Chemnitz successful with "creative axis" project application
The city of Chemnitz was able to convince the evaluation committee in the nationwide funding programme for "Sustainable inner cities and centres" with its project application "Creative axis Chemnitz". Financial support totalling around 3 million euros can be expected for the implementation of the project over the coming years up to 2025. Including the city's expected own funds of around 1 million euros, this means that around 4 million euros will be available for the "Creative Axis" in the coming years.
The project area extends across Brühl, Sonnenberg and Straße der Nationen. As an important connecting axis to the city centre core, it is intended to connect the respective districts. As an important part of the wider city centre development, the entire area is to establish itself as a creative axis for creators of art and culture, crafts, retail, gastronomy and social projects. Individual concepts will be used to counteract vacancies and the lack of customers and passers-by. In urban and spatial planning, there is talk of so-called "trading down" effects in the relevant locations.
In addition to the activation of vacant spaces through new uses, the area will also be revitalised through suitable measures to design the public space. The aim is to increase the quality of stay and thus also the length of stay, as well as to create a variety of utilisation options for different groups with different requirements. Creative event formats will offer stakeholders opportunities for dialogue and further networking.
Following the formal funding procedure, corresponding project structures are to be established from summer 2022 and corresponding measures are to be concretised.
Successful implementation of the project will require the involvement of a large number of different stakeholders, whom the city would like to win over to the project. Information events are currently being organised with representatives from politics, culture and business in order to present the "creative axis" in more detail and convey the associated opportunities for the city of Chemnitz.
The documents still to be submitted include a city council resolution with a commitment to the project and the provision of the municipality's own contribution, which will amount to 25 per cent of the total project costs. The city council will decide on this at its meeting on 16 March.
In the middle of last year, the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) called on cities and municipalities to submit project proposals for innovative concepts and action strategies to strengthen the resilience of city centres and their crisis management. The funding volume of the programme is 250 million euros, which is now distributed across 238 municipalities throughout Germany.