Rural regions are under stress given current migratory patterns and demographic changes such as aging population. Land managers need therefore to design new solutions which make rural regions both ‘attractive’ and ‘lucrative’ alternatives to urban regions. The core question of this article is how this can be done. The approach to this question is threefold, learning from practice, learning from theory and synthesizing through discursive and hermeneutic dialogues. From a practical point of view the challenges and root causes for demographic changes are connected to the requirements for regional identity and pride. This is substantiated with data derived from representatives of governments and municipalities of Bavaria in Germany. From a theoretical point of view, several theoretical paradoxes and rationalities are addressed. Based on these first two sections, the third step is to interpret through discursive and hermeneutic dialogues: between theory and practice, between urban and rural regions, and between politicians and citizens. The conclusion section reflects on these dialogues and comes back to the key research question, namely whether and how regions can be ‘attractive’ and ‘lucrative’ at the same time.     «

Rural regions are under stress given current migratory patterns and demographic changes such as aging population. Land managers need therefore to design new solutions which make rural regions both ‘attractive’ and ‘lucrative’ alternatives to urban regions. The core question of this article is how this can be done. The approach to this question is threefold, learning from practice, learning from theory and synthesizing through discursive and hermeneutic dialogues. From a practical point of view t...     »