The alternative to the city is life in the countryside. Yet what constitutes attractive locations and intact village structures? Which planning strategies and instruments help to keep them alive instead of covering open spaces with sprawling single-family housing estates and business parks? How can architecture contribute to creating or maintaining identity? In Bavaria, Katinka Temme and Daniel Reisch have discovered several good examples. They investigate the possibilities of closing the gaps, redensification, replanning, redesigning, reuse - in short the architectural means of strengthening regional identity. In addition to entertaining theoretical discussions, the book presents 20 good examples of architecture that show how an actual rural perspective can succeed.