1. the partnership in a nutshellReacting to individual demand at short term is a common strat-egy of commercial development on municipal level in moun-European Academy Bolzano/Bozentain regions but also in the plain. A concerted, long term strat-Institute for Regional Development and Local Development Agency egy developed in cooperation with other municipalities, aimed TE!Location ManagementLanghe Monferrato Roeroat using regional endogenous potentials, is often missing. E DA 12 E TH0COMUNIS aims at developing cooperative strategies for inter-SAV March 2 ce 8.-9. onferenmunicipal Commercial Location Development (CLD) in moun-tain areas. By raising awareness of the advantages of andRegional development Vorarlberg lC BSC, Business Support Centre Ltd.,enhancing intra-territorial cooperation, COMUNIS wants toFinaovercome individualistic attempts of problem solution on the Kranjlevel of single municipalities.bosch & partnerBosch & Partner GmbH MnchenTo this end, COMUNIS is developing guidelines for devis-ing and applying inter-municipal CLD-strategies adapted to Swiss Association for Services the challenges, conditions and potentials of the pilot regions to Regions and Communesin particular and mountain regions in general. The projectCity of Sonthofen will result in a transnational knowledge management and es-tablish sustainable structures for managing CLD in selectedCOMUNIS pilot regions.Ministry for the Environment,Canton of ValaisLand and Sea Economic Development OfficeProject Duration: July 2009 until June 2012lead partner contactthe pilot regionsNathalie Stumm DE Inter-municipal CooperationUniversity of Applied SciencesWestern Switzerland Valais for Strategic Steering of SME-Institute Economics and TourismFR LeiblachtalAlpsee-GrntenAToriented Location DevelopmentTechnoArk 3, CH-3960 SierreTel.: +41 27 60 69 00 3CH LIGroes Walsertalin the Alpine SpaceGorenjskaEmail: nathalie.stumm@hevs.ch Passeiertal SIwww.comunis.euTarareMartigny-Sion-SierreClaire Delsuc, Florine GoncetChamber of Commerce and Industryof Lyon Asti-AlessandriaPlace de la Bourse, F-69289 LyonTel: +33 4 72 40 56 92Email: delsuc@lyon.cci.fr IT

2. the challenge how to confront it our pilot regionsIn Alpine regions, adjacent municipalities strongly compete for COMUNIS aims at developing cooperative strategies for inter- COMUNIS has started the process of inter-municipal Com-economic development. Although this is not an Alps-specific municipal Commercial Location Development (CLD) in moun- mercial Location Development (CLD) in the pilot regions. Theproblem, the Alpine topography creates framework conditions tain areas. The development process typically comprises theimplemented activities are as manifold as are the frameworkdifferent than those prevailing in the lowland. Steep landscape following elements:conditions and problem situations in the pilot areas.and mountains, increased probability of natural hazards, etc., Vorarlberg (AT): A Project and Location Association has beenlimit the land available for development. This requires a con-Context description Starting points: motivation, history, development problemsset up that serves as an institutional structure enabling munici-siderate joint approach to commercial and industrial land palities to implement CLD-strategies and land policy.development. AnalysisTarare (FR): Local authorities focus their action on territorial Examining the situation and evaluating the analysis results marketing and the implementation of a hosting policy in order to enhance the economic attractiveness and facilitate the es-Developmenttablishment of businesses.Devising joint strategies and action concepts Alpsee-Grnten (DE): The municipalities plan to install a ImplementationSpecial Purpose Association that acts as an interlocutor for Setting up suitable management structures, regulations etc. companies and enables accurate, demand-oriented land management.Evaluation Passeier Valley (IT): Existing inter-municipal cooperation Feedback and strategy adaptation structures are optimized, especially regarding commercial/in- dustrial vacancy and traffic management.the guidelines giving municipalities a handGorenjska (SI): Two local communities are working on joint development approaches and on including ecologic elementsM. Wei (EURAC): Commercial site in the Passeier Valley, ItalyIn order to support municipalities and regions to go through into the development of commercial zones.In times of decreasing municipal budgets, outmigration of this process and to position themselves as a sustainable com-Asti (IT): It is aimed at developing shared public / private poli-young and educated people (brain drain), and repercussionsmercial location, COMUNIS provides guidelines on CLD. Thecies for deploying new energy-saving systems and at estab-of overall economic development not stopping at municipal guidelines are structured along the above-mentioned steps of lishing focus groups with businesses and municipalities.borders, inter-municipal cooperation for commercial develop-the development process. They will present various approa-ment suggests itself as problem solution. ches and possible activities, supported by practical examples. Martigny, Sion, Sierre (CH): In the three towns of the Val- ais romand, stakeholders are sensitized to and trained in in-Yet, municipalities abstain from pooling financial and humanAs a practical handbook for actors on the local and regional le- dustrial ecology in order to enhance a sustainable economicresources for an inter-municipal approach to strategically de-vel, the guidelines will describe: development.veloping, using, and marketing land, and attracting business- Options for action including measures of land use manage-es. Instead of taking the initiative for long-term development, ment, promotion and communication, and business support,municipalities react at short term, which leaves them little room suitable to the conditions in the various Alpine regions;for manoeuvre. Methods and tools for implementing the working steps from a first situation analysis to the establishment of a manage- ment structure; Tools for comparing costs and benefits and for assessing the environmental impacts. K. Schnthaler (Bosch & Partner GmbH): Workshop discussion inTitle picture (Bosch): Plant Blaichach of Robert Bosch GmbHAlpsee-Grnten, Germany