Disseminating regional design: potentials and barriers in existing spatial planning and governance

Despite growing academic recognition of the usefulness of regional design for regional coordination and rescaling from the bottom up, the response of practitioners in spatial planning and governance at regional scales remains unclear. To investigate how practitioners assess regional design towards real-world practice, we interviewed practitioners engaged in our educational regional design studios in the Munich Metropolitan Region. Results demonstrate practitioners acknowledging the relevance and potential of regional design to practice amid persistent barriers in administration, such as a lack of resources or support. Disseminating regional design might therefore demand a more comprehensive arena of application than existing spatial planning.