The Moselle Valley is one of the great river landscapes of Western Europe, with a unique natural and cultural heritage. The part of the valley that lies on the border between France, Luxembourg and Germany reflects the diversity of the Greater Region through its history and international links. For some years now, the Upper Moselle Valley has been facing the challenge of reconciling the current development dynamics with the preservation of its rural landscape.
In order to meet this challenge and to strengthen the functional cross-border connections between Luxembourg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, the ministries responsible for regional planning have developed the Upper Moselle Valley development concept in cooperation with regional and municipal actors on the basis of the guiding principles defined in the EOM concept.
Saarland's "Environment" regional development plan coordinates the supra-locally relevant land requirements. As a result of this coordination role, the plan defines priority areas for the protection of open countryside and natural resources, as well as for the spatial distribution of all the land uses and functions. The provisions on the spatial distribution of traffic and ad hoc infrastructure are also an integral part of the "Environment" regional development plan also . The provisions are defined in the form of binding goals and can be anchored both in writing and in graphic form in the regional development plan. The "Environment" regional development plan provides for balanced spatial development, planning for sustainable development of the environment whilst also factoring in the economic aspects.
The purpose of Saarland's "Settlements" regional development plan is to coordinate different land use claims. These claims on the land need to be weighed up against each other with regard to their supra-local relevance and certain specific land use functions need to be secured through regional planning. To fulfil this task, Saarland's "Settlements" regional development plan defines goals and principles that relate to or have a bearing on settlement structure development. In addition to the written provisions on this subject, a graphic map of the "Settlements" regional development plan also contains provisions in graphic form. Saarland's "Settlements" regional development plan represents a state-wide spatial development plan, which is aimed at ensuring the sustainability and environmental soundness of the state's future settlement development.
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.
