Innovations in land-use as response to rural change - A case report from Brandenburg, Germany

Abstract

Rural areas have led a shadowy existence in the scientific and public discussion for a long time (von Meyer 1997). Alleged to be an underdeveloped antipole to the industrially stamped and densely settled urban areas, they have suffered from a mainly negative societal perception. Especially the lack of infrastructure and the lopsided economic focus on the primary sector have often been stressed (Hodge and Monk 2004). At its best, the countryside is romanticized as homeland idyll with unspoilt landscape, sound village communities, and a high recreational value. © 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.