LORBER, Lučka. Development of the industrial areas of Maribor and change of their intended
function. V: MAIER, Jörg (ur.). Stadt und Stadtregion Maribor : Strukturen, Entwicklungen,
Probleme, (Arbeitsmaterialien zur Raumordnung und Raumplanung, Hft. 250). Bayreuth:
Universität, Lehrstuhl Wirtschaftsgeographie und Regionalplanung, 2006, str. 35-48, ilustr.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL AREAS OF MARIBOR AND CHANGE
OF THEIR INTENDED FUNCTION
Assistant Professor Lučka Lorber, Ph.D
University of Maribor
Faculty of Education
Department of Geography
Koroška 160, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
E-mail:lucka.lorber@uni-mb.si
Abstract
The article discusses structural changes of Maribor economy during the transitional period and during the period of
Slovenia’s association to the Common European market and their impact on change of the intended function of
industrial zones.
Majority of income of the Maribor economy typically came from industrial activity in the past. With change of
social system and transition to market economy, Maribor economy transited through all development phases, typical
of old industrial centres.
The consequences of negative deindustrialisation that affected the city in the process of transition to market economy
are given special emphasis here. The first signs of crisis in bearing manufacturing activities led to revenue decrease
of Maribor economy in gross domestic product of the country. Based on the analysis of the economic structural
changes in the period 1991-2004 we establish that the key reason for the delaying development of Maribor economy
sector next to the inadequate structure of the economic sectors lies in low capital investment rates and in low added
value per employee.
Structural changes of Maribor economy, especially in the manufacturing activities, during the transition period and
during the period of change to market economy are conveyed in the impact on the development of old industrial
zones. Decline of large industrial companies has caused once unified industrial zones of the city to change their
function and become increasingly mixed areas where smaller processing production plants are being intertwined with
service activities.
Key words: industrialisation, industrial zones, negative deindustrialisation, structural changes of Maribor economy
1
Industrial development in Maribor
Industrial development in Slovenia was closely correlated to the development of AustroHungarian state, although Slovenia already had some important mines and manufacturing shops
in the beginning of the industrial era.
The industrialisation process is one of the most important social and economic processes that has
had the most powerful impact on physiognomy and the quality of the landscape in the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries. Being affected by the industrialisation, the distribution of the population
and function of the settlements were also changed. The number of urban population increased
heavily under the influence of deagrarization. The process of urbanisation brought changes in
image and function of the cities. Maribor was the city that experienced the heaviest
industrialisation amongst larger Slovenian cities1.
During the manufacturing-industrial period, 19.1% of all companies of the Slovenian territory
were located in Maribor. Processing and light industries, the outcome of limited sources of
natural raw materials, work force and tradition, were prevailing. The companies were run
predominantly by foreign-owned capital mostly by owners from the centres in Vienna, Graz and
Trieste.
Only in the 18th century, when a commercial road was built through the city, the traffic through
the city enhanced development of crafts and commerce. In that period, first companies arose that
initiated the industrialisation of Maribor. The settlement was still concentrated around its
medieval inner city and started to spread alongside main roads to its future city area gradually.
In the midst 19th century, Maribor, still giving an impression of a country town, entered into its
second urbanisation period. The latter was labelled by economic liberalism, bureaucracy,
educational system, military, food-processing industry, commerce and railway with its large
workshops. With the abolition of feudal relationships in 1848, building of railways,
administrative inclusion of suburbia and with building of railway workshops in 1863, the
administrative, commercial and industrial development of Maribor began. Its population grew by
14 times in 100 years. Rapid development caused Maribor to urbanize hastily. Arising industrial
plants were established around the Glavni kolodvor and the Koroški kolodvor (the Main railway
station and the Koroški railway station), and developing commercial sector was situated along the
Partizanska cesta. New city areas were arising between the old inner city and the former
neighbouring villages that eventually united with the associated suburbs into one unit2.
After the World War I, in the period between 1918 and 1945, the development in the newly
formed state redeployed from food-, leather- and timber industries to textile- and metal industries.
Maribor became the first Yugoslav centre of textile and metal industry3. Based on the
1
According to the population census survey in 1910, the city of Maribor had 25.7 % of active industrial population
(cummulative with the employed in crafts trade).
2
Krajevni leksikon Slovenije; Podravje and Pomurje, book IV, 1980, Ljubljana.
