Interim assessment of the 7-point plan

Chemnitz was and is one of the safest cities in Germany. Nevertheless, quite a few people from Chemnitz feel differently, as do some visitors from outside the city. The city cannot replace the police and judiciary - who have to ensure public order and investigate and convict criminals - but it can support them.

The following has already happened since September:

• CCTV in the city centre went live at the beginning of October.
• In the same month, the city council unanimously decided to increase the city's public order service (SOD) by 13 posts to 35 employees.
• The SOD's mobile watch is even more present in the city centre and is available as a point of contact in the event of problems.
• The visibility of the mobile guard has been increased by a new sticker.
• Establishment of 55 parking spaces for women, especially for women who work shifts in the city centre.
• The Chemnitz police department has intensified complex controls in the city centre with the involvement of the SOD.
• The regular security consultations between the Chemnitz police department and the city will be continued.
• The citizens' dialogue on the topic of security at the stadium has resulted in the formation of a citizens' advisory council on security with more than 20 Chemnitz residents from different age and professional groups. It has met twice so far, reports to the administration and police on everyday experiences, makes suggestions for improvements and identifies shortcomings.
• A meeting was held between the Lord Mayor, the Mayor of Public Order, the Saxon Minister of the Interior and the Chief of Police of Chemnitz to discuss the security partnership with the Free State. The city assumes that the state will be able to deploy sufficient police forces in Chemnitz in line with the situation.
• There will be a public security conference in the first quarter of 2019.

An urban society must not fall into silence, the rifts must not become insurmountable. This is why, in addition to the existing formats for citizen participation, a series entitled "Staying in dialogue" was launched.

This has been happening since September:

Three events have been held for this purpose so far: In September, there was a citizens' dialogue on the topic of security at the stadium. Another format took place at the end of October in the Alte Hartmannfabrik. The question was posed as to how we want to live together in the future. Another major focus was on intervention areas, i.e. areas where something should happen - this is where the Capital of Culture application is combined with urban development. An event on the topic of right-wing extremism in Chemnitz took place on 27 November.

Further public dialogues for the people of Chemnitz will follow. For example, there will be an event with the President of the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The citizens set the topics. In addition to the public formats, Mayor Barbara Ludwig has also held a series of non-public talks:

• with representatives of the city's associations, at which around 200 association representatives discussed with the Lord Mayor, but also among themselves. This is to take place once a year in future. The mayors will also invite the associations in their area of responsibility once a year.
• with civil society players who have been involved in the "Neither grey nor brown" initiative for years or are new to it.
• with citizens who are concerned about their city
• with the head teachers of the city's schools. Together
• with the Saxon Minister of Education and Mr Burghart, the issues that teachers have to deal with every day should be clarified.
• with Muslim women who live in our city.

In October 2018, 2,647 new students enrolled at Chemnitz University of Technology, an increase of 14 per cent compared to the previous year. 886 of them came from abroad. That is 33 per cent more than in the previous year. People from exactly 100 nations study, research and teach at the university - they make the city an international centre of research and knowledge. And that is indispensable for the economy in the city and region.

What's next:

Foreign professors and students have fears and concerns in light of the events at the end of August and experiences of everyday racism that have been reported. This is why the suggestion made by a citizen in the "Staying in dialogue" series is to be taken up: Together with the university, a survey is to be launched in which students can provide feedback on their perceptions, suggestions, fears, favourite places.

Chemnitz has already shown in the past that the city is a good host - this July, for example, with the U20 European Basketball Championships. Supra-regional events are intended to counter the city's recent image with a different one.

What's coming in the first half of the year:

• In March, Chemnitz will host the German City Marketing Day, where around 200 city marketing managers from all over Germany will come to Chemnitz.
• In April, the Eurocities Cultural Forum will take place in Chemnitz with guests from all over Europe. A conference with all of Chemnitz's twin cities is planned for the same period.
• In May 2019, the Federal Mathematics Olympiad competition will be hosted. The national "Jugend forscht" final will also be held in Chemnitz in May.
• The writers' association PEN will hold its annual conference in the city in May.
• The Hat Festival will be held again from 24 to 26 May 2019 with the motto "Visiting friends".

This question is on many people's minds. Discussing it is not only possible in the course of the Capital of Culture application, it is absolutely desirable. Chemnitz wants to hold this title in 2025 - to get it, it is important to find out what makes the city special and where it wants to develop. The answers to these questions must also be important for other European cities.

This has been happening since September:

At the end of October - see point 2 - the intervention areas were discussed: Which places are particularly important to the people of Chemnitz? What could happen there as part of the Capital of Culture application? The results of the workshop and the feedback we received via the official gazette and the Internet, as well as the work results from the Programme Council and the bid steering group, are now being processed and incorporated into a joint proposal.

What's next:

What is developed with the Capital of Culture application up to 2025 must of course continue in the long term. This is not only required by the jury - sustainability beyond the programme year is a key criterion for success. This is also where the Chemnitz strategy comes in, which focuses on the year 2040. On the one hand, because urban development must take a long-term approach. Secondly, because this will enable the further development of various topics that already play a role in the Capital of Culture application. The city-wide mission statement is to be developed together with the people of Chemnitz, with the kick-off planned for spring.

The aim here is to get migrants into work - having a job and being able to earn a living is the most important prerequisite for successful integration, alongside learning the German language.

What has already happened:

Mayor Barbara Ludwig has held talks with representatives from the employment agency and job centre on how to integrate refugees with tolerated status and, in particular, protection status into the labour market more quickly or how this can happen for simple jobs, for example. Further proposals are being developed for this within the administration and under the leadership of the new social mayor Ralph Burghart.

What's next:

The measures for integration into the labour market are to be discussed in January with the Free State of Saxony, specifically the Saxon Minister of Economic Affairs, and solutions are to be found as to how the issue can be accelerated.

The draft budget includes funds for a pilot project to test which integration instruments are particularly successful. The project will start in neighbourhoods where the proportion of migrants in residential areas or schools is higher than in the city as a whole.

For over ten years, the city has been working with associations to prevent violence and radicalisation, promote tolerance, recognise cultural and religious diversity, diversity of lifestyles and respect for human dignity. Every year, 80,000 euros in municipal funding is available for project support. With 62 applications for project funding, 2018 was the most intensive year since the Local Action Plan was established.

This has happened since September:

Funding from the federal "Live Democracy" programme for the "Chemnitz Partnership for Democracy" has been tripled - from 100,000 euros to 300,000 euros. Family Minister Franziska Giffey reported on this during her second visit to the city. 41 associations and organisations can use this funding from her office to implement projects for youth and cultural work in Chemnitz. From the 2019 summer semester, there will be a new Bachelor's degree programme "Prevention Management - Skills for Social Intervention" at the affiliated institute of TUCed Technical University.