Planning for leisure-led regional development: Complexity in the case of Fryslân

Developing leisure has the potential to contribute to broader regional development. This includes not only economic development, but also relates to societal goals such as nature protection, service levels and community building. However, such leisure-led regional development is a complex matter. This PhD thesis explores the complexity of leisure-led regional development in the Dutch province of Fryslân. Through an inter- and multidisciplinary approach, the development of leisure in Fryslân is analyzed. Applying complexity theories within frameworks of Evolutionary Economic Geography (EEG), Foucauldian discourse analysis, and ethnography results in recommendations for planning policy and practice aimed at leisure-led regional development. These recommendations include focusing on the institutional context that sets the rules for interactions between actors, acknowledging the role of individual actors as driving forces of emerging patterns of development and more qualitative methods for evaluation that allow for adaptivity in the description of ambitions.