Raumordnung#

Regional Planning, systematic planning of an area within a district or larger unit (region, province, national level). The process of planning takes place on different administrative levels. The municipal authorities are responsible for land-use and development plans, on the supra-regional level general regional plans are drawn up and the national level develops guidelines and overall plans. Regional planning is aimed at the development of regional structures which are in harmony with the natural conditions on the one hand and meet economic, social and cultural requirements on the other hand. At the municipal level, land for construction is set off from areas reserved for other purposes (such as agriculture), and the location of social institutions, housing, business sites, leisure centres and facilities of the social and technological infrastructure are planned as elements of a coherent overall plan. Regional planning is supposed to provide for functioning and healthy living conditions and working both in conurbations and in less developed areas within a region; existing (infra)structures have to be developed and expanded, resources used in the most sensitive and effective way.

The Austrian Regional Planning Conference, OeROK, is one of the bodies involved in regional planning on a national scale. The latest Austrian regional planning document was published in 1991. Provinces and districts decide on legal and technical measures, the practical realisation of the plans is also within their field of responsibility.

Literature#