OECD Territorial Reviews: Hamburg Metropolitan Region, Germany

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and acronyms
Executive summary
	Key messages
	Key recommendations
Assessment and recommendations
	Assessment
		Hamburg Metropolitan Region spans four federal states and a heterogeneous mix of urban and rural areas
		While the HMR enjoys a strong economy overall, it is quickly losing ground to regions in the south of Germany and its labour productivity remains low in the OECD context
		Human capital is lower in the HMR than in other metropolitan regions in Germany
		Limited capacity to invest in innovation and scattered efforts to develop clusters undermine the region’s growth potential
		The HMR is well-positioned to make the most of digitalisation but a digital divide remains between urban and rural areas
		Despite successful regional collaboration in transport, large differences in accessibility within the HMR are hampering economic integration and territorial cohesion
		The fragmented spatial planning framework contributes to a persistent mismatch between supply and demand in the housing market
		The HMR has the potential to become a global leader in renewable energy
		The region offers a diverse range of cultural and natural assets but these remain underexploited
	Recommendations
		Strengthen collaboration across local, state and national boundaries to raise the HMR’s international profile
		Develop an integrated regional innovation strategy
		Intensify national and European co-operation on innovation
		Invest in strengthening education and human capital
		Seize the opportunities of digitalisation to nurture new sources of growth and improve public service delivery
		Improve regional planning for housing and transport
		Leverage the region’s biodiversity and leadership in renewable energy production
		Join forces around a common cultural and tourism brand as a driver of balanced regional growth
		The way forward
Chapter 1.  Trends, challenges and opportunities in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region
	Overview of the Metropolitan Region of Hamburg in Germany
		A relatively fragmented administrative structure
		A monocentric region with a wide periphery
		The HMR ranks upper midfield for economic development in Germany
			The HMR shows lower labour productivity than directly comparable metropolitan regions across the OECD
	Economic performance, innovation and digitalisation
		Labour productivity lags behind regions in Southern Germany
			Large differences in labour productivity within the HMR persist
			The HMR’s economic performance is improving relative to other metropolitan regions across the OECD
		The HMR scores lower for human capital than other regions in Germany
			The HMR has relatively low shares of high-tech employment and employed with a tertiary degree
			The HMR ranks midfield to lower midfield for quality of education
			More dynamic labour markets elsewhere may increase skills shortages in the HMR
		The HMR ranks midfield for research, development and innovation (RDI) but is improving
			The HMR tends to have smaller firms
			The HMR ranks lower midfield for research and development in Germany
			The HMR scores lower for innovation performance than regions in Southern Germany
			The HMR ranks midfield for innovation performance compared to principal comparators across the OECD
			The HMR’s relative innovation performance has improved over time
			The HMR’s comparative advantage in innovation potential: The case of renewable energy generation and storage
		The HMR takes a leadership position for digital infrastructure
	Quality of life, infrastructure and environmental sustainability
		Quality of life is high
		Large differences in transport and mobility within the region
			The HMR’s level of connectivity resembles that of other metropolitan regions in Germany
			Large differences exist within the HMR in terms of connectivity, accessibility of public transport and congestion
		A rising demand for housing remains partly unmet
			An increasing demand for floor space remains partly unmet
			Spatial demand mismatches and management
		A diverse natural environment
		Highly attractive for tourism but differences within region persist
	Institutional framework
	Notes
	References
		Annex 1.A. Additional tables on comparator regions
Chapter 2.  Strengthening economic development, innovation and digitalisation in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region
	Introduction
	Strengthening innovation in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region
		The economic case for innovation
		The innovation ecosystem and strategies in the HMR
		Key challenges to innovation in the HMR
		Drivers of innovation
	Boosting education and human capital
		Key challenges in education and human capital in the HMR
		Research and universities in the HMR
		Strengthening science-industry linkages
		Ensuring social mobility and inclusion through education
	Promoting a more dynamic business environment and entrepreneurship
		Supporting SMEs to scale up and innovate
		Cluster policies for smart specialisation
		Encouraging entrepreneurship in the HMR
	Making the most of digitalisation
		High-quality access to high-speed Internet
		E-government: Using digitalisation to improve access to services in the HMR
		Using digitalisation for smart transport solutions
	Notes
	References
		Annex 2.A. Comparison with international and German metropolitan regions
Chapter 3.  Fostering sustainable and balanced development in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region
	Introduction
	Improving housing affordability and making spatial planning more effective
		Responding to a lack of affordable housing and increasing competition between land uses
			Increasing the availability of affordable housing
			Overcoming a fragmented planning framework to plan long-term infrastructures
		Targeting housing affordability by improving policy integration and co-ordination
			Match housing supply to needs
			Encourage the compact development of towns and cities
			Enhance co-ordinated planning within the HMR
	Improving mobility management and harnessing new technologies to improve accessibility
		Countering disparities in accessibility
			Improving accessibility in rural areas
			Reducing bottlenecks and increasing links with Scandinavia
			Collaborating on a regional level
		Addressing mobility throughout the HMR
			Integrate transport with housing and land use
			Harmonise tariff schemes across the region
			Harness digitalisation to ensure service provision in peripheral and ageing areas
	Leveraging the HMR’s potential to advance environmental sustainability
		Improving environmental sustainability by protecting natural assets and harnessing the potential of renewable energy production
			Protecting green space and biodiversity
			Addressing the energy transition by harnessing the potential of renewable energy production
		Fostering a prosperous and environmentally sustainable HMR
			Protect green spaces and foster biodiversity through greater co-operation across administrative boundaries
			Build on the potential of renewable energy production
			Retrofit of buildings to be more energy efficient
			Enhance citizen participation
			Integrate energy efficiency, housing and land use planning
	Enhancing quality of life and attractiveness of the HMR
		Promoting culture and tourism for an attractive HMR
			Valorising cultural assets
			Utilising tourism as a driver of regional development
		Strengthening urban-rural linkages to increase quality of life for all HMR residents
			Harness the potential of tourism for balanced development
			Use subjective well-being indicators to inform and monitor policy
			Facilitate access to cultural amenities throughout the HMR
	Conclusion: A holistic strategy to promoting sustainable development for all in the HMR
	References
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