Quality of life (QoL) figures among the societal concepts without a clear and standardised definition. Thus, each research study grasps the concept differently: either it undertakes a comprehensive approach and investigates all QoL aspects, or it looks into the specific elements, one of them being the governance.

The Interreg Alpine Space GOVQoL project aims to elaborate on the local governance of quality of life in the Alpine countries Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia. For this purpose, the QoL concept from the 10th Report on the State of the Alps was adapted to the local level. This was done by performing interviews with the representatives of the municipal administration and other forms of local organisations like local action groups, union of municipalities, associations and regional parks.

The questions focused on the existing policies to support quality of life, identification of stakeholders engaged in policy making, projects municipalities implement for better QoL, existing monitoring systems, and other governance-related questions. Results show that territories, either implicitly or explicitly, activate measures (projects, policies, strategies) aimed at improving QoL. However, the ways in which QoL is addressed vary according to the different institutional arrangements, geographical conditions, the distribution of responsibilities, and local capacities – particularly economic and human resources.

During workshops with selected local communities in the Alps, in which the concept was discussed more into depth with the local representatives, problems were identified, and solutions sought for. Based on the workshops, 10 roadmaps were prepared to guide the municipalities towards better governance. As several challenges to govern QoL are shared and so are potential solutions, a joint Alpine roadmap will be developed. This alpine-wide roadmap will include guidelines on how communities can intensify sensitivity to QoL in their governance framework, which objectives they should follow, and what instruments they should implement in this regard.

As one of the inputs to create the Alpine roadmap, this workshop is proposed. As an introduction into the discussion, the findings of the interviews will be presented, as will be the first outcomes of the local road maps. The regional MRC offers a great opportunity to address the relevant stakeholders and to discuss with them in participative manner the potential content of the roadmap.

Join us on July 8th, from 08:30 to 10:30!