Master's Thesis AR · Summer Semester 2021 · Ann Sophie Megerle

Addressing vacancy in rural areas is one of the key challenges of sustainable village development. Many small villages, whose identity has long been shaped by agriculture, are confronted with the consequences of demographic change, structural transformation in agriculture, and the abandonment of farming activities. As a result, they face the challenge of redefining their future and developing a new identity.

Using the village of Löschenhirschbach as a case study, the thesis develops a sustainable development strategy that operates across different spatial scales. Its objective is to safeguard and enhance the quality of life while creating long-term perspectives for the future of the village.

By activating existing potentials and introducing targeted external impulses, the thesis creates the conditions for sustainable new uses and development processes. It responds to changing social conditions as well as emerging ways of living and working. Attractive new programmes encourage new residents to settle in the village while simultaneously improving the quality of life for the existing community. The thesis identifies both current and future challenges facing small villages and develops long-term strategies that can also be applied to comparable rural settlements.

At the core of the project is the question of the future role of small villages within their wider region. Rather than understanding them solely as residential locations, the thesis redefines villages as places for living and working with their own specific development potential. Depending on their size, infrastructure, and local conditions, villages can assume different roles within a municipality while simultaneously strengthening the surrounding cultural landscape.

As a guiding principle for comparable villages, the thesis proposes concentrating future development on the historic village centre and the so-called “first row”. The adaptive reuse of vacant farmsteads through semi-public or community-oriented programmes strengthens both the village structure and social life. In addition, an intergenerational housing concept is identified as an important catalyst for sustainable development. Complementary concepts such as co-working are considered valuable components but require careful adaptation to local and regional conditions. Alongside suitable spatial conditions, successful implementation depends above all on the commitment of local stakeholders and the willingness of both the community and the municipality to actively shape the process of change.