The Thuringian alliance "Town Centers with a Future" came together yesterday via video conference for its now 3rd network meeting. As part of the event, initial results of the thematic working groups "Managing Vacancy", "Living and Life in the City" and "Climate Change/Climate Adaptation" were presented and further strategic approaches were discussed.
Results of the working groups
Working group "Managing Vacancy"
Presentation of the tool 'FLOO-TH' by the Thüringer Landgesellschaft
A tool for recording vacant properties that is made available to Thuringian municipalities free of charge
The instrument can provide supportive assistance in managing vacant properties in the municipalities
Use of the instrument possibly also for recording the retail sector
Participation of the municipal level is already anchored in the working group (cities of Pößneck, Gotha, and Bad Liebenstein as municipal actors)
Determination of the status quo (analysis of existing structures) and development of concrete objectives within the framework of the working group
Vacancy as a resource for small and medium-sized towns for in-migration, urban development, activation of civic engagement, and innovative infrastructure solutions
Working Group "Climate Change/Climate Adaptation"
The topic affects a variety of different areas of inner city development (important cross-sectional task, but an independent working group)
Involvement of further actors: in particular representatives of municipalities, environmental associations or climate protection managers
It is important to take into account the different framework conditions of the municipalities
Various climate adaptation measures are also a topic of the regional conferences from 2022 onwards
Highlighting the added value of measures in the field of climate change that concern climate adaptation and climate protection for the general public, the public administration, and the private sector
AG "Living and Life in the City"
Transparency about existing initiatives and cooperations (in the administration and among citizens)
Compilation in an overview (e.g., as a map)
Involvement of science in specific questions
Evaluation of existing studies and published documents
Another cross-cutting topic is digitalization
The alliance already uses existing structures at the state level for this purpose and networks with the existing workshop process around the Thuringian digital strategy.
In addition to the founding and further strategic work of the working groups, a joint online presence of the alliance is currently being planned. This will publish, for example, the profiles of the alliance partners, an event calendar, and information relevant to the public.
Furthermore, the introduction of the regional conference format is planned for the second quarter of 2022, which is intended to promote the exchange and discussion of region-specific challenges and solutions for the sustainable development of Thuringia's city centers with the stakeholders in the municipalities and to enable a diversity of functions and offerings.
"The Thuringian Alliance 'Inner Cities with a Future' is a good example of how urban development and especially the development of inner cities is a joint task of a broad group of stakeholders. The focus is on the exchange of information and the support of Thuringian municipalities in order to develop future-proof visions for our inner cities oriented towards the common good," said Infrastructure Minister Susanna Karawanskij.
The alliance also agreed that the provision of budget funds in the state budget from 2022 is absolutely necessary for the organizational and project-related action needs of the alliance.
Background
The challenges that structural change poses to the future development of our city centers are enormous – demographic change, altered consumer behavior, and digitalization place great demands on future downtown development. This effect has been further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning of 2020. New strategies and individual solutions for municipalities are needed to avoid loss of function, to maintain the vitality of our city centers in the long term, and to secure their quality of stay.
At the political level, the topic of inner city development has already been addressed at the Building Ministers' Conference (BMK) and the 'Innenstadt Advisory Board' at the federal level. The BMK report 'Perspectives for the Development of Inner Cities' is available with its corresponding recommendations for action.
To meet the requirements at the state level in all regions, the Thuringian alliance “Innenstädte mit Zukunft“ (City Centers with a Future) was founded on June 8, 2021, to address exactly those challenges. The alliance was formed under the leadership of the Thuringian Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture and by the Thuringian Chambers of Industry and Commerce, and it consists of a variety of different associations and initiatives connected to city center development.
