According to the hierarchical system of urban centres, the city of Leipzig is the highest urban centre in Western Saxony. It carries out a broad functional spectrum for the whole region (policy, administration, economy, infrastructure, services, culture, education, science...). The system of urban centres of the region „Südraum Leipzig“ is characterised by one middle sized centre (Borna), 7 lower sided centres and 3 small sized centres (Figure 2).
Borna is situated in the central part of the (new configured, 01.01.1999) county Leipziger Land and will be again the new seat of the county administration (formerly in Leipzig). Borna has about 20,000 inhabitants. The temporary loss of the seat of county administration (as a result of the saxonian county reform in 1994) led to a clear functional, economic (working places) and also demographic weakening of the town. This could be demonstrated by interregional (with other middle sized centres of Western Saxony) as well as regional comparisons in a detailed study (Usbeck 1998). Actually the town of Borna cannot yet fulfil all conditions as a middle sized centre of its region. Especially in the function as a job centre it requires a clear strengthening in the following years. The amount of jobs (per 1,000 inhabitants = 335) is to low, compared with other western saxonian middle sized centres. It is to low not only for the own population but also for the population of the rural settlements in the countryside. This situation makes Borna to one of the communities with the highest unemployment rate in the county Leipziger Land. In addition it has an above standard rate of outcommuters in comparison to other middle side centres of Western Saxony.
Markkleeberg is the largest town in the region „Südraum Leipzig“ (about 23,000 inhabitants). the town is classified as a lower centre within the system of centre categories and performs maintenance functions for the surrounding countryside. The town borders directly to the city of Leipzig and makes profit from this neighbourhood. It has an attractive situation for housing and an attractive landscape, so in recent years it developed to an attractive domicile for Leipzig’s population. Between 1990 and 1997 the town had an increase of 2,060 inhabitants (Figures 3-5). Markkleeberg could not only gain a considerable population growth but also an extension of its function as an important job centre. For several years the town has a constant incommuting surplus with the other parts of the region „Südraum Leipzig“ as well as with the city of Leipzig. This can be estimated as a clear indicator for growing economic stability of Markkleeberg and its growing position for job services also for the rural settlements of the region.
After the 1989 changes the number of population reduced also in the region „Südraum Leipzig“ (approximately -6 %) as well as in the city of Leipzig (about -16 %). This is the result of interregional outmigration (especially 1989-1992), suburbanization (outmigration from Leipzig and Borna to the urban surrounding countryside) and natural population loss. Some aspects of the process of suburbanization (started in 1992/93) should be outlined: Figure 3 shows a ring of municipalities in the urban surrounding countryside of Leipzig with highest population growth rates based on a immigration surplus of city population. Only the northern part of the region „Südraum Leipzig“ (Markkleeberg, Großpösna, Mölbis, Zwenkau) could make profit from population growth via suburbanization. This is a result of the neighbourhood to the city of Leipzig and its fast accessibility, an outstanding supply of attractive housing land and an outstanding increase of housebuilding in these municipalities (Figure 4). In contrast, there have been serious population losses in the core area of the region „Südraum Leipzig“ (Borna and northern/western surrounding area). Negative migration and natural population rates are going on. It is closely connected with the complicated ongoing long term transformation process in the regional economy and landscape structure of this old industrialised and mining area of the region. The middle sized centre Borna has been confronted with the suburbanization process also in the last years. Highest outmigration rates of all medium sized centres of Western Saxony since 1993 are typical for its situation. Especially the municipalities south of Borna (attractive landscape and supply of housing areas) could make profit from suburbanization tendencies in the town of Borna. A consequence of and a precondition for the suburbanization process is the rapid increase of individual cars and traffic. 519 private cars per 1,000 inhabitants are registered in the region. This is one of the highest values of all saxonian regions.
III.3. Economic structural change
The economical development in the region „Südraum Leipzig“ can be shown in three main phases since 1990 (Figure 6):
1. Phase of radical change
2. Phase of transformation
3. Phase of getting a new economic and image profile
The phase of radical change was shaped by integrated plant-break ups, privatisation, liquidations of firms and by the elimination of large old locations and traditional inter- and intraregional economic relationships (also between the city of Leipzig and the region). Since 1990 the region „Südraum Leipzig“ had a loss of more than 42,000 jobs (-56 %), especially due to the closure of lignite surface mining sites and due to the closure of coal-using power economy and lignite based chemical enterprises (see figures 7, 8).