3
At the end of 1938, Maribor had 27 textile factories where 6,293 workers were employed or in other words 35.7 %
of all Slovenian textile workers. The metal industry of the time employed 3,700 workers.
2
development of classic industrial branches the first industrial zones Melje, Tezno and Studenci
were formed.
PERIOD :
till 1925
1926-30
KOŠAKI
MELJE
1931-35
1936-41
POBREŽJE
STUDENCI
TABOR
PEKRE
TEZNO
RADVANJE
Lorber, 2006
Figure 1. First industrial zones
A more intensive industrialisation process was inhibited by weakness of Slovenian capital,
interests of foreign capital and overall socio-economic crisis in Yugoslavia.
After the World War II, in the socialist administrative-centralistic era (1945-1952), the most
intensive economic development of the city followed. The process of nationalisation, performed
in years 1946 and 1948, brought the nationalisation of sixty larger and smaller industrial
companies4. Electrification and development of hydroenergetic system on the River Drava
enabled the enhancement of production capacity and development of new industrial branches.
Until 1952, thirteen industrial branches evolved in the city. In the 1952, metal industry took the
leading role with 48.2 % of all industrial workers while textile industry with its 33.6 % of
workers generated the largest share of national income of the city industry. Timber industry with
6.2 % and the production and processing of electric energy with 3.8 % of employees in Maribor
industry were following. In the socio-economic circumstances of that era, a distinctly unilateral
economic structure arose in Maribor having emphasis on production of vehicles, means of
production, investment equipment and textile.
4
In 1951, there were thirty six industrial companies that were formed by joining of eighty nine factories, plants and
crafts workshops.
3
In the sixties, Maribor industrial sector reached its mature stage of development. Metal industry
with 45 %, textile with 19.8 % and electrotechnical industry with 9.5 % were still holding the
leading position. Three new industrial branches arose: non-ferrous metal industry, buildingmaterial industry and production of petroleum products. The after-war industrial development
was based mainly upon extending of traditional industrial branches.
In the period of self-government economy (1952-1989), the state interfered with the organisation
of business systems by its political moves. Economic policy of the socialist system had not
allowed timely restructuring of classic industry in compliance with the requirements of market
economy and of new economies that began to evolve in the European area in the 1960s. The
unbridled development of Maribor industrial sector can serve as an example.
In the seventies, Maribor industrial sector entered the phase of stagnation and falling behind the
pace of development in the rest of Slovenia. Investments in that period are decreasing; typical are
self-sufficiency, self-confinedness and fragmentation of industrial companies as well as their
technological obsoleteness5.
The eighties delineate regression regarding the Maribor economy which is showing in cessation
of population growth, reduction of employment positions, decreased share of national product
and in level of new investments which was below the republic average.
PERIOD till 1991
KOŠAKI
MELJE
STUDENCI
POBREŽJE
TABOR
PEKRE
TEZNO
RADVANJE
Lorber, 2006
Figure 2. Industrial zones before 1991
The companies underwent an organisational transformation and became basic organisations of united labour – the
so-called TOZDs (Temeljna Organizacija Združenega Dela). Among fifty-five companies, as many as 43
decomposed into TOZDs.
5
4
Presentation and analysis of economic activities after 1991
After Slovenia gained independence, with disintegration of the Yugoslav market and with loss of
the Eastern market (CMEA) as well as with the transition to market economy, the old industrial
cities encountered economic crisis. Maribor, which represented one of the most powerful
industrial centres in Slovenia and in
the former Yugoslav area, was in a
middle of a long lasting crisis that
1986
required integral social and economic
2004 12
1987
restructuring.
Maribor economy
10
2003
1988
experienced
a
rapid decline of
8
2002
1989
industrial production in the end of 80s
6
because of its unpreparedness for
4
2001
1990
social and economic changes that
2
followed. The structure of Maribor
0
2000
1991
industrial sector was based upon
capitally expensive structure and
1999
1992
upon limited structure in terms of
income. It was concentrated in giants
1998
1993
which had reached their climax in the
1997
1994
1996
1995
sixties. After this period, a constant
decline of national product in the
national
product
of
Slovenia
followed.
Revenue share of Maribor economy in RS revenues
Graph 1: Revenue share of Maribor economy in RS revenues in the period 1986-2004.
Source: SDK, APP, APPI, AJPES, author’s calculations.
