Greater Hannover District

Together with the State Capital, the Greater Hanover district forms the heart of Lower Saxony. Over a million people live here in an area of some 2,300 square kilometres, almost as large as the Saarland. More than a quarter of the gross domestic product of Lower Saxony is produced in the Greater Hanover area. Greater Hanover also represents one of the most advanced forms of regional partnership in Germany.

Greater Hannover District Association

The Lower Saxony State Parliament passed a motion on December 14th 1962 by which the State Capital Hanover, 3 rural districts and 210 towns and boroughs of the Hanoverian ecomomic area were to form the Regional Greater Hanover District Association "in order to organise the Hanover Regional District." The Association was empowered to "usefully structure the Hanover Regional District by employing uniform planning measures", to "lay down guidelines for the use of Land" and to employ other "development measures".
The Greater Hanover District Association which exists today is the fourth Association solution in the Greater Hanover District (Law passed concering the Greater Hanover District Association, 20th May 1992) (Kommunalverband Großraum Hannover). Its responsibilities are:

• Local Transport
• Regional Planning
• Economic Development
• Recreation
  
  Exclusive responsibility for regional planning and local transport is legally anchored; the remaining responsibilities were transferred to the Greater Hanover Association by the other members of the association.
  
  


Constitution and Committees


The Greater Hanover District Association is a public corporation with the right to self-government. Its internal constitution follows the borough regulations for Lower Saxony.
The State Capital Hanover and the Rural District of Hanover are members of the Association and they finance the Association by allocation.
The ruling body of the Greater Hanover Association is the association assembly. It consists of 28 members, elected by the Council of the City of Hanover and the Council of the Hanover Rural District in equal parts.
The association assembly has set up three special committees which act in a advisory function during the preparatory stages of resolutions. They are the Transport Committee, the Regional Planning and Recreation Area Development Committee and the Economic Development, Financial and Economic Participation Committee.
The Assembly Committe is the second cooperative body within the Greater Hanover Association. It is made up of the chairman of the association assembly and eight other members who are entitled to vote and, in an advisory function, the managing director of the association, the chief mayor of the State Capital of Hanover and the chief town clerk of the Rural District of Hanover.
The third body in the Association is the managing director of the Association. The administration of the organisation is subdivided into specialised divisions within its four areas of responsibility.




Responsibilities




Public Transport

Solving the problem of increased traffic and avoiding an absolute traffic standstill has become one of the more important duties in the last years. It can only be solved by integrated traffic planning and structured public transport. The Greater Hanover Association is solely and exclusively responsible for public transport and regional planning by law.



Regional Planning

The Greater Hanover District is marked by the close relationship between suburban areas and tranport openings, economic development and environmental protection and recreation and protection of the countryside. Environmental demands and the needs of development projects often compete with each other. A multitude of problems and the conflict of interests have to be solved. Planning and coordination beyond local boundaries is the job of the Greater Hanover Association.



Economic Development

"Together with Association branches and regional towns and boroughs, the Greater Hanover Association is responsible for measures of regional importance in the establishment of trade and industry and the promotion of economic development." This is stated in the constitution of the Association. The development of the economy and industry, trade and commerce determines the chances of the Hanover region. The main task of the economic development branch of the Greater Hanover Association is to maintain existing jobs and create new positions in future-orientated branches.



Recreation

For an area with an urban concentration such as exists in the Hanover region the problem is posed how to create recreational possibilities within reach of urban areas, as well as maintaining significant country areas which reach out beyond the borders of the Hanover region (Moorgeest, Leinetal, Deister, Calenberger Lößbörde). We intend to link these recreational areas by means of public transport, together with footpaths and cycle paths. The Hanover Regional Association supports the careful development of these areas. In the last three decades the Association and its predecessors have invested approx. 60 million marks in the purchase and extension of such areas and in the development of the recreational amenities in the towns and boroughs of the region.