Baltic Balance - Integrated settlement structures

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During the latest 10-15 years the negative effects on rural areas on both settlement and social structure have been evident. Questions have been raised about possibility to maintain a living countryside, which can be attractive for both living and work. Can the depopulation be stopped? And can we guarantee a continuous agriculture management? What happens with nature and culture values in rural areas? Today both spatial planners and decision-makers understand that the countryside must be regarded as a vital part of the society, but strategies, policies, models and tools are not adjusted to start a change of the situation. One of the most fundamental conclusions from analyses of the situation is that rural and urban areas are connected to each other and dependent on each other. The Baltic Balance project aimed to start a discussion about the necessity to elaborate and test methods and tools to be tested in a municipal spatial planning process and from which the results could be transported to other planning levels. All countries around the Baltic Sea have mote or less the same problems with unbalanced structure for living and working. It seemed important to start a contemporary process with focus on planning laws, infrastructure policies, flexible service solutions and differentiated labor market. The process to establish contact links for cooperation to share experiences was important as well as to give input for concrete changes in administrative systems and regulations and conditions for different kinds of public support.

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