In 1986, the Maribor municipality was still generating 11.0 % of overall revenue in the
framework of Slovenian economy. The most profound decline that Maribor economy
experienced was in the period between the end of the eighties and Slovenia’s gaining
independence in 1991. Only the period after 2002 can be characterized as an era of gradual
revival of Maribor economy which is still too slow to have significant influence on the
improvement of socio-economic circumstances in the Maribor municipality.
Reasons for the crisis of Maribor economy in the midst eighties can be analytically defined by the
inadequate structure of economic activities6. Maribor economy of the time generated more than
60 % of revenue through processing activities where the leading role was attributed to production
6
Majority of revenue in the industry sector was generated by manufacture of heavy vehicles, investment equipment
and textile manufacture, mainly focused on requirements of Yugoslav market. Such a structure of the industrial
companies did not prove stimulating for development of small and medium-sized enterprises which tend to be more
competitive and could adapt easier to the changes on the market. That was the cause for Maribor to experience the
destiny of old industrial cities. Classic industry did not produce common goods or high added value products and
was thus not able to present its offer on the competitive markets to compensate for the loss on southern market.
5
of transportation vehicles and to the textile industry. The crisis in these two branches brought
serious problems to Maribor economy. With disintegration of Yugoslav state, the production of
investment equipment and textile lost the majority of their markets.
After 1991, some major changes occurred in Maribor economy regarding the structure of
industrial companies, the structure of economic revenues and in production according to sectors
of activity.
The share of the industrial sector in the Maribor economy revenue was falling rapidly in the
period from 1989 through 1991 while the decline was somewhat slower after 1991. The fall in
industrial production plays a leading role in economic recession of Maribor compared to the
republic. Maribor experienced
the deepest fall in economic
revenue
in
1993.
The
2003
successful
growth
of
2002
commercial revenue was the
2001
result of relatively moderate
2000
fall of the revenue in
1999
Slovenian economy. After
1993, the financial services
1998
sector experiences growth,
1997
which is mainly the result of
1996
activation of larger number of
1995
small enterprises that needed
1994
financial service7. The
1993
deviation from normal revenue
1992
growth in the sectoral activity
1991
of transport and connections in
1995 is a consequence of
1990
moving the headquarters of
1989
Slovenian Post Office from
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Ljubljana to Maribor.
Industry
Constuction
Transport and communication
Trade
Financial intermediation
Other activities
Graph 2: The trend of revenues in individual sectors of Maribor economy.
Source: SDK, APP, APPI, AJPES, MOM – department of economy.
7
Financial engineering were the main source of capital for the newly-formed private companies in the period 1992 –
1994. In the period of high inflation, the financial grey market tends to lend money at usurious interest rates. With
the suppression of the inflation, most of these financial engineering experienced a breakdown and were unable to pay
unrealistically high interests, let alone to return the principal value to their investors. That led to a breakdown of the
grey financial market in 1995.
6
In 1995, a change in classification of the activity occurred. Changes in the form of new ways of
acquiring statistical data do have influence on partial deviations in cumulative figures. The sheer
impact is not important to the extent where long-term trends could not be comprehended or their
impact on economic circumstances in Maribor municipality analysed.
In the nineties, territorial changes occurred. Until 1990, the territory of Maribor municipalities
measured 738 km2 and had 186,844 occupants that lived in 177 living quarters. In 1990, the city
unified in terms of administrative affairs into one unit for functional reasons. Three
municipalities formed from former six units: The Maribor municipality (1), the Pesnica
municipality (2) and the Ruše municipality (3). The new Maribor municipality encompasses 357
km2 and numbered 153,053 inhabitants, living in 87 settlements.
In the end of 1994, another transformation occurred. The newly formed municipalities of Duplek
(4), Rače-Fram (6) and Starše (5) separated from the Maribor municipality. The Maribor
municipality now measures 213.7 km2 and numbers 132,860 inhabitants, living in 50 settlements.
At the brink of a millennium, municipalities of Miklavž na Dravskem polju (7) and HočeSlivnica (8) separated
from
the
Maribor
municipality. Maribor
municipality
today
measures 147.5 km2
and,
according
to
population census of
2002, numbers 110,668
inhabitants, living in 33
settlements8.
Without
having
regarded changes in
data acquiring due to
territorial changes of the
Maribor municipality,
wrong
conclusions
could be made that the
circumstances
in
Maribor economy are
even worse than they
really are.
