Process and organisation
To coordinate this cooperation, a steering group was established. Over the years, the number of its members has grown steadily. Finally, the following authorities were represented:
- City of Leipzig and City of Halle, represented by city planning offices and offices for economic development;
- Municipalities of Schkeuditz and Municipality of Merseburg, as “voice” of the surrounding municipalities;
- Regional planning associations of Halle (Saxony-Anhalt) and Leipzig-West Saxony (Saxony);
- Saalekreis district, Leipzig district and Nordsachsen district;
- Regional government agencies of the federal states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
Regular meetings of the steering group ensured a high level of continuity in the exchange of information and facilitated agreement regarding the operational phases of the initiative.
The meetings have been chaired by the city planning offices of Leipzig and Halle. Additionally, three working groups were established, each entrusted with specific tasks related to the management of the joint database, planning and development, and regional marketing.
A highlight of the cooperation were regional conferences, which served as a forum for mutual exchange and joint discussion. During the the City Regions project, three regional conferences have been held in Braunsbedra, Lippendorf and Leipzig, each drawing around 60 participants.
Each conference delivered valuable input to the cooperation process in the form of studies and papers prepared by external experts and consultants. This model of work, which is based on external support and evaluation, is one of the factors that contribute to the success of the joint approach.
Another such factor is flexibility. All municipalities located in the Halle/Leipzig urban region have been invited to cooperate, but cooperation was voluntary, and local authorities decided for themselves whether they wished to join the initiative.