The city of Leipzig was afflicted with a loss of more than 130,000 jobs (-41 %) in this period also. At the same time a radical change of the job structure (from production oriented to service oriented activities) has taken place, so that the chances for miners and traditional industrial workers for getting new jobs decreased.
The change of the regional commuting relation system reflects the phase of radical change very clearly: The region „Südraum Leipzig“ changed from an incommuting region to an outcommuting region during few years. A surplus of incommuters of about 12,000 people (high share from the city of Leipzig) during the 80es is confronted with an outcommuting surplus of about 4,000 persons in 1998 (Figure 7). The region „Südraum Leipzig“ loses about 3,300 commuters (9,300 outcommuters are confronted with 6,000 incommuters from Leipzig) to the city of Leipzig.
Two thirds of the southern regions` jobs are concentrated at the locations Borna, Böhlen, Espenhain and Markkleeberg. Three of four employees are commuters to work here. Most of the Markkleeberg’s incommuters are from Leipzig, on the other hand most of the incommuters to Borna, Böhlen and Espenhain are comming from the municipalities of the region „Südraum Leipzig“. This reflects on the one hand the strong job relationships between the higher centre Leipzig and the middle sized centre Markkleeberg (urban-urban relations), on the other hand the importance of job centres in the central part of the region for the surrounding settlements. To a large extend employees from other parts of the county Leipziger Land or from the neighbouring counties Altenburger Land (Thuringia) and Muldentalkreis (MTL) commute to work into the locations of the southern region. The commuting balance of account with those regions is positive (Figure 9).
In the phase of transformation considerable economic impulses could be set against the phase of radical change:
- Large investments have been done into a modern power economy and chemical industry (location Böhlen-Lippendorf; chemistry triangle Böhlen-Buna-Leuna) and into modernisation of a lignite mining site (lignite for the new power station) (Figure 10);
- Expenditure of about 1.2 thousand million DM for employment measures to reconstruct and renaturalise the old mining land and the old industrial sites;
- There have been investments into creation and strengthening of infrastructure (motorway A 38, road net, development of new business locations, waste water treatment...);
- The Espenhain Campus was built with a medium term development as a centre for research application and communication (multimedia, telecommunication)
- Potentials, disincorporated from former integrated plants (Kombinate), established themselves in certain technology branches and developed specific competencies (engineering consultancies, environmental technology and reconstruction, measuring and control engineering, telecommunication, telematics)
During the phase of transformation a new branch structure has developed in the region „Südraum Leipzig“. Physically it is demonstrated by the step by step-settlement of new business locations, and partly the resettlement of the old industrial sites as well. In addition, the disincorporation and creation of companies must be mentioned. Actually less than 6 % of all companies in the region „Südraum Leipzig“ can be assigned to the formerly important branches mining/power maintenance/processing industries. In contrast, almost half of all companies are from the commercial and catering trade branch. The business-related service sector, being about 10 %, is still relatively weak in the region (Figure 11).
Today besides a few larger companies (Figure 8), the business structure of the region is shaped by small and middle scale firms (average business size of 11 employees). Their area of integration (interrelation) is mainly limited to local and regional associated areas. In addition, as the branch structure has shown, they are focussing mainly on commerce and catering trade. This branch structure is partly based on a still available high purchase power of former and actual miners. Therefore, the actual structure will be not able to take a weight in long terms and requires supply and strengthening by innovative enterprises of modern branches.
Corporate R&D-potentials are insufficiently existent at present. Co-operations with colleges, research institutes (not university related) or development consultancies in the city of Leipzig and other higher urban centres are still relatively rare. On the other hand, available opportunities and offers are not yet tailor-made to company and market-related conditions. New built Espenhain Campus can and is going to establish relations between urban scientific institutions and regional economy and, at the same time, is functioning as a modern centre of communication and multimedia information transfer.