Figure 3: Maribor municipality today
8
Administrative changes hinder monitoring and analysis of data in economic trends of the entire area.
7
Structural changes in the sector of manufacturing activities
Taking into consideration the fact that the revenue of the Maribor economy was based on
revenues of manufacturing activities, it is understandable that the consequences of the recession
are closely associated to structural changes within these activities.
The main disturbance in the Maribor manufacturing activities occurred in the few year period
before gaining independence and the first years after that. It is thus typical for Maribor economy
to have experienced a shock as early as in 1988, the year of crucial political events that
eventually brought to the disintegration of Yugoslavia. The production share in the sector of
manufacturing of transport
equipment (DM) began to fall
2004
drastically. The Yugoslav
Army ceased to buy from
2003
Maribor companies almost
2002
entirely in the 1988. By
2001
gaining
independence,
2000
Slovenia lost the civilian part
of the Yugoslav market and
1999
the decay of incorrectly run
1998
and
stately
privileged
1997
companies
was
thus
1996
inevitable. In the 80s, the most
important activity was the
1995
manufacture
of
transport
1994
9
equipment that contributed
1991
34.9 % of the Maribor
1990
manufacturing sector revenue.
Its share was falling rapidly
1989
because of the loss of the
1988
market. This decline is even
1987
larger considering the absolute
figures
because
Maribor
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100
%
industrial production in that
period decreased by 42 %.
DA
DB
DJ
DL
DM
Others
Graph 3: The trend of revenue shares in the sector of manufacturing activities (NACE
classifications registry) in Maribor economy.
Source: SDK, APP, APPI, AJPES, MOM – department of economy, author’s calculations.
9
The bankruptcy of TAM as a result of the ‘wait-and-see’ state interventionism.
8
Figure 4: The first phase of 1988-1995 – crisis in the sector of transport equipment
manufacturing (DM)
Traditional industrial sectoral activities such as the manufacture of transport equipment (DM),
textile10 (DB), electrical equipment11 (DL) and engineering industry12 (DK) experienced
significant decrease in production. These manufacturing activities had their markets in the former
Yugoslav area and were “privileged” at both, the state and the local levels. The consequences of
disintegration of Yugoslav market proved fatal for the companies which operated in the field of
production of the investment equipment.
The absence of propulsive13 industry sectors resulted in rapid decline of the Maribor economy
revenues. The process of restructuring Maribor economy is now progressing in a very slow
manner. The share of investing in research and development and in modernisation of the
production14 was not sufficient. Attempts were made at solving the problems by subsidizing the
manufacture of transport equipment.
10
Problems and bankruptcy of MTT in Melje. The crisis in textile sector tends to keep deepening. This way the
branch continues to experience a considerable regression and decrease of the number of employees.
11
Data for the year 1994 show low share of the production which is the consequence of a bankruptcy of
Elektrokovina. In the year 1996, the production increased due to the investment in the Elektrokovina’s part – Svetila
made by Siemens.
12
In the end of 1994, Metalna went bankrupt. Metalna disintegrated and part of the company was taken over by the
Palfinger company (direct investment of foreign capital), while the other part of the company restored some of the
production in 1995 and tends to achieve good results today. This is the reason for increase of the share of production
in the framework of production structure in the machine-building sector.
13
Propulsive industry tends to increase the development of the new accompanying production and services.
14
Investments in Maribor economy reach 75 % of the republic average in the year 1990, while in the years 19921994 the share is merely 67 %. Source: Lorber L., (1999), Processes of restructuring Maribor industry and their
impact on transformation of the space, doctoral dissertation, Zagreb.
9
Figure 5: The second phase, 1992-1996 – the crisis in the manufacture of machinery and
equipment (DK) and manufacture of electrical machinery and equipment (DL)
The decline in the number of the employed was typical for the period of 1994-1997. The largest
disturbances were caused by the bankruptcy of the MTT textile factories in Melje and Tabor. The
index 1997/1994 totals to 65 (87 on the municipal level).
18000
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
DA
DB
DJ
DL
DM
Others
Graph 4: The employees according to sectoral division of manufacturing activities in Maribor
economy in the period 1994-2004
Source: Lorber L. (1999): Restructuring processes in Maribor economy and their impact on transformation of the
space, doctoral thesis, PMF, Zagreb. AJPES, DURS,
10
The data clearly show that the production activities sectors DA – manufacture of food products,
drinks and production of animal fodder as well as DB – the production of yarns and textile
fabrics are being confronted with the least favourable prospects in the past years. In 2006, losses
of positions of employment can be expected in both sectors of activities because the revenue
share dropped significantly compared to the number of employees.
