![Regiopolen in Deutschland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Regiopolen_in_Deutschland.svg)
In Germany, a regiopolis is a city outside the core of a
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
, that serves as an independent driving force for development within a larger region. The concept is used to develop midsized urban regions within regional, national and global contexts. For its surrounding region, the terms regiopolis region and regiopolitan area can be used and may be shortened to regio (similar to ''metropolitan area'' and ''metro'').
The term ''regiopolis'' is a
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
combination
In mathematics, a combination is a selection of items from a set that has distinct members, such that the order of selection does not matter (unlike permutations). For example, given three fruits, say an apple, an orange and a pear, there are th ...
of the words ''
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
'' and ''
polis
''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Later, it also ...
'' (
Greek: "city"), and is used in the context of
urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
and
regional planning
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land-use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. Regional planning is related to urban planning as it relates land ...
. It was developed by professors Iris Reuther and Jürgen Aring in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in 2006, with
Rostock
Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...
as the first model regiopolis. To use and further develop their common potential, various cooperations between the regiopolis, its surrounding region, business partners and the closest metropolitan areas are fostered.
Characteristics
In contrast to a
metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
a regiopolis is a characterization of smaller scaled centers with a high functional importance for their hinterland. Thus they are mostly situated outside of metropolitan areas. Further characteristics are
* The size (not the biggest city within a country, but a size that matters within the national context)
* A good accessibility combined with a good infrastructure
* A high economical importance
* Location of global players and hidden champions
* A concentration of an innovative potential
* A university.
These characteristics have mainly been developed within the German framework; it is aimed to develop them further within a European context.
Regiopolis Rostock
![Hanse sail 2010 rostock hafen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Hanse_sail_2010_rostock_hafen.jpg)
The first German city region to work with the regiopolis concept is
Rostock
Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...
. A taskforce with different actors such as the hanseatic city of Rostock, the administrative district of Rostock, the Regional Planning Association Mid Mecklenburg/Rostock and the local business organizations is working on the promotion of the concept.
They aim to build up a national and a European network of regiopolis, comparable to the network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas.
Characteristics of the Rostock Regiopolis
![Regiopole Rostock Verflechtungen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Regiopole_Rostock_Verflechtungen.jpg)
* Rostock is the urban center in between the metropolitan areas of
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
to the west,
Szczecin
Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...
to the east,
Copenhagen-Malmö to the north and
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
to the south;
* Rostock region is the German gateway to the Baltic states, Russia and to Scandinavia;
* Rostock is the economically strongest city of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania;
* Rostock Port is a major hub in Northern Germany;
* more than 30 of the 100 biggest enterprises in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania operate in Rostock Region;
* the oldest university in Northern Europe is located in Rostock;
* Rostock is the biggest city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, with more people moving in than moving out;
* Rostock Region lies on the European axis connecting the Baltic and the Adriatic Sea;
* Rostock is host to the annual “
Hanse Sail
The Hanse Sail in Rostock is the largest maritime festival in Mecklenburg (Germany) and one of the largest in Europe.
About 250 traditional sailing ships of all types and sizes from a vast variety of countries visit the coast of the city of Ro ...
” event;
* Rostock is the major destination of city tourism in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania;
* Rostock Region is a location within the “BioConValley” research network.
Achievements
* The concept of Regiopolis was developed at the
University of Kassel
The University of Kassel (german: link=no, Universität Kassel) is a university founded in 1971 located in Kassel, Hessen, in central Germany. As of February 2022 it had about 25,000 students and about 3300 staff, including more than 300 prof ...
in 2006;
*
Rostock
Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...
was the first city to adopt the concept;
* since 2009 it has been more and more widely discussed within the region;
* the term is increasingly adopted by the federal and the state governments;
* in 2009 the first congress of German Regiopolises was initiated by the Rostock Region;
* in 2010 the first mayors’ conference of Rostock Region was held;
* in 2011 an informal meeting of representatives of potential other regiopolises was held in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
;
* in 2012 the agency of the Regiopolis has been established;
* A cooperation agreement has been signed by the main partners of Regiopolis Rostock - City of Rostock, administrative district Rostock, chamber of commerce Rostock, Ministry for Energy, Infrastructure and Regional Development Mecklenburg Western Pomerania and the planning association Region Rostock.
* In March 2013, the Regiopolis Rostock organized the workshop for “potential Regiopolises and other city-regions cooperation” in Berlin.
* In April 2013, the festival regio:polis has been organized for the first time. It displays the plurality of arts and cultural events in the Regiopolis of Rostock.
* A taskforce for the future development of the Rostock Regiopolis was established in 2013.
* In 2014, the Regiopolis Rostock celebrated the regio:polis festival
again, this time with partners from
Guldborgsund Municipality
Guldborgsund is a municipality (Danish, '' kommune'') in Region Sjælland in Denmark, created on 1 January 2007 from six (6) former municipalities on the two islands Lolland in the west and Falster in the east bordering the Guldborgsund strait. It ...
(Denmark).
* In 2015, the cities of
Bielefeld
Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...
and
Paderborn
Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...
started to adopt the concept.
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
is implementing it already.
See also
*
Metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
*
Metropolitan regions in Germany
There are eleven metropolitan regions in Germany consisting of the country's most densely populated cities and their catchment areas. They represent Germany's political, commercial and cultural centres. The eleven metropolitan regions in Germany ...
References
{{reflist
Urban geography
Geography of Germany