Bedarfsgerechte Entwicklung und aktivierende Stadtentwicklung - die Praxisperspektive einer Kleinstadt-Bürgermeisterin

Der Beitrag reflektiert bedarfsgerechte Stadtplanung und aktivierende Stadtentwicklung von Kleinstädten aus der Praxisperspektive einer Bürgermeisterin. Es werden die Voraussetzungen, die Akteure sowie das (finanzielle) Anreizsystem der Stadtplanung ebenso diskutiert wie aktivierende Stadtentwicklung und deren Instrumente. Dabei wird auf bauliche, sozioökonomische und soziokulturelle Entwicklungen eingegangen, und aus praktischen Erfahrungen werden Schlüsse zu finanziellen und personellen Ressourcen sowie zu Innen- und Außenkommunikation gezogen.The article reflects on needs-based urban planning and activating urban development in small towns from the practice perspective of a mayor. Preconditions, stakeholders and the (financial) incentive system of urban planning are addressed, as is activating urban development and its instruments. This involves discussion of socio-economic and socio-cultural trends and the development of built form. The consideration of practical experience allows conclusions to be drawn for financial and human resources and for internal and external communications

Small town research in Germany - status quo and recommendations

Urban studies in Germany are traditionally oriented towards large cities. The structures, meanings and functions of small towns are not sufficiently perceived and differentiated in scientific or political debates. Adequate research on small towns requires systematic, comparative, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. Traditional attributions should be questioned critically and small towns should be examined empirically in their diversity and differentiation. This involves paying attention to external influences and heterogeneous internal structures as well as to regional functions and interdependencies. The availability and generation of statistical data, which also make small-scale analyses possible, are just as necessary as more comprehensive studies, which go beyond limited case studies. Finally, also research funding and academic teaching should address small towns more systematically than it has been the case in the past. This position paper presents recommendations for research, university teaching, official statistics and research funding in the field of small town research. The Ad-hoc Working Group focused on small town research in Germany and German-language literature, respectively

Kleinstadtforschung

Stadtforschung ist in Deutschland traditionell großstadtorientiert. Kleinstädte werden weder in wissenschaftlichen noch in politischen Auseinandersetzungen in ihren Strukturen, Bedeutungen und Funktionen hinreichend wahrgenommen und differenziert betrachtet. Eine adäquate Erforschung von Kleinstädten erfordert systematische, vergleichende sowie inter- und transdisziplinäre Ansätze. Traditionelle Zuschreibungen sollten kritisch hinterfragt und Kleinstädte in ihrer Vielfalt und Differenziertheit empirisch untersucht werden. Dabei geht es sowohl um die äußeren Prägungen und heterogenen inneren Strukturen als auch um regionale Funktionen und Verflechtungen. Die Verfügbarkeit bzw. Generierung von statistischen Daten, die auch kleinräumige Analysen ermöglichen, sind dabei ebenso notwendig wie umfassendere Studien, die über begrenzte und anlassbezogene Einzelfalluntersuchungen hinausgehen. Schließlich sollten auch die Forschungsförderung und die akademische Lehre Kleinstädte systematischer als bislang adressieren. Dieses Positionspapier enthält Empfehlungen für Wissenschaft, Lehre, amtliche Statistik und Forschungsförderung aus der Perspektive der Kleinstadtforschung.Urban studies in Germany are traditionally oriented towards large cities. The structures, meanings and functions of small towns are not sufficiently perceived and differentiated in scientific or political debates. Adequate research on small towns requires systematic, comparative, inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. Traditional attributions should be questioned critically and small towns should be examined empirically in their diversity and differentiation. This involves paying attention to external influences and heterogeneous internal structures as well as to regional functions and interdependencies. The availability and generation of statistical data, which also make small-scale analyses possible, are just as necessary as more comprehensive studies, which go beyond bounded and case studies. Finally, research funding and academic teaching should address small towns more systematically than has been the case in the past. This position paper presents recommendations for research, university teaching, official statistics and research funding in the field of small town research

A Small RNA Is Linking CRISPR–Cas and Zinc Transport

The function and mode of action of small regulatory RNAs is currently still understudied in archaea. In the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii, a plethora of sRNAs have been identified; however, in-depth functional analysis is missing for most of them. We selected a small RNA (s479) from Haloferax volcanii for detailed characterization. The sRNA gene is encoded between a CRISPR RNA locus and the Cas protein gene cluster, and the s479 deletion strain is viable and was characterized in detail. Transcriptome studies of wild-type Haloferax cells and the deletion mutant revealed upregulation of six genes in the deletion strain, showing that this sRNA has a clearly defined function. Three of the six upregulated genes encode potential zinc transporter proteins (ZnuA1, ZnuB1, and ZnuC1) suggesting the involvement of s479 in the regulation of zinc transport. Upregulation of these genes in the deletion strain was confirmed by northern blot and proteome analyses. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrate a direct interaction of s479 with the target znuC1 mRNA. Proteome comparison of wild-type and deletion strains further expanded the regulon of s479 deeply rooting this sRNA within the metabolism of H. volcanii especially the regulation of transporter abundance. Interestingly, s479 is not only encoded next to CRISPR–cas genes, but the mature s479 contains a crRNA-like 5′ handle, and experiments with Cas protein deletion strains indicate maturation by Cas6 and interaction with Cas proteins. Together, this might suggest that the CRISPR–Cas system is involved in s479 function