Urban redevelopment
Urban redevelopment refers to urban development measures in districts or entire cities that are particularly affected by structural change and population decline . The urban redevelopment tries to counteract the loss of functionality that this entails on the basis of urban development concepts. Funding programs in Germany were therefore also referred to as urban redevelopment east and urban redevelopment west.
introduction
After 1990, many job-seeking citizens of the new federal states moved to the old federal states, which led to urban planning problems at the end of the 1990s. Many municipalities had a large number of apartments vacant . Since the 2000s, this development has also had to be observed in structurally weak cities in western Germany.
In the further future, a declining demographic development can exacerbate the problem of increased vacancy rates in many economically weak regions, not only in Germany.
Urban redevelopment measures in areas affected by loss of functionality should be prepared in a uniform manner and implemented quickly. The measures serving the common good should u. a. improve the settlement structure, the living and working conditions and the environment as well as preserve inner-city old buildings, strengthen the inner city and redevelop unused areas. Urban development functional losses are u. a. also considerable vacancies in the residential sector. The municipalities determine the size and socially acceptable implementation of the measures in the urban redevelopment areas. To this end, they develop urban development concepts and - if necessary - social plans.
Urban redevelopment east
In 2000, at the suggestion of the then Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Housing , Reinhard Klektiven (SPD), the commission “Structural change in the housing sector in the new federal states” was founded. In the report submitted at the end of 2000, the vacancy rate of around one million apartments in eastern Germany is determined, which corresponds to a rate of 13 percent. The focus was on the prefabricated buildings , but also on old buildings in the suburbs. The commission recommended that 300,000 to 400,000 vacant apartments should be taken off the market within ten years. The aim should be to support the urban development of the shrinking city districts. It was proposed to support the demolition and the necessary upgrading measures through the use of funds . The municipalities were asked to devote themselves to the new task of “managing urban redevelopment”.
Funding programs
The East German municipalities were funded through several differentiated programs, some of which were linked
- for general urban development funding in mostly older city centers and Wilhelminian-style districts (since 1991),
- for the protection of urban monuments in historic city centers (since 1991),
- for the further development of large new building areas (since 1993),
- for the social city in socially depressed areas (since 1999),
- for urban redevelopment by upgrading mostly prefabricated housing estates (since 2002),
- on urban redevelopment through demolition in residential areas affected by vacancies (since 2002) and
- for the elaboration of integrated urban (district) development concepts.
The funding programs were fixed in principle by administrative agreements between the federal government and the new states. The federal states decide on the inclusion of the support areas and the municipalities carry out the measures on their own responsibility.
In 2010 the second funding period started by resolution of the German Bundestag, which ran until the 2016 program year. The focus of the upgrade program has shifted in most cities, and the renewal of old buildings has become more important. At the same time, the urban infrastructure is being rebuilt by concentrating it primarily in the stable quarters. In many cities, the pace of demolition has slowed. Larger volume effects, which at the beginning of the program with the demolition of the prefabricated prefabricated building areas on the outskirts, still had a significant impact on the housing market, are generally no longer possible. Urban redevelopment is becoming more complex, more detailed and requires more coordination than before. In particular, the creation of residential space in the old building quarters requires staying power and the commitment of all urban redevelopment partners, now also the private owners. From 2015/16 onwards, the vacancy rate is expected to rise again, solely because of the then stronger population decline (demographic response). Urban redevelopment has thus become a permanent task. The Urban Redevelopment East and West programs were merged into a joint urban redevelopment program in 2017. So far, urban redevelopment measures in 1024 municipalities have been funded in both programs until the end of 2016: 494 municipalities in urban redevelopment east, 530 municipalities in urban redevelopment west.
Competition urban redevelopment east
In October 2001, the Urban Redevelopment East competition was launched by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing, in which over 260 municipalities took part. The aim of the competition was to accelerate the development of "Integrated Urban Development Concepts" (ISEK). These are the prerequisite for being able to claim funds from the “Urban Redevelopment East” program. 34 municipalities were honored for exemplary urban redevelopment concepts.
"Urban Redevelopment East" program
From 2002 to 2009, a total of 2.5 billion euros was available for this funding program, financed by the federal government, the federal states and the municipalities. In addition to the permanent demolition of apartments to reduce the excess supply, it is about the sustainable upgrading and stabilization of city quarters. The aim is to comprehensively support the structural change in eastern German cities and to consolidate the housing market. It is therefore an integrated funding program that combines urban planning and housing aspects.
The aim of the program is to strengthen inner cities and urban districts that are worth preserving through targeted upgrading measures as well as stabilizing the urban housing markets by demolishing vacant residential buildings that are no longer required. The program stands for the adaptation to the demographic and structural changes in society and offers the participating cities the chance to strengthen the city as such and to renew it sustainably. The first examples of careful demolitions (e.g. floor dismantling in Berlin-Ahrensfelde ) show that these measures contribute to the upgrading of the affected quarters, vacancies and relocation have been stopped.
Old debt aid
Already in 1993, which came debts Assistance Act (AltSchG) came into force. This law relieved the East German housing companies by around half of their old debts from the GDR era. Since the companies were heavily burdened by the remaining old debts and now also by new debts and the vacancy rate continued to rise, the law was changed in 2001 so that housing companies with a vacancy rate of over 15 percent were waived the old debts of demolished buildings. So there is a promotion of the demolition, combined with the remission of the old debts. The regulation for old debt relief expired at the end of 2013.
