feedback. URC's work concluded with the development of a community master plan incorporating these amendments, and linked to a Community implementation Strategy which had been worked up with the Chase Action Group. Finally, what were the successes and failures of the consultation process overall? Discussions with community workers and wIthTANC officers now involved in its implementation have revealed both good and bad points. The good news centres around the fact that the process did generate a scheme which achieved a high level of satisfaction across a wide community spectrum, is proving a catalyst for a real process of change on the ground, and did this fora total expenditure of £5000. However, the implementation process is proving more difficult than it needed to be, mostly because there was relatively little dialogue with "official" stake-holders, who feel no real sense of "ownership" of the scheme. This lack of dialogue also contributed to being rather cavalier about a number of technical constraints on implementation which, though not impossible to overcome, should have been better integrated into the approach at an earlier stage. Perhaps the most significant lesson to be drawn is that, in the UK at least, the mutual suspicion between official bodies and professional on the one hand, and community groups on the other, has still to be overcome at a level far deeperthan more concerns about fecftn/quesfor community involvement. The current situation is often, in our experience, that consultation work has to be partisan in favour of community groups, to get their effective commitment. This has to be brought out into the open at the start of any consultation process, and its implications discussed with all parties; so that the final course of action, if it alienates anyone, at least does not do this by accident. Ian Bentley, Dr. Georgia Butina Watson, co-chairs Joint Centre for Urban Design, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, Breat Britain Owing to the iron curtain and communist regime, demographic degradation occurred on both sides of the border. Young and educated people were leaving this area where they could see no prospects. Yet it is a region where people of different nationalities were used to working.together, a region with an interesting and fertile landscape and rich natural resources. The fall of the iron curtain has opened a new chapter in European history. New economic, cultural and political opportunities and prospects have appeared especially in border regions. It is possible to take up again yvhat was once historically held in common. New life has been brought to the recently dead strip of land between the Czech Republic and Austria and, thanks to the new political conditions, the region is once again located in the centre of Central Europe. However, many negative aspects which started in the past are continuing and, in some areas, have even become more significant. This is true for example of the environment and of the changes in the socio-de-mographic character of the population. Other negative aspects have appeared only recently and are becoming a danger- e.g. high unemployment. On the Austrian side of the border distrust of foreigners is growing amongst certain social groups mainly because of their concern about employment opportunities. Production is being transferred from there to locations with cheaper labour, that is to former socialist countries.The population of the area, as well as leaders in local and national government, are confronted with facts they have no experience of -new opportunities and new dangers are appearing. This is why a regional plan going beyond national frontiers including both the Czech Republic and Austria has been worked out. It Is expected to help deal with major problems concerning the region's development. Its objective Is to support permanently sustainable development of the region and prevent uncontrollable growth which might bring more problems than benefits. As the project involves a border area in which different laws, decrees and procedures are applicable, great demands are made on co-ordination and cooperation.'' Karel SCHMEIDLER South Moravia-Lower Austria: A Regional Plan Going Beyond Frontiers Introduction We still think of Southern Moravia and Weinviertel. Northern Austria, as being a region of plenty. However in the past decades a lot of its wealth has been used up and only a little put back in. The region which used to be one of the richest in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, as well as in the pre 2. world war Czechoslovak Republic, has become marginal. The Moravian border area near Austria is in a deplorable state. There is a shortage of safe drinking water, the air is considerably polluted in some places, small towns, historical sights and villages are dilapidated. 2. Methodological approach applied to work on the regional plan The benefits of this research task can be seen in the scientific, educational and political areas. Academically it means the development of new, up-to-date methods of spatial and regional planning and their unification with the methods used in Austria, Germany and the rest of Europe. Active participation by students in research and planning work on the project is an educational innovation. They deal with real tasks jointly with their foreign partners for the benefit of specific communities in the given area. The politically positive aspect is in dealing with problems in the border region common to both nations, the development of effective methods of joint work and a sense of understanding for the needs of the other side. The project is based.on the new concept of borders, which is the essential basis for acceptance into the European Community. Additionally, a whole series of regional activities and projects have appeared such as the planning of national parks and nature reserves, regional water-management systems, the restructuring of agriculture, regional democratic problems, the improvement of the ecological situation, the development of infrastructure, the construction of new border crossing etc,These intentions require mutual agreement and co-ordination. Teams of experts at three technical universities are dealing with various problem areas in the e region.The structure of settlement and social, socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the population are among the most important. Plans for the development (sometimes also forthe suppression) of industrial and agricultural production and forestry are being drawn up, Problems concerning the protection of soil (wind and water erosion), water management (shortage of water and its bad