Master's Thesis ULS · Winter Semester 2015/16 · Denise Ehrhardt

The thesis addresses the recurring challenges of vacancy and trading-down processes in small towns in rural Bavaria. Within the specific context of the selected case study, it examines the role that competition and cooperation between neighbouring towns can play.

The study focuses on the four small towns of Gundelfingen, Lauingen, Dillingen, and Höchstädt in the Swabian Danube Valley. Owing to their historical centrality and close spatial relationship, they have long been designated as a joint regional centre (the twin middle centre of Dillingen/Lauingen) in the Bavarian State Development Programme. Despite this overarching planning approach, the study identifies significant competition between the towns and relocation processes favouring Dillingen. The resulting negative impacts, particularly on Lauingen and Höchstädt, become evident through vacancy, trading-down effects, and a subsequent loss of urban attractiveness.

To counteract further relocation and restructuring processes, the thesis develops a strategy that complements regional planning by promoting coordinated intermunicipal development. Based on regionally coordinated development priorities that build on the specific strengths of each town, the strategy responds to the needs of both the region as a whole and the individual municipalities, providing a framework for positive development at both scales.

At the local level, the strategy is refined through a practical action framework addressing the large number of vacant buildings in the historic centre of Lauingen. Based on a typological analysis of the historic building stock, the thesis develops a tool that identifies both potential future uses and key areas for urban development. In doing so, it bridges the gap between municipal planning objectives and the development opportunities of private property owners, while reducing barriers to investment in the historic building stock.