The BELT Initiative aims to create a German-Danish network for planning authorities and relevant target groups, promote cooperation and develop a common planning vision for the Fehmarnbelt region. An essential component are the BELT studios, where students from the TH Lübeck Department of Construction and the Roskilde University (RUC) work as part of their respective bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. You examine questions of spatial development at various locations in the BELT region: What will the future region look like in terms of tourism, settlement and sustainable change?
Students from Lübeck and Roskilde work together
A meeting between students from RUC and TH Lübeck took place in Stubbekøbing in December 2023 in collaboration with the corporate foundation 4850 and the municipality of Guldborgsund. Proposals for development strategies for Stubbekøbing were developed. The German students brought with them experience from port development in the northern German city of Neustadt in Holstein, where work had previously been done to solve similar questions. There are currently three project groups of master’s students at the RUC and TH Lübeck who deal with development issues, local resources and citizen participation in the region. Further events are planned for 2024. The semester and studio work is supervised by Anika Slawski, MA and Prof. Frank Schwartze, TH Lübeck.
From a regional development perspective, we now have a unique opportunity to uncover the potential of the entire region and provide an overview of local capacities and development opportunities
says Prof. Frank Schwartze. Many areas in this region are characterized by a high quality of life, especially in the port cities, which must be preserved. The requirements for the future are complex: sustainable transformation, demographic change, digital progress or changing mobility structures are just some of the factors that need to be considered. In the future, the development of sustainable tourism, the inventive (re)use of existing buildings and the securing of the region in the event of climate change will also play a role. The project aims to help enable new ideas for sustainable and, above all, locally anchored spatial development
emphasizes Anika Slawski.
Important contribution to the development of the Belt region
The BELT Initiative regularly organizes events such as conferences, excursions, workshops and seminars on topics of great interest in the region. The students from the two universities, who also represent the future generation of planners, play an important role in the knowledge development within the project: There is growing interest in studying development in small towns and rural areas. Many students want to make a concrete contribution through their work on site and their analyses
says Lasse Koefoed, project leader and professor at Roskilde University.
A first important step is now the publication of the BELT platform, which will provide an overview of the various local forces and initiatives in the future. The platform will be continuously expanded and, in the long term, will be a knowledge pool for public and private actors. All interested actors in the region have the opportunity to participate. Project manager and Majken Toftager Larsen invites you to participate: Work is currently underway to set up the network. Authorities, interest groups, citizens and companies are warmly invited to take part.
You can find the BELT platform here: https://www.beltplatform.org/
background
Roskilde University, the Lübeck University of Applied Sciences and the Rural Agency are behind the “Initiative Fehmarn BELT Region – Plan & Network Initiative”. The partners are guided by a common vision that highlights a new approach to the development of cities and rural areas and strengthens the connection between rural and urban areas. In addition, closer networking and common strategies across national borders are sought. The project was supported by the “Interreg 6A Germany-Denmark program” funded by the EU with 180,780.60 euros.
- Project management Roskilde University:
Let Koefoed: lmartin(at)ruc.dk
Majken Toftager Larsen: matola(at)ruc.dk - Project management at the Technical University of Lübeck:
Frank Schwartze: frank.schwartze(at)th-luebeck.de
Anika Slawski: anika.slawski(at)th-luebeck.de - Project management Rural Agency:
Anna Sofie Hvid: ash(at)ruralagency.org