ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the conceptual and analytical framework of metropolitan regions in Germany and their implementation in the case of Bremen-Oldenburg in northwestern Germany. It focuses on how rural areas participate in the concept and how metropolitan regions affect rural development. The chapter aims to clarify whether metropolitan regions indicate and increase regional cooperation in this context. An academic assessment of metropolitan regions and rural development requires a mixture of network analysis and qualitative analysis. These first insights into the processes and strategies for rural development in metropolitan regions are based on seventeen expert interviews with primarily rural actors. The metropolitan region of Bremen-Oldenburg in northwestern Germany shows only few metropolitan functions in comparison with the further defined regions in Germany. Functional and territorial governance work alongside under the label of the metropolitan region of Bremen-Oldenburg in order to achieve the common purpose of regional development. Furthermore, multiple network initiatives also exist alongside the metropolitan governance structures.
