Room concept Upper Rhine

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An orientation framework under the title “A Common Future for the Upper Rhine Region”, which was published in 2001, was developed by the Working Group (AG) Spatial Planning of the Upper Rhine Conference. This document consists of a study of spatial planning policies, a detailed analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages of the Upper Rhine in numerous areas (demography, urban development, settlements, collective infrastructures, transport, economic development, tourism, environment) and aimed at shaping a common, cross-border spatial planning policy. The Upper Rhine Conference considered that this document needs to be updated as it advocates sustainable development of the Upper Rhine, but does not sufficiently address some current challenges such as climate change or biodiversity loss. For public decision-makers, planning actors and planning authorities, the question arises as to how they can adopt a common vision for cross-border spatial planning on the Upper Rhine, which is efficient, comprehensive, coordinated, but above all sustainable and environmentally compatible. And if the best way to overcome this challenge would be to update the orientation framework in order to develop a common spatial concept for these regional and local actors? For this reason, the orientation framework published in 2001 towards a spatial concept of the Upper Rhine is to be revised. Building on the contents of the existing planning tools in the three countries, the spatial concept will define common guiding principles for the development of the Upper Rhine region and include a visualisation of the desired spatial development through cartographic representations. The Upper Rhine spatial concept will be the answer to the various challenges of our time by seeking a planning horizon for the next 20 years and by providing all local actors in spatial planning with a relevant and useful basis for planning. The new document will be addressed to the cross-border institutions and citizens, who will thus have an understandable picture of cross-border spatial development. The process of drawing up the document will promote mutual understanding and knowledge of spatial development issues through an intensive exchange between the different actors in spatial planning in the three countries. In the first phase of the project, the spatial planning documents available at national, regional and local level in the three participating countries will be analysed and various data analysed. In parallel, interviews are conducted with the spatial planners of the competent authorities in order to answer specific questions, such as dealing with the cross-border situation. Several draft versions of the document will be prepared and then presented in a workshop in which the WP will decide on the version to be used at the Upper Rhine Conference. In the second phase, which is planned for 2024, the chosen version will be further developed. To this end, a second workshop with an expanded group of spatial planning actors on the Upper Rhine will be organised in order to incorporate their knowledge and promote broad approval of the Upper Rhine spatial concept. The draft will be revised and discussed again in the WG Spatial Planning before its completion. It is also planned to present it to the Plenary Assembly of the Upper Rhine Conference at the end of 2024. In the final phase, in 2025, the final document will be disseminated to all stakeholders concerned: Room planners, city planners, deputies, citizens. This ensures that everyone can take note and apply it. The Upper Rhine Conference, the Collectivité Européenne d’Alsace as project promoter and the various project partners take over the communication. For this purpose, two to three events per country are planned to increase the acceptance of the participants for the spatial concept. By the end of the project, several dozen local actors from the three countries specialising in spatial planning will be informed about the new spatial concept and thus have a common basis for spatial planning on the Upper Rhine. The effectiveness of the project depends on good communication. This is made possible by the workshops organised in the Regional Planning Group of the Upper Rhine Conference, by presenting the final draft at the Plenary Assembly of the Upper Rhine Conference in December 2024, through communication events and various events taking place within the territories.

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