Partizipative Infrastrukturentwicklung in nordhessischen Dorfgemeinschaften

A functioning rural community, diverse club activities or special local traditions. These are familiar to most inhabitants of the rural area. However, these aspects represent quality of rural life only for some, while less appreciated by others. The latter consider infrastructure, which are meant to be added value, a waste of communal funds. Debating voluntary services and infrastructure of rural areas is a central topic of this dissertation entitled “Participatory development of infrastructure to promote village communities in North Hesse”. The present work starts with an introduction to the four main hypotheses, which were examined in five North Hessian municipalities. The first data collection phase was implemented in the municipality of Kirchheim and in the city of Lichtenfels. In both communities, 1,175 people took part in a study entitled "Living together - shaping the future". The results of this study form the basis for prioritizing public institutions and provide an overview of the topics of co-determination, voluntary work and on-site quality of life. Based on the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, it was possible to gain insights into the perception of local infrastructure in the rural area, detailed by the participation and co-determination of the various age and resident groups. These results were also related to the initial local situation, with a focus on the voluntary commitment to further develop the meeting points and how these offers were appreciated. This commitment was also triggered in the individual locations by the process of village development. ‘The Village Development’ is a funding program of the state of Hesse. Central objectives deal with the continuation of quality of life in rural communities and the preservation of the regional building culture. The basis for the implementation of the village development is a so-called ‘integrated municipal development concept’, which develops interactively with the population. The second phase of data collection for this dissertation deals with the implementation of these participation processes in the municipality of Diemelsee and the cities of Rosenthal, Bad Arolsen and Hatzfeld (Eder). On the basis of four case analyses, central phases and results of these exemplary village development processes are presented and compared. With the intention to judge the potential for mobilizing social, cultural and economic potential of the Hessian village development program as a method of participatory infrastructure development and describing its effects on and identification with the design of the living environment in the village. Collectively, this process can ultimately also help to promote the functionality of the village communities. The theoretical foundations and the implications of the term "community" serve as the common thread of this thesis and are eventually subjected to a change in meaning from the ‘self-sufficient community as the destiny of living together in the village’ to ‘a community as a task of constant development’. A task that is seen as the effect of a functioning cycle of lively traditions, identity and novel inspirations, as well as opportunities for co-determination, attractive living conditions and infrastructure.