Regiopolis

A regiopolis is a city outside the core of a metropolitan area, that serves as an independent driving force for development within a larger region. The concept is used to develop midsized urban regions within regional, national and global contexts. For its surrounding region, the terms regiopolis region and regiopolitan area can be used and may be shortened to regio (similar to metropolitan area and metro).

The term regiopolis is a hybrid combination of the words region and polis (Greek: "city"), and is used in the context of urban and regional planning. It was developed by professors Iris Reuther and Jürgen Aring in Germany in 2006, with as the first model regiopolis. To use and further develop their common potential, various cooperations between the regiopolis, its surrounding region, business partners and the closest metropolitan areas are fostered.

In contrast to a metropolis a regiopolis is a characterization of smaller scaled centers with a high functional importance for their hinterland. Thus they are mostly situated outside of metropolitan areas. Further characteristics are

These characteristics have mainly been developed within the German framework; it is aimed to develop them further within a European context.

The first German city region working with the regiopolis concept is . A taskforce with different actors such as the hanseatic city of Rostock, the administrative district of Rostock, the Regional Planning Association Mid Mecklenburg/Rostock and the local business organizations is working on the promotion of the concept. They aim to build up a national and a European network of regiopolis, comparable to the network of European Metropolitan Regions and Areas.

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