Summary In the midst of a seemingly rich Germany, numerous towns, villages and rural districts are broke. The pathway to insolvency typically includes the following steps. Over the course of ten to twenty years, a community heaps up debt because revenue is permanently too low. To raise funds, towns then sell assets and establish public-private…
Summary The energy transition in Scotland profits from a land reform that has inverted historic property relations. Historically, Scotland is viewed as one of the most important examples for the enclosure of the commons.[1] Up until the 19th century, large estates in Scotland were still being commodified [2] and sold. More often than not, the…
Ungersheim, a former mining town in the Alsace region, has successfully implemented a local socio-ecological transition strategy. Their success was based on the town autonomously designing its transition pathway, instead of following French government guidelines.[1] As the mayor, François Mensch, tells us, there are three dimensions to Ungersheim’s autonomy. The first two obvious dimensions are…