Revitalization of the Inner Cities: An Analysis of Consumer Behavior in the Border Regions of the Greater Region (2019)

21/11/2019, 4.00 pm, Maison de la Grande Région

Can we organise around the Greater Region to cooperate in saving our shops? That was the main thread running through the round table held at the Maison de la Grande Région in Esch-sur-Alzette on 21 November 2019, which was attended by over 50 participants.

This round table event was organised as part of a Greater Region Interreg VA  project (Border Studies) and aimed to highlight the lack of any cooperation or shared vision across the Greater Region concerning shops, either in city centres or out-of-town retail parks, and the fact that a policy needs to be built from scratch.

And yet there is a real issue that is important on several levels:

  • Economically: the desire to relocate the economy, to preserve the value added generated by the retail business in the different territories.
  • In terms of logistics: the flows generated by the retail trade, whether in terms of the shop locations (and their storage warehouses) or the flows of consumers, etc.

During the round table debate, a diagnosis was developed concerning the 3-borders area focused on two main aspects of the market, the retail offering and mobile consumers, many of whom are cross-border workers.

Two leading figures from Switzerland and its border area who are working on this issue honored us with their presence and shared their Franco-Swiss experience.

Their account gave us some insights into trends that are similar to the issues around the retail trade facing us in the Greater Region. The conclusion was that solutions exist, in the form of cooperation and the sharing of values generated within the territory.

Panel discussion participants:

Mr Lex Delles (Minister of the Middle Classes; Minister for Tourism)
Aurélien Biscaut (Secretary General of the MOT (Transfrontier Operational Mission))
Fabrice Genter (President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Moselle)
Marcel Schiess (Vice-President, Jura Arc Cross-Border Forum)
Pascale Brenet (Vice-President Education, University of Burgundy-Franche Comté)
Colette Grandmontagne Renard (University of Lorraine, LOTERR)
Jean Marc Lambotte (University of Liège, LEPUR)
Moderator: Hélène Yildiz (University of Lorraine, CEREFIGE)

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Brief report (available in French)

  • French - Hélène Yildiz : Redynamisation des centres-villes : Une analyse du comportement des consommateurs en zone transfrontalière au sein de la Grande Région. UniGR-Center for Border Studies. Download
  • German - Hélène Yildiz : Neubelebung der Innenstädte: eine Analyse des Verbraucherverhaltens in den Grenzräumen der Großregion. Kurzbericht zum 4. Forum Großregion. UniGR-Center for Border Studies. Download

Press coverage
De l’Arc Jurassien à la Grande Région : questions autour de la distribution périphérique et massive (Pascale Brenet), in: www.forum-transfrontalier.org (27.11.2019). More information
Revitalisation of inner cities in the Greater Region, in: www.espaces-transfrontaliers.org (01/2020). More information

Contact
Hélène Yildiz (Université de Lorraine)
helene.yildiz@univ-lorraine.fr

Organisation
This panel discussion was organised by the Université de Lorraine (Hélène Yildiz).