quality - very few sewage treatment plants) and the protection and regeneration of the environment are interconnected. Experts on road construction are dealing with the region's links tothemotonvay, road and rail networks taking into account the ecological effects and expected increase in tourism. Spatial plans in the South Moravian and Austrian border region have been drawn up at several levels. IVIost important is to record the relevant links in the region and draw up land-use planning documents. A document for land-use planning have been drawn up for a strip more than 20 kilometers wide area stretching from Slavonice to Boeclav and to the new Slovak border, (Boeclav and Znojmo regions), On the Austrian side the corresponding stretch of land includes both Weinviertel and Waldviertel, (the political regions of Mistelbach, Hollabrunn and Horn). For planning purposes the scale of 1 : 200 000 has been used. Sub-regional plans are being drawn up for areas with special characteristics or for locations where t here are conflicting interests. These are, for example, the Lednice-Valtice area, nature reserves such as Podyjf or Jevi'ovka and areas surrounding big towns such as Znojmo, Boeclav and Lednice. Plans for smaller areas Include villages and their associated land located in the Immediate vicinity of the border. The plans are drawn up with an accuracy corresponding to the scale of 1 : 50 000. Local plans are guidelines and detailed land-use plans for individual, mostly neglected villages and their associated land. These are mostly related to the "Village Renewal", a project in which the institute for rural architecture headed by Prof. Miroslav Martinek is significantly involved. On the basis of a detailed analysis of the existing situation and development tendencies in the region, a new concept for controllable development has been drawn up. It is specifically designed for the region of South Moravia - Lower Austria. It has not been imposed from above, but nevertheless it has to follow certain instructions and should meet certain tasks. The region is more intensively involved in the establishment of goals for, and the creation of, regional policy measures. The objective of the planning is the creation of a new concept of regional development. It is not a single regional plan that is being drawn up but a whole series of possible alternatives. It presupposes the drawing up of alternatives and options including possible experimental and simulation events, the methods of choice and periodic monitoring and evaluation. They should enable the local authorities to establish and control their own paths of development. In workshops in Jaroslavice, Retz and Brno, working groups with regional planners from different states presented the main ideas f or optimal regional development to the leaders of local and national government and interest groups and their feasibility was tested before being included in the regional development programmes. 3. Settlement in the broader region, the demographic structure and the structure of settlement An analysis of settlement, demographic and socio-economic structure was carried out in all towns and villages in the Mistelbach, Hollabrun, Horn, Boeclav and Znojmo regions as well as in the surroundings areas which have close links with these regions. The region was settled as early as the Stone Age and numerous archaeological finds testify to the existence of man in this area since the earliest times. Favourable natural and climatic conditions as well as economic relations created favourable conditions for settlement. Permanent settlement however appeared only with settlement by the first farmers. During the Slavonic period this area was a part of the Great Moravian Empire. The development of the settlements in the Middle Ages, influenced by feudal land-ownership, has a deep impression influencing the structure of settlement up to this day. The feudal structure.of settlement was maintained for many centuries and its remnants - especially evenly distributed settlement - are apparent even today. A significant demographic and ethnic change took place dui-ing the Thirty Years' War when German farmers were often called by their lords to replace the impoverished Czech population. Industrial development in the 19th century affected the structure and intensity of settlement in the region relatively little. Significant changes in the demographic and ethnic structure occurred at the time of the Second World War. After the Munich dictate the Czech population was forced out of the border areas and the co-existence of two national communities was destroyed during the war. Jewish communities in villages in the border region were exterminated. They left deserted Jewish cemeteries with none to look after them, and in Mikulov, once the 17th - 18th century seat of the provincial rabbi, a derelict Renaissance synagogue and a castle. The subsequent deportation of the German population as a result of the Potsdam agreements made by the victorious powers had a marked impression on the region. As a resultof these events the region remained very thinly populated. The population was reduced by half. As part of post-war resettlement of the border areas and state management citizens of the then Czechoslovak Republic, especially from the areas of Horacko, Vala'sko, Moravian Slovakia and Slovakia, as well as from abroad -Volhynia in the Soviet Union, Rumania and Yugoslavia settled in this region.Though there has been gradual resettlement the population in the post-war period it has never reached the prewar figure. Those who resettled the area did not develop strong ties with their new home and the lack of ties shows even now in the second and third generations. Among other things it shows in their attitude towards the environment... When the region was divided by the iron curtain it had negative consequences on both sides of the border even though there were different economic and social systems, Economic stagnation and the decline of companies led to large-scale migration, Enforced collectivisation in Czechoslovakia in the 1950's destroyed the traditional model of family farming. Farmsteads ceased to exist. The intensification of agricultural production, that is the use of heavy machinery, fertilizers etc. reduced the size of manpower needed. As a result of the reduction of employment opportunities in industry in the border region, the size of the working population was reduced due to migration to distant industrial centres.The departure of nnore educated young people affected the natural demographic structure.The population was ageing and this had an influence on services and maintenance, as