Economy ; Germany ; Globalization ; Small town ; Town
Small town are often considered to be losers of transformation and globalization processes. In Central Germany they suffered from the decline of their in economic base after the demise of the planning economy. Population decline often set in already
before 1990, due to urban decay. The paper examines small city developments after 1990. The analysis reveals a wide variation of developments: Small towns in suburban locations and those with important central place functions shows more favorable
development pattern than those in peripheral locations and small towns in lagging regions. - (IfL)
The county capital Neunkirchen in Germany´s Saarland state experiences a far reaching structural change over the past decades: From a town dominated by heavy industries (steel mill) Neunkirchen changed to a center of services and shopping
. This change influences the new image Neunkirchen wants to give itself to get rid of being a declining town in a rust belt. - (IfL)