Abstract

The anthology was produced on the occasion of future : lab 2003, a symposium on the future organised by the Ernst Bloch Centre. With their contributions, renowned experts prove that cities and regions are facing a paradigm shift in view of globalisation and the development of Europe. The Rhine-Neckar Triangle with its three "capitals" Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg is a model region in terms of economic power, culture, education and research as well as quality of life. The strengths and synergies of the civic region are illuminated from a historical perspective (keyword: Kurpfalz) and projected onto a future-oriented perspective (keyword: metropolitan region). The profiles of the cities and municipalities form the foundations for the cultural and civic region; however, it is urbanity, home and the cultural region's own mythology that create cohesion and identity. The concrete utopia "We are building the cities together" stands as a metaphor for the bundling of competences. The book encourages other civic spaces to position themselves confidently in a Europe of regions.