well as on the subsequent development of communities. The percentage of the population of retirement age in peripheral villages is unusually high, somewhere between 25 % and 30 %.This affects both the construction and the maintenance of villages. The negative results of high outmigration between 1961 and 1970 and unfavourable demographic development influenced the decrease of the population In the area. The period 1971 -1980 saw positive development and the population grew. This change occurred as a result of natural population growth, As a result of the population wave of young women entering a period of high fertility and due to measures encouraging population growth, the numberof births increased considerably.The birthrate was highest in 1974. Since then the number of newborn babies constantly has fallen even though in the subsequent years a growth in population was achieved. In 1981 -1991 this trend was reversed and the decline in population of the region resumed, People moved out because of housing problems and for financial reasons because the border region was an area with low average wages. It follows that those who decided to move were, above all, young people with smàll children which made the demographic situation in this peripheral locality even worse. Additionally, afterthe disintegration of large-scale socialist agricultural production, the problem of where to employ a large part of the local population appeared. These people are hard-working but often do not have the qualifications now in demand. Their health has suffered as a result of hard work under unfavourable conditions. Surveys show that a tendency towards migration is strongest in villages with high employment in the agricultural sector and an elderly population. Another type of migration existed within regional boundaries. In the border region the system of settlement with local centres administrated from above had negative effects. Though there was a rational element in it-the concentration of funds for economic, social, construction, and cultural development in centres with good prospects, its mechanical and very often subjective application doomed many villages and small towns to stagnation or even to abandonment. The system took away the prospects of employment and education, as well as housing and new construction.The population in the countryside fell with the exception of most local centres. People moved to the local centres in which the development of housing and public buildings for services, distribution, culture and education such as Mistelbach, Retz, Laa an derThaya and Poysdorf. Another stream of migrants headed for the cities. According to the statistics the numberof those who move out decreases and the number of those who move in increases with the increase in size of a population centre. As a result of this trend some villages aged so much that now there is a lack of people of working age who can ensure the properfunctioningof thecomnnu-nity and services and the renewal of a good-quality environment. In the area there is still a relatively high percentage of commuters as a result of the socialist policy of full employment and low fares on public transport. It is still much than in the neighbouring parts of Austria where it reaches 25-30 %. In Seefeld-Kadolz 60 % of the working population work outside their home village. In the border region there are more commuters in vil- lages where the population is employed in the primary sector. Increased fares will escalate this problem as well. Even on the Austrian side of the border many young people cannot see any prospect for the future and move out. The northern part of Weinviertel has the highest unemployment of between 4 %-8 %of all working population. Grossharras has 8.2 % unemployment. This probably causes the biggest negative migration in Austria, the average is -5 %, some villages such as, for example, Pernegg have-15.8% unemployment. The villages of Drosendorf-Zissersdor, Japons and Falkenstein showed a total reduction of the population of over 20 %. People working on farms (Retz less than 22 %, 17 communities with more than 60 %) are elderly. Many companies do not have young people to replace them and are threatened with closure. The secondary school In Retz specializing in viticulture has been closed down. Pessimists see a Weinviertel without vineyards. 4. Age Structure of the population Age structure is one of the most important qualities of every population as it strongly influences the reproduction of the population and determines its working potential. Since 1980 the number and percentage of children in the population has fallen in the border region, on the other hand the number and percentage of people of working age has increased. The number of people of retirement age has been reduced but in percentage terms in the overall structure it has remained almost the same. Age structure has developed differently in individual villages. Small villages continue to age as a result of the abnormal demographic structure and the older average age of their populations. The situation will have to.be dealt with by, for example, programmes for young families, the subsidizing of plots for the construction of houses etc. 5. Cultural and historical treasures of the region The Southern Moravia - Lower Austria border region Is a valuable area known for both its natural resources and its cultural treasures. There have been important archaeological finds showing the development of settlements since the earliest times in what is now the Czech Republic. Recent archaeological research has brought new and unexpected finds (Hluboké Ma'ùvky, Palava). There are valuable urban complexes-the urban conservation areas of Mikulov and Valtice, as well as unique natural features which require conservation and special treatment - the Lednice - Valtice area, the Podyji national park and the Palava conservation area. There are a number of cultural treasures, chateaus, castles (now often in ruins), religious and secular buildings which are very important. 