<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>There is a growing interest in understanding development processes and opportunities in small and medium-sized towns that so far did not attract much attention in mainstream urban theory. Conventional growth-oriented approaches fail to capture the complexity of local development and policy-making processes because they prioritise production factors and underrate the role of discourse and place-based identity. This paper aims to explore the linkages between narratives, place identity, and local development. As local actors try to make sense of a place’s past and future, they select, contribute to, and mobilise various local narratives. Multiple narratives feed into and are part of a place’s identity that defines a frame for possible development options. The paper uses the case of Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) to analyse the evolution of local development narratives from the 1970s until today. The paper concludes that: i) narrative-making is not a linear process; narratives, spatial imaginaries and local identity are complex, dynamic, and interconnected with each other; ii) local narratives help to construct a coherent imaginary of a place and are mutually intertwined with local development and policies; and iii) local narratives are interdependent with external events and strategies requiring a multiscalar relational perspective on local development processes.</p>
</abstract>

There is a growing interest in understanding development processes and opportunities in small and medium-sized towns that so far did not attract much attention in mainstream urban theory. Conventional growth-oriented approaches fail to capture the complexity of local development and policy-making processes because they prioritise production factors and underrate the role of discourse and place-based identity. This paper aims to explore the linkages between narratives, place identity, and local development. As local actors try to make sense of a place’s past and future, they select, contribute to, and mobilise various local narratives. Multiple narratives feed into and are part of a place’s identity that defines a frame for possible development options. The paper uses the case of Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) to analyse the evolution of local development narratives from the 1970s until today. The paper concludes that: i) narrative-making is not a linear process; narratives, spatial imaginaries and local identity are complex, dynamic, and interconnected with each other; ii) local narratives help to construct a coherent imaginary of a place and are mutually intertwined with local development and policies; and iii) local narratives are interdependent with external events and strategies requiring a multiscalar relational perspective on local development processes.

Industrial forever? Narratives, place identity, and the development path of the city of Zeitz, Germany

Moravian Geographical Reports

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

There is a growing interest in understanding development processes and opportunities in small and medium-sized towns that so far did not attract much attention...

Industrial forever? Narratives, place identity, and the development path of the city of Zeitz, Germany

Published Online: Jan 07, 2023

Page range: 270 - 287

Received: Feb 04, 2022

Accepted: Sep 30, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2022-0018

Keywords
narrative, place identity, past, coal mining, small town, local development, Germany

© 2022 Franziska Görmar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Industrial forever? Narratives, place identity, and the development path of the city of Zeitz, Germany

Published Online: Jan 07, 2023

Page range: 270 - 287

Received: Feb 04, 2022

Accepted: Sep 30, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2022-0018

Keywordsnarrative, place identity, past, coal mining, small town, local development, Germany

© 2022 Franziska Görmar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
narrative, place identity, past, coal mining, small town, local development, Germany