A discussion facilitated by ArthurSpiegler, ECOVAST Austria

There have been several symposia on the subjecs of small towns and there will be further ones. This online discussion about the essence and role of small towns was opened in the context of the preparations for the Makarska Meeting of ECOVAST Croatia. The discussion is meant to become a more permanent exchange of views between experts and interested citizens in Europe and beyond. It is hosted by ECOVAST and GIVE (a research organisation concerned about the potential of information technologies in the preservation and future development of rural areas that maintains this wiki).

What is the goal of this discussion? Initial contributions

• In the beginning, we would like identify what makes small towns different from big cities and also from villages and marketplaces (that might even be bigger than small towns). The hypothesis is that small towns are a crucial element of well - functioning rural regions. In some texts this hypothesis is unfolded.
• CharterOfMurau - resulting from the first symposium on Small Towns in the Styrian City of Murau in 1998
• ActionForMarketTowns - an initiative of SEEDA and ECOVAST, resulting in a symposium in the Lower Austrian city of Retz
• Presentation of ECOVAST Austria at the Retz Event concerning the CriteriaOfHistoricSmallTowns.
• First Work Meeting for Structuring the ASSET project on invitation of ECOVAST Croatia and the region and city of Makarska (on the base of a possible creation of a small town department in the Croatian urban planning system)

Results of the Makarska Meeting on small towns

• The ASSET Project (Action to strengthen small European Towns) programme of ECOVAST and SEEDA is an emerging project that we promoted in Retz and Makarska.
• Here are some of the results from Makarska - The ASSET Project/FirstWorkingSession