6. Current problems in this area An analysis of the existing environmental conditions and an analysis of the existing infrastructure was carried out mostly at the scale of 1 : 200 000 by the teams of the universities in Vienna and Brno. It is possible to say that the main problems of the South Moravian border region are the quality of water, both the drinking and surface water, environmentally sound sources of energy, the reallocation of reduced job opportunities in agriculture, limited financial resources of private owners, unsettled property relations, unprofessional renovation, low-quality and unsuitable building materials, and insufficient reconstruction of the road network. The area in the region is strongly agricultural,The percentage of the population employed in agriculture varies between 20 % and 60 %. Only in the regional céntres of Laa an derThaya, Retz, Znojmo and Beeclav is there a high percentage workers in industry, trades, and services. The remaining population lives from agricultural production which was once a great source of wealth (as numerous buildings in the region show). Today both the farmers in Lower Austria and the agricultural workers in Southern Moravia have considerable problems with agricultural production. Agricultural land has been expanded for decades and the landscape altered in order to increase agricultural production. The negative consequences of these alternations are now obvious. Local farm production cannot compete with the subsidized prices of other European agricultural products. Other alternatives must be sought. Water which was always abundant in this region is now lacking. The border region of Lower Austria and Southern Moravia is a typical example of landscape changes caused by people. It is possible to discover out from old.local maps how large the proportions of surface water, flooded areas, and meadows were. Regular floods were typical for the area. The structural changes in agriculture and the management of the local river Pulkava changed the situation completely. The river disappeared and the wetlands were drained.The amalgamation of small plots into big fields which has taken place in the past decades on both sides of the border under different social circumstances created a deforested landscape which promotes erosion, especially in winter seasons. The supply of underground water is decreasing. On the Austrian side of the border this problem is even more serious.The Pulkava valley is one of the driest areas in Austria, There are projects for bringing water to the region (e.g. from the river Dyje on the Moravian side of the border) or for decreasing of its use by reducing irrigation, setting up retention tanks, and so on. 7. An analysis of prospects and opportunities The region has many opportunities for the development of tourism but its beneficial location In regard to the development of culture, commerce, services and industry should also be born in mind.The solution to the problems concerning the quality of drinking water, sewage treatment and sufficient supplies of natural gas and electric energy (obtained from solar systems, wind-power plants, biogas, and woodwaste) will create the infrastnjcture for further development of the region. 8. Proposed changes Further development of the border region of Southern Moravia and Lower Austria will depend on the size and quality of the working population. Influx and outflow will be influenced by a whole series of conditions. Among the most important will be opportunities forfinding and keeping employment, opportunities for improved living standard and the availability of housing, living conditions, and for young people, opportunities for obtaining higher education. The maintenance of employment in the border region (that currently has the highest unemployment rate in the Czech Republic) is a critical issue an the ways it is necessary to look foropportunities to strengthen and stimulate economic activity in the region. Forthis reasons it is necessary to analyze the opportunities for the development of industry in the region and, on the basis of these analyses, create for business opportunities.TTie regional plan presupposes the maintenance or even increase in production for companies which: - make good-quality products at reasonable market prices - operate with regard to the environment and population of the region - process local raw materials - are beneficial for the region (maintenance of historical monuments, culture, information etc.) The state should support the development of these regions with respect to their infrastructure. It could encourage the development of these areas which have considerable development potential by creating free trade zones, tax-free zones or tax banks, so that the region can compete effectively with better equipped and more developed regions. Additional opportunities are in the strengthening of production investment and the adaptation of the production and processing facilities to new products, and the improvement of the infrastructure, which can further contribute to economic development. All this will have to be carried out over an extended period. 9. Changes in agriculture Since the region is strongly agricultural, the importance of agriculture will also need to be preserved in the future. Before the Second World War there were a number of food processing firms in the region which specialized in processing local agricultural products and exporting them not only to nearby Austria but also to, for example, the United States. Today their revival is prevented by'the industrial processing plants built in big centres-Brno, Modoice, and by the food industry built up in the post-war period in Poland and Hungary, as well as the overproduction of agricultural products in the European Community countries. Further deepening of the economic crisis in agriculture would increase the outflow of people from the region. The further disintegration of numerous areas of daily life and additional employment opportunities would be an inevitable consequence of this. No substantial initiatives for the rapid increase in the incomes of local agricultural workers can be expected from the current price policy. Any increase must be based on an active policy of measures to stimulate independent agricultural production.The agricultural firms with alternative business activities and additional earnings deserve special attention as they will keep more people in the region. It is possible to develop strategies to ensure additional employment opportunities in the region: - measures supporting the existence of less-profitable agricultural firms and other subsidies - expanding social services for the benefit of less-profitable firms - the development of new types of profitable subsidiary agricultural firms - the research and testing of biological raw materials for industrial processing from other agricultural production - privatisation of state services for the benefit of agricultural firms - increasing, tine share of agriculture in market revenues through direct saie of products and more convenient forms of seiling - compensation for the limitation of production in nature reserves 10. Modification of the education system One of the opportunities for economic improvement is re-education of the labour marl