Regional planning for the provision of public services, demography checks or master plans for municipalities: the federal and state governments provide a wide range of support for cities and municipalities in tackling demographic challenges and shaping regional shrinkage processes. However, most support programs assume that there are sufficient actors to implement the targeted measures and achieve the goals. But this is less and less the case. That is why investments in human and social capital in shrinking regions are the central, because dwindling, key factor of successful regional development.

More bright minds instead of even more concepts

In the BBSR publication "Perspectives for Regional Development in Shrinking Regions", the three inter 3 authors Helke Wendt-Schwarzburg, David Westenberg and Susanne Schön use three examples to demonstrate the importance of key actors for the successful shaping of shrinking processes and argue that, instead of investing in ideas, concepts and plans, we should in future focus more on investing in minds. As a central instrument for horizontal exchange and learning from each other, the concept of "butter journeys" in the form of transfer and transformation journeys is adapted for regional development. The goal is to support the individuals and teams central to regional innovation processes in their work. For better or worse, "it always depends on the people."