Shaping the future: New barometer shows opportunities for our region!

Shaping the future: New barometer shows opportunities for our region!

The Future Barometer, an important project to record the population's opinions on the future of the region, was launched today by Prof. Dr. Georg Rosenfeld introduced. This comprehensive survey examines ten central topic areas that are crucial for future development: mobility, health and care, social cohesion, leisure and engagement, housing and housing, education, work and skills shortages, cities and rural areas, climate protection, and companies and the economy. The results of this survey are of great interest for regional politics as they can point to important trends and needs for action. ku.de reports.

The future barometer was designed as a longer-term survey to enable repeated observation of trends. Prof. Dr. Rosenfeld emphasizes the value of this continuous study, which provides initial results that should be incorporated into discussions within urban society and with companies. Planned workshops and dialogue rounds are intended to deepen the analysis of the survey results and initiate joint projects with science, politics, business and society in order to actively shape the future. Prof. Dr. In this context, Hens Hogreve highlights the Catholic University's (KU) focus on cooperation with citizens.

Appearance of the results

The first results of the survey were summarized by Daniel Zacher and his team. These findings are documented in the brochure entitled “Future Barometer – Opinions and Attitudes of the Population on the Future of the Region”, which is available both online and in printed form upon request. This brochure is a valuable resource for anyone wishing to explore public attitudes and opinions on relevant issues.

In addition, the future barometer provides an important basis for strategic planning in regional development. The thematic initiative “Active Regional Development” recently published its working aid, which brings together findings from 15 model projects and offers practical instructions for the creation of strategic regional development concepts (SREK). This documentation analyzes the history of regional development concepts and formulates recommendations for action to promote the implementation of existing concepts. bbsr.bund.de explains.

Key to regional strengthening

In many regions it is often not a lack of concepts, but rather a lack of their implementation. The working aid shows how both the quality of life and regional potential can be activated through sustainable process structures and prioritized projects. Particularly noteworthy are the challenges arising from demographic and economic changes as well as climate change. Scientific support is provided by the Federal Institute for Building, Urban and Spatial Research (BBSR), under the project management of Krzysztof Luzar and in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction (BMWSB).

In summary, the future barometer is not only a valuable tool for opinion research, but also serves as a foundation for actively shaping the regional future. The KU initiatives and the accompanying measures from “Active Regional Development” help ensure that the development of structurally weak rural areas can be specifically promoted.