The Thuringian alliance "City Centers with a Future" met yesterday via video conference for its third network meeting. During the event, initial results from the thematic working groups "Addressing Vacancy Issues," "Living and Housing in the City," and "Climate Change/Climate Adaptation" were presented, and further strategic steps were discussed.
Results of the working groups
Working Group “Managing Vacancy”
Presentation of the tool “FLOO-TH” by the Thuringian Land Society
A tool for recording vacant properties, which is provided free of charge to Thuringian municipalities
This instrument can provide support in addressing vacancy issues in municipalities
The instrument could also be used to record retail sales
The involvement of the municipal level is already anchored in the working group (cities of Pößneck, Gotha and Bad Liebenstein as municipal actors)
Determining the status quo (analysis of existing structures) and developing concrete objectives within the working group
Vacancy as a resource for small and medium-sized towns for immigration, urban development, activation of civil society engagement and innovative infrastructure solutions
Working Group “Climate Change/Climate Adaptation”
The topic affects a wide variety of different areas of inner-city development (an important cross-cutting task, but an independent working group)
Involvement of other stakeholders: in particular representatives of municipalities, environmental associations or climate protection managers
It is important to consider the different framework conditions of the municipalities
Different climate adaptation measures will also be the subject of regional conferences from 2022 onwards
Highlighting the added value of climate change measures relating to climate adaptation and climate protection for citizens, public administration and the private sector
Working Group “Living and Life in the City”
Transparency regarding existing initiatives and collaborations (within the administration and the citizenry)
Compilation in an overview (e.g. as a map)
Involving science in addressing specific issues
Evaluation of existing studies and published documents
Another cross-cutting theme is digitalization
The alliance is utilizing existing structures at the state level and networking with the existing workshop process for the Thuringian digital strategy.
In addition to the establishment and ongoing strategic work of the working groups, a joint website for the alliance is currently being planned. This will include, for example, profiles of the alliance partners, an events calendar, and other information relevant to the public.
Furthermore, the introduction of the regional conference format is planned for the second quarter of 2022, which are intended to promote the exchange and discussion of region-specific challenges and solutions for a sustainable development of Thuringia's city centers with the stakeholders in the municipalities and to enable a diversity of functions and services.
“The Thuringian alliance ‘City Centers with a Future’ is a good example of how urban development, and in particular the development of city centers, is a shared responsibility of a broad range of stakeholders. The focus is on the exchange of information and supporting Thuringian municipalities in developing sustainable visions for our city centers that serve the common good,” said Infrastructure Minister Susanna Karawanskij.
Furthermore, the alliance agreed that the provision of budgetary funds in the state budget from 2022 onwards is absolutely necessary to meet the alliance's organizational and project-related needs.
background
The challenges that structural change poses for the future development of our city centers are enormous – demographic shifts, changing consumer behavior, and digitalization place significant demands on future urban development. The COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning of 2020 has further intensified this effect. New strategies and tailored solutions are needed by municipalities to prevent functional decline, maintain the long-term vitality of our city centers, and ensure their high quality of life.
At the political level, the topic of inner-city development has already been addressed at the Conference of Ministers for Construction (BMK) and the "Advisory Board for Inner Cities" at the federal level. The BMK report "Perspectives for the Development of Inner Cities" with its corresponding recommendations for action is available.
To meet the requirements at the state level in all regions, the Thuringian alliance "City Centers with a Future" was founded on June 8, 2021, to address precisely these challenges. The alliance was formed under the leadership of the Thuringian Ministry for Infrastructure and Agriculture and by the Thuringian Chambers of Industry and Commerce, and comprises a wide variety of associations and initiatives involved in city center development.
