BrokeringSpaces workshop as part of the 2025 conference of Alliance in the Alps

In his presentation, Wolfgang Pfefferkorn (Rosinak & Partner) showed what joint spatial planning looks like in the Rhine Valley, focusing on spatial conflicts, open spaces and negotiations. According to Pfefferkorn, high levels of citizen participation are standard in the Rhine Valley, and in the Kumma region – the venue for this year's symposium – there is also a focus on cooperation to resolve spatial planning conflicts. Competition for land – not only in the Rhine Valley – is likely to increase further, requiring negotiations and possibly an overlap of land use, Pfefferkorn concluded.

Robert Krasser from the Salzburg Institute for Spatial Planning and Housing (SIR), a project partner in BrokeringSpaces, presented the idea behind the joint project to the audience in his lecture: What conflicts exist? Who are the parties involved in the conflicts? Are there possibly even areas of overlap? 
This was followed by group work with sometimes heated discussions between the fictional stakeholders in the individual groups, before the results of the group work were presented in turn. The participants role-played conflicts typical of inner-Alpine communities, taking on the perspectives of the parties involved in the conflict. They attempted to find a balance between the different interests on the one hand and to achieve the goals of space-saving and high-quality inner development on the other. The group work involved playing through four different scenarios:

1.    Commercial area development in agricultural land
2.    High building density in the town centre
3.    Vacant buildings in the centre
4.    Large accommodation facility

In all four scenarios, the following questions should be answered: What interests do the parties pursue? Where do their interests coincide and where are there conflicts? How can the conflict of interests be resolved? What kind of support do they want from us?
The BrokeringSpaces project takes an innovative approach: space is viewed not only as a physical resource, but also as a social and ecological space whose use should be jointly determined. Practical examples and pilot regions are used to present ways in which communities can develop transformation scenarios and strengthen local decision-making powers.

The workshop provided an opportunity for exchange, networking and learning from best practice examples from the Alpine region – an inspiring contribution to cooperative and sustainable spatial development.
During the workshop, a graphic recording was created, i.e. a visual transcript of a meeting, workshop or lecture: key ideas, discussions and concepts are recorded live on paper or digitally as images, symbols and short texts, making the content immediately understandable and memorable.

BrokeringSpaces is an Interreg Alpine Space project co-financed by the European Union. It aims to defuse conflicts over the use of space and land in the Alpine region, reduce vacancy and underutilisation, and promote sustainable, cooperative land use between municipalities, owners and users through new mediation approaches.