Data for DB show that mass dismissals of work force in this sector of activity will continue. In
the 2005 and 2006, a 40 % rate, in other words 400-500, loss of work posts can be expected
which means about 3.5 % of work posts in the sector of processing activities.
Figure 6: The third phase, 1994-2005 – the crisis in the textile sector
Maribor was unable to benefit from its geographical position and to attract foreign capital that
could relieve the accumulated economic problems in that time. One of the reasons for the
unsuccessful linkages with the foreign capital was also state interventionism. Grants for
preserving work posts had quite the opposite effect from the expected. State subsidies were used
for improvement of solvency and for employees’ wages. The economic management took the
‘wait-and-see’ position and expected a solution from the state. The local community was out of
ideas and thus confronted a rapid growth of unemployment rate and decrease of national product,
it expected to be saved by the state that adopted the ‘up-to-bottom’15 approach of help to the
economy thus relieving momentary social tensions, but affected consequent decline of
manufacturing and services activities in Maribor in the medium-term run.
15
Parker P., 2000. Global Opportunities and Regional Strategies: Contrasting Canada's Technology Triangle and
Australia's Multi – Function Polis. In: Regional Cohesion and Competition in the Age of Globalization.
11
Capital investments and added value per employee
Economic movements are directly dependent on the investment share. Thus the environments
where share of investments is above republic average can be considered as being a part of
dynamic development. All investments neither result in the same effects nor in the correspondent
share of revenue. However, when the share of investments per employee is compared to share of
revenue16 of Maribor economy in the framework of revenue of RS in the period 1986-2004, we
can observe the direct correlation between the increased investment and growth of the revenue.
120,0%
SLO = 100 %
100,0%
80,0%
60,0%
40,0%
20,0%
0,0%
1990
1991
1992
1993
67,1%
85,2%
76,3%
70,6%
92,9% 114,2% 118,8%
Per employee 51,9%
67,1%
62,0%
57,2%
77,4%
Per capita
1994
2003
82,3%
2004
86,6%
Graph 5: Share of investment per inhabitant and per employee in percentage compared to the
Slovenian average.
Source: Lorber L. (1999): Restructuring processes in Maribor economy and their impact on transformation of the
space, doctoral dissertation, PMF, Zagreb, UMAR, author’s calculations.
The analysis of the Graph 5 shows that Maribor economy is approaching a demanding period of
restructuring. The setback behind the republic average is decreasing; however it still stays behind
republic average by 13.9 percentage points. At the same time, the most developed statistical
region of Osrednja Slovenija exceeds investment rates per employee by 58.6 percentage points.
Reasons for low added value per employee may be attributed to the inadequate structure of
economic activities. The existent labour legislation disables the management to lead active
employment policies and thus achieving the optimum results.
16
See Graph 1: Revenue share of Maribor economy in RS revenues in the period 1986-2004.
12
100
90
80
70
60
50
The share of added value
per employee , RS=100
1998
1999
2000
2001
2003
2004
84,7
81,6
80,5
79,9
82,9
86,1
Graph 6: The share of added value per employee in Maribor economy in the period 1998-2004.
Source: SURS, UMAR, author’s calculations.
Despite slight increase of revenue which is above republic average, the analysis of the ratio
between revenue and the number of employees within the manufacturing activities shows that as
early as in 2006, loss of work posts can be expected in the sectors of food production (DA) and
above all in the sectors of textile goods and textile products (DB).
Internal structure of revenue of the Maribor economy shows that manufacturing is concentrating
again in three sectors that acquired half of their revenue in the framework of manufacturing
activities in the 2004.
The DJ sector – metal processing, which employs 24.4 percent of all employees, generates a
majority of revenue (22.9 %). Maribor economy today, at one time well known by its large and
successful companies, has no successful large company to be proud of, except for Mariborska
livarna and foreign-owned companies Henkel, Palfinger and Siemens.
13
Conclusion
Slovenia experienced the most severe socio-economic problems in the transition period in the
areas with inadequate economic structure. Maribor economy that coped with the restructuring of
classic production sectoral activities according to market economy principles also belongs to this
category.
Structural changes of Maribor economy in the transition period can be classified in three stages.
