Transfer of Science or Research, Cooperation agreements

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its subsequent war of aggression against Ukraine have played a significant role in raising awareness of the importance of national and collective defence, as well as disaster preparedness.

Considerable progress is needed in both the military and civilian sectors, particularly with regard to strengthening societal and spatial resilience. Given their core expertise in shaping spatial structures and developments at all levels, spatial planning and spatial policy must also contribute to strengthening the resilience of the state, the economy and society.

This position paper emphasises the importance of securing and strengthening resilient spatial structures through spatial planning and development, and sets out the possibilities (and necessities) for action at all levels of spatial planning.

It argues that integrating resilience into spatial planning instruments and policy should be mandatory, and that traditional principles, such as infrastructure concentration, must be re-evaluated.

The position paper sets out numerous recommendations for the federal states and regional planning organisations to incorporate into their respective plans in order to support national and alliance defence, as well as civil protection. It is also crucial for stakeholders in spatial planning, national and alliance defence, and civil protection to engage in continuous dialogue and knowledge exchange.

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Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Prof. Dr. Andreas Klee (ARL)
Phone +49 511 34842-39
andreas.klee@arl-net.de

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Originalpublikation:
ARL – Academy for Spatial Development in the Leibniz Association (ed.) (2026):
Resilient Spatial Structures. Spatial planning and development strengthen national and
collective defence and civil protection.
Hanover. = Positionspapier aus der ARL 165.
https://doi.org/10.60683/awj8-1r35

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Weitere Informationen:
https://www.arl-net.de/de/projekte/resiliente-raumstrukturen/blog