Research project

Transformation of rural areas and small and medium sized towns in the knowledge economy

Due to the shift towards a knowledge-based economy over the last century, knowledge is no longer only gaining importance as a production factor, but also as a tradable product. Traditionally important factors such as transport costs are losing importance in favour of other factors (such as transaction costs). This is accompanied by a new evaluation of locations for (knowledge) economic activities.

In Germany, small and medium-sized towns in rural areas and in polycentric dense areas form a differentiated and spatially widespread network of urban locations. However, in the analysis of cities as locations for knowledge-economic activities, small and medium-sized cities have hardly been examined so far. So far, the focus has been predominantly on large cities and metropolitan areas.

The aim of the project is to investigate the opportunities for knowledge economy work locations in small and medium-sized cities beyond metropolitan regions in Germany.

Publications from the project

• Wagner, M./Growe, A. (2023): Medium-Sized Towns in the Knowledge Economy – Towards a Systematic Classification. In: Sustainability, 15 (2), 1532. Doi: 10.3390/su15021532.
• Wagner, M./Growe, A. (2022): Patterns of knowledge bases in large city regions in Germany: comparison of cores and their surrounding areas.In: Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography. Doi: 10.1080/04353684.2022.2141131.
• Mager, C./Wagner, M. (2022): Kulturelle Infrastrukturen in deutschen Klein- und Mittelstädten. Eine Typisierung der Standortgemeinschaften von Einrichtungen der kulturellen Daseinsvorsorge. In: Raumforschung und Raumordnung. Online first. Doi: 10.14512/ruf.92
• Wagner, M. & Mager, C. (2021): Kleine Städte, k(l)eine kulturelle Ausstattung? In: Nationalatlas aktuell 15 (10.2021) 6. Leipzig: Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde (IfL).
• Wagner, M. & Growe, A. (2021): Research on Small and Medium-Sized Cities: Framing a New Field of Inquiry. In: World, 2 (1), 105-126. Doi: 10.3390/world2010008.
• Wagner, M. & Growe, A. (2020): Regional Urbanization and Knowledge-Intensive Business Activities (KIBS): An Example of Small and Medium-Sized Cities in the Greater Stuttgart Region (Germany). In: Urban Science, 4 (1). Doi: 10.3390/urbansci4010001.

Presentations from the project

• Wagener, M.; Growe, A. (2023): Das Verhältnis von Stadt und Land unter dem Brennglas von Demographie, Ökonomie und Kultur. Dortmunder Konferenz 2023. 13.-14.02.2023, Dortmund.
• Wagner, M./Growe, A. (2022): Re-Thinking the Meaning of Small Towns for Local and Regional Development in Germany: Demographic, Economic and Cultural Aspects. Vortrag auf der IGU in Paris, Frankreich, 18.-22.07.2022.
• Wagner, M./Growe, A. (2022): New Work Sites and Places of Encounter in the Knowledge Economy. Challenges for the Polycentric German Urban System. Vortrag auf der Kofnerenz Knowledge needs Space: Challenges and Perspectives of Future Living Environments, Online-Vortrag, 28. bis 29. Januar 2022.
• Wagner, M. (2022): Klein- und Mittelstädte zwischen Regionalisierung und Regiopolisierung. Vortrag in der Online-Vortragsreihe „SmallTown Talk“ des HochschulCampus KleinstadtForschung der Brandenburgisch Technischen Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg, Online-Vortrag, 27. Januar 2022.
• Mager, C./Wagner, M. (2021): Geographies of Everyday Cultural (In)justice. Mapping Cultural Infrastructures in Rural Areas in Germany. Vortrag auf dem Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers (AAG), virtuelle Konferenz, 07. bis 11. April 2021.
• Growe, A./Wagner, M. (2020): Wohnen und Arbeiten in Klein- und Mittelstädten - Regiopolisierung oder Regionalisierung? Vortrag auf der Dortmunder Konferenz 2020 in Dortmund, Deutschland, 17.-18.02.2020.
• Growe, A./Wagner, M. (2019): Klein- und Mittelstädte als Profiteure von Regionalisierungsprozessen in der Wissensökonomie? Entwicklungsdynamiken in Dienstleistungen und Kreativwirtschaft. Vortrag auf dem Deutschen Kongress für Geographie, Kiel, Deutschland, 25.-30. September 2018.
• Wagner, M./Growe, A. (2019): Reurbanization through knowledge-based economic activities. Changing patterns of knowledge-intensive services of creative activities in small and medium-sized towns. Vortrag auf dem Annual Meeting of the American Associations of Geographers (AAG), Washington D.C., USA, 02.-07. April 2019.
• Wagner, M. (2018): Small and medium-sized cities as places of work in the knowledge economy. An empirical analysis of knowledge-intensive services beyond the metropolitan regions in the German urban system. ARL International Summer School 2018: Small and medium-sized cities: new deals, new ways of dialogue?, Lille, Frankreich, 05.-08. September 2018.