The first phase (1988-1995) was the beginning of the crisis in the companies that produced
commercial vehicles and which also included dedicated production for the purposes of the
Yugoslav Army. The latter part of the production was managed with no regard to marketing
principles. In the year 1988, when Yugoslav political crisis began, the Yugoslav Army ceased to
purchase special purpose vehicles. Companies were not prepared to the unilateral discontinuation
of cooperation and political leaderships believed in normalisation of business operations and thus
directly contributed to the decline of these sectoral activities. The state involved in solving the
problem using state subsidies that were intended for ‘preservation of work positions and workers’
wages’ and not for the restructuring of production or seeking for new strategic partners. Such an
approach using state subsidies was known in the developed economies in the seventies and
eighties of the preceding century. Its consequence was triggering the ‘wait-and-see’ effect with
the leaderships of the companies. The ‘top-down’ model which was based on the central role of
the state and the strategy of passive receiving of the state funding for preservation of existing
work positions came into effect. Its consequence was the falling share of revenue in this sector
from 34.9 percent in the year 1987 to 3.1 percent in the year 1995.
The second phase (1992-1996) delineated the crisis in the companies producing investment
equipment. It was typical of these companies to have been operating mainly in the common
Yugoslav market and, together with the large state-owned companies, in the foreign markets of
the Third World. They lost the Yugoslav market and cooperation export deals with the decay of
the common state. Obstructed access to the financial market and loss of markets consequently
brought the decline of these companies. At the same time, the employees from these working
environments were the main holders of constitution of small enterprises – both, those productionas well as those service-oriented.
Third phase (1995-2006) delineates the crisis in companies in the textile sector. This sector
experienced three critical periods. The first period was the year 1995 when more than 25 % of all
jobs in this sector were cancelled, while in the 1998 over 30 % of the remaining jobs were also
cancelled; thus, the number of the employees decreased to under 2,000 employees for the first
time. The last crisis is placed in the years 2004 and 2005 when additional 300 jobs were lost.
The textile industry is bound by cheap labour force and employing women. Globalisation of the
trade and changing to the market economy inevitably brought recession and decline to this
industrial activity.
14
Experiences revealed the fact that structural problem of Maribor economy could not be
successfully resolved merely by external development incentives (investments, state funding, and
acquisition of new companies) in accordance to observations of he ‘top-down’17 model.
Both the city and the economic operators are lacking the vision of development. The ‘bottom-up’
model strategy pointed out the weakness of Maribor economy since the qualitative and
quantitative effects were lower than expected due to weak development potential.
Endogenously (‘bottom-up’ model) devised approach to stimulation of development, based on
exploitation of Maribor’s own developmental capabilities, is crucial in this stage of development.
However, an association with the ‘local-global partnership’ model should be established as soon
as possible to achieve greater efficiency of the development by combining international and state
funding, as well as by private funding to build public-private partnership.
The essence of restructuring processes in Maribor economy is in adaptation to circumstances on
the global market. Economic goals of long-term growth of added value and productivity should
be followed in pursuance of assuring competitiveness. This will bring adequate living standard to
the population and provide for regional development. The successfulness of this goal depends on
successful development of processing sectors that are closely related to other economic sectors.
Developed processing sectors are the generator of development in service sectors that are
associated with the industry. In these service sectors possibilities exist for employing the work
force which has once lost their employment in the processing sectors because of the
rationalisation of working processes and improved work productivity.
Strategic holders of development (transportation-logistics sector, financial and business services,
tourism, as well as large and small entrepreneurship) of the Maribor economy should be
stimulated for improvement of its situation. It is in the regional and national interest to take
advantage of the favourable geostrategic position and development perspective for the purpose of
international cooperation. Public and private investments in education should be enhanced,
especially investing in science and new technologies that would, together with investments in
entrepreneurship, form a basis for transformation of Maribor economy.
All mentioned efforts will have an important impact on changes in purposeful utilization of
space. Urban design of Maribor is focused on additional construction of free and unused urban
surfaces and on rounding-up of industrial-business zones that will have the adequate
infrastructural equipment and appropriate connections to transport corridors. Protection of
environment and humanization of life are future development perspectives that will ensure a
more qualitative urban image of the city and improve residing of its inhabitants.
17
Parker P., 2000: Global opportunities and regional Strategies. Regional Cohesion and Competition in the Age of
Globalization.
15
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