Model Project for Spatial Planning – Digital Infrastructure as a Regional Development Factor

Initial Situation

For rural, structurally weak regions in Germany, the availability of broadband infrastructure is an important factor, which influences economic and regional development. This criterion increasingly determines location decisions. In this context, well-supplied regions have an advantage over regions that have not yet made sufficient progress in broadband expansion. With the model project of spatial planning “Digital Infrastructure as a Regional Development Factor” (MOROdigital), the focus of broadband deployment was directed to the aspects of regional development in order to be able to identify and pass on positive impulses for action in structural change.

In the medium term, nationwide and future-proof broadband infrastructure expansion is necessary to meet the growing needs of the information and communication society and at the same time strengthen Germany’s economic power. However, this raises the question of why a high-performance broadband network in Germany, especially in view of the positive economic effects, is still not available nationwide.

The answer lies in the high expansion costs that are incurred primarily in civil engineering and in the economically too low return prospects in rural areas.

Within the framework of the programme “Model Projects of Spatial Planning” (MORO), the practical implementation of exemplary and transferable development projects was supported content wise and scientifically. For this purpose, model projects were selected that were supposed to be both promising and representative of characteristic development problems in rural areas. This ensures the transferability of solutions and makes the results and experiences available to other regions.

Goals

• Supporting specific projects in rural / disadvantaged areas in order to develop models for other regions
• Gather relevant information on the potentials and challenges of broadband deployment in rural areas
• Deriving and showing options for action

aconium responsibilities

• Initial study on broadband expansion in structurally weak rural regions
• Development of selection and evaluation criteria (for the application as a model project)
• Evaluation of the model project
• Organization and implementation of a symposium for introduction to the topic
• Organization and implementation of an expression of interest, including the selection of eight model projects
• Organization and conducting of two transfer workshops
• Continuous support and supervision of the selected model projects