Four cities, three provinces, two states, one region: Integrated inner-city development concept in a regional context (ISEK⁴)

Abstract

Designed as a pilot project for the development of a new planning instrument, ISEK4 addressed two spatial spheres that – despite obvious necessity – are rarely considered together in the existing planning toolkit: the inner city and the functional region. Integrated urban development concepts for the four inner cities of Bruneck (South Tyrol), Hermagor-Pressegger See (Upper Carinthia), Lienz (East Tyrol), and Spittal an der Drau (Upper Carinthia) were developed in conjunction with a regional symbiosis of the SOUTH ALPINE SPACE region – demonstrating and using synergies between the inner cities as anchor points of public life in the region. ISEK4 is based on an integrated, interdisciplinary planning approach and was developed together with local steering groups from the cities. Within the project, knowledge and needs were collected, recorded, and located in different workshop formats. The paper will focus on the work process, the lessons learned and the transferability of the project approach, as well as the results.