1170 | 453 | Borders in mountain regions – a double handicap? | Dominik Bertram & Tobias Chilla
Mountain regions face specific obstacles for spatial development. The spatial organization of services is particularly challenging in the Alps: due to low population density and the morphological context, hampered accessibility leads either to longer distances and travel times or (in the better case) to a higher level of services in smaller settlements. Recent research illustrates that this Alpine specificity results in many small places that play a crucial role for their larger surrounding area. Secondly, the Alpine region is shaped by several political systems that meet at national borders: numerous towns are located in border regions, accompanied by growing commuter, leisure and retail flows. Nevertheless, the borders come along with a series of obstacles and barriers. Thus, in addition to the morphological context, this situation brings further specific challenges for the provision of services of general interest. _x000D_
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In our paper, we focus on border regions as specificities for Alpine spatial development. The key question is: What potential do border towns have for Alpine spatial development based on accessibility arguments? Our explorative approach compares population catchment intensities for towns in border and non-border regions. The dataset builds on a comprehensive accessibility mapping of 780 towns in the Alps with more than 3,000 inhabitants. Our empirical work combines findings of the 9th Report of the State of the Alps on Alpine Towns and the ongoing research project CoBo (Cohesion in Border Regions) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Especially in the Inner Alps, the catchment areas of several border towns extend into neighboring countries. This approach provides evidence for the cross-border organization of public services in mountain regions and has the potential to be applied in other territories with geographical specificities, which are typical areas of cohesion policy relevance._x000D_
Dominik Bertram & Tobias Chilla
Institute of Geography, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
ID Abstract: 453