The Regionale Raumordnungsplan Region Trier (ROP) (regional spatial development plan for the region Trier) gives concrete form to the Landesentwicklungsprogramm Rheinland-Pfalz (LEP IV) (Rhineland-Palatinate Regional Development Program) for the Trier region. The ROP Trier 1985, with a partial update in 1995, contains the general planning objectives of the region. A reconfiguration is planned. The design for the reconfiguration originated in the year 2014.
Transdisciplinary research is a cross-border process that builds a bridge between academics and society. Since the 1990s, this new research method has been regarded as an approach to investigating complexity and to producing new forms of knowledge. This research approach is also considered promising in the complex field of regional planning and development, as it meets the demand for public participation and can integrate many different perspectives and positions through its cross-border approach. Using the example of experimental trans-disciplinary research on the regional development of the Oberpinzgau region in Austria, Vilsmaier illustrates the concept and methodology of trans-disciplinary research and its added value for spatial planning and development.