Administrator

CERS Reginar on ’Regional industrial development with and beyond Foreign Direct Investment’

by

The ACORE project results were introduced at the ’Reginar’ series of Centre for Economic and Regional Studies – Insitute for Regional Studies by the Hungarian team on 19 January 2023.

The link to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/701381178330608?ref=newsfeed

The event was recorded and available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwwp3_kylS4 

ACORE policy and dissemination events were organised by project partners

by

Local workshop in Kiruna

by

Linda Stihl & Josephine Rekers held a ACORE workshop with the local cooperation incubator Kiruna Växer (means ‘Kiruna grows’ in Swedish) on 21st December 2022.

The purpose was to present findings from the research conducted in Kiruna and to discuss future development of Kiruna. It might have been the winter solstice (darkest day of the year), but energy was high and included bright ideas for local development.

Forthcoming events in ACORE project

by

Place-based Challenge-Led Innovation Conference. Sbarc – Cardiff University (28 March 2023).

Llanelli Local Workshop. ACORE local event in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council (Date tbc. delayed by Brexit and the SPF).

Local workshop in Tiszaújváros (date tbc. February/March 2023)

Final workshop “Awakened from the slumber of Sleeping Beauty – where do we go from here in Zeitz?” in case study Zeitz, Germany

by

At the beginning of November, the final workshop in the German case study Zeitz took place within the framework of the ACORE project. For this workshop, the Leibniz Institute for

Regional Geography in Leipzig (IfL), in cooperation with the Office for Economic Development of the City of Zeitz and the Old City Library Association (IG Alte Stadtbibliothek), invited actors from administration and municipal politics, industry and civil society. The aim of the workshop was not only to provide input from research, but also to initiate exchange and networking between local actors.

After a round of introductions, the IfL team gave an input presentation on their current state of research, in which they elaborated on the role that narratives and spatial concepts play for concrete measures and activities in urban development. Among other things, these can serve to formulate strategies for local development, legitimise new development paths and appeal to the population on an emotional level. In doing so, they have an identity-building effect. However, different narratives can also coexist simultaneously and are intertwined, e.g. those about the loss of past functions or about the dawn of a new future. The meaning attributed to certain events may well be subject to change, partly due to the influence of political strategies and narratives at higher levels. These findings were illustrated with several narrative strands observed in Zeitz.

The subsequent discussion was based on the following key questions: How can Zeitz be attractive and a place worth living in in the future? What might a shared vision for Zeitz look like? At what point can structural change be described as successful? What are the criteria for success? What are the requirements? What can involvement look like on an individual level?

During the workshop, the willingness of the local actors to shape the process of structural change was expressed. Especially at the level of project development, the desire for more participation and transparency was expressed. It was noted that many topics and formats do not reach the population at all. This led to the demand for improved communication and mediation between the institutions and with the outside world. Overall, the potential that the city has with its civil society actors was emphasised and the important role that networking can and should assume.