Balance sheet
The Urban Redevelopment East program, which was implemented until 2009, was particularly successful in reducing vacancies in cities with a large number of prefabricated buildings . For example, the building count of the 2011 census for Schwedt / Oder only showed a vacancy rate of 3.6%, for Hoyerswerda only 7.1% and for Neubrandenburg 4.2% of all apartments. Today, according to the census, the old industrial cities between Leipzig, Chemnitz, Plauen and Gera have the highest vacancy rates (e.g. Altenburg with 15.6%, Zeitz with 14.6%, Crimmitschau with 17.2% or Werdau with 16.2%) . The vacancy rate has often been concentrated here for decades, especially in the inner cities, which cannot be demolished without damaging the urban structure, which is why alternative concepts are required here.
At the same time, it became clear that the forecasts for future housing requirements in some cities were too negative and that too many apartments were demolished as a result of urban redevelopment measures in the East, which is why the municipalities are now confronted with an emerging shortage of marketable (i.e. potentially habitable, not ruinous) apartments see. This affects again growing cities like Berlin , Erfurt or Rostock .
criticism
There was a critical discussion in the context of urban redevelopment in some cities with affected, larger, Wilhelminian-style districts or city districts, especially from the perspective of monument protection . According to a study by the Bundestransferstelle Stadtumbau Ost, the main focus of dismantling is in 90 percent of the East German municipalities in housing stocks from the GDR era, but in almost every fifth municipality there are further focuses in the Wilhelminian style and every seventh in historic old towns. Around every tenth apartment that has been demolished in the new federal states is part of the old building stock, 80 percent of these demolitions are funded by the Urban Redevelopment East program. With citizens, "the demolition of the old building awakens bad memories of politically and planning-motivated area renovations in East and West Germany". The danger is seen that East German cities could lose an important unique selling point as a result of the renovation measures with the building fabric that is often still in existence.
Urban redevelopment west
Some cities in western Germany are also increasingly affected by negative demographic developments and economic structural change. Here, too, there are developments in many cities in the form of vacant buildings and fallow land . First there was a pilot phase of the federal government within the framework of the research program Experimental Housing and Urban Development (ExWoSt). In the research project “Urban Redevelopment West”, 16 pilot cities were initially examined to find out how the specific problems in West German cities should be addressed. Corresponding urban redevelopment strategies were financially supported.
Inclusion in the BauGB
In the course of the European Law Adaptation Act (EAG), regulations on urban redevelopment were anchored in the Building Code (BauGB ) in 2004 ( Sections 171a to 171d ). Now urban redevelopment is a new instrument alongside urban redevelopment and development measures and the social city regulations that were also introduced in 2004 . In order to control the process of urban redevelopment, urban redevelopment areas can be designated in which there is a reservation of approval for projects that are effective in terms of urban development and land law. On the other hand, urban development funds can be used to upgrade the area. The municipalities are advised to use the possibility of urban redevelopment contracts with private landowners ( § 171c BauGB), whose contract options have been significantly expanded as a result.
See also
- Urban history | Urban planning | Urban development | District development plan | Urban renewal | Redensification
- Cityscape | urbanity
- Urban redevelopment measure | Urban development measure | Redevelopment agency
literature
- Jürgen Goldschmidt , Olaf Taubenek: Stadtumbau , CH Beck 2010, 600 pages, ISBN 978-3-406-59633-9
- Frank Friesecke, Jürgen Goldschmidt, Theo Kötter, Gerd Schmidt-Eichstaedt, Fritz Schmoll called Eisenwerth: Stadtumbau - Ein Leitfaden , vhw Dienstleistungs GmbH Verlag 2010, 247 pages, ISBN 978-3-87941-945-6
- Uwe Altrock, Ronald Kunze, Ursula von Petz, Dirk Schubert; Urban renewal working group at German-speaking universities · Institute for Urban and Regional Planning of the Technical University of Berlin (Ed.): Yearbook Urban Renewal 2004/2005 - Urban Redevelopment. Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-7983-1958-8 .
- IBA office (ed.): The other cities - The other cities. IBA Urban Redevelopment 2010. 5 volumes. Berlin 2006/2007.
- Sigrun Kabisch, Matthias Bernt, Andreas Peter: Urban redevelopment under shrinking conditions. A social science case study . Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 978-3810041715
- Sebastian Seelig: Urban redevelopment and upgrading . (= ISR gray series; 4). Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-7983-2043-7 . ( Full text )
- Birk Engmann: Loss of memory - How our heritage is being destroyed. In: Leipziger Almanach 2009/2010. City of Leipzig, the Lord Mayor, City Archives Leipzig (ed.). Leipzig University Press. Leipzig. 2010. pp. 233-244, ISBN 978-3-86583-498-0
- Lebendige Stadt Foundation (ed.): Urban redevelopment - seizing opportunities for the city of tomorrow . Frankfurt 2006, ISBN 3-7973-0992-9
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Website of the Federal Environment Ministry - BMUB: Stadtumbau. Retrieved December 17, 2017 .
- ↑ Federal Transfer Office Urban Redevelopment East (2007) 5 Years Urban Redevelopment East - An Interim Balance. ( Memento from January 26, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
