Chemnitz thinking ahead - Urban Design Board of Trustees concludes its work with a public symposium
After three years of work, the Urban Design Board of Trustees concluded its work today with a public symposium at Chemnitz City Hall. Under the motto "Thinking Chemnitz forward - perspectives on urban design", the trustees discussed possibilities and paths for future urban development in Chemnitz together with experts and interested citizens.
Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "I would like to thank the curators for their valuable and dedicated work over the past three years. With their recommendations, they have created points of reference in the challenging urban redevelopment process. In addition, the high level of expertise of the curators has enriched the decision-making process in politics and administration."
The Chemnitz City Council convened the committee in 2009 at the suggestion of the Lord Mayor for a period of three years to advise the administration and politicians on urban design issues. The appointment period ended on 31 December 2012.
The Urban Design Advisory Board advised on projects of particular urban planning significance in terms of their impact on Chemnitz's urban design. As a result of its deliberations, the committee submitted expert recommendations and procedural proposals as decision-making aids for the city council and the administration.
One result in 2011 was a summarised mission statement and recommendations for the expansion of the city centre area. This vision was captured in a spatial sketch. It outlines a future integrated urban development strategy as well as individual areas of specialisation that are to be examined in subsequent years. The upcoming update of the framework plan for Chemnitz city centre in 2013 will take up recommendations.
Other urban development topics have been the subject of discussions and recommendations over the past two years:
- Priority development of the extended city centre area, taking into account the particular strengths and characteristics of the respective neighbourhoods, making the characteristics of Chemnitz visible (monuments, industrial culture, GDR buildings)
- Strengthening and special consideration of the interfaces between the city centre core and peripheral areas in order to counteract the further "detachment" of urban districts
- Appropriate instruments of urban development (partnerships with owners, subsidy schemes, municipal development company) to counter perforation and deliberate decay in the city centre
- Traffic model and integration of traffic planning into city centre planning
- Tailor-made strategies for the Gründerzeit neighbourhoods and large housing estates
- Contemporary concepts for green and local recreation planning
- early integration of future issues (transport, energy, mobility in everyday life) into urban planning and construction measures.
The urban redevelopment process, which was associated with the demolition of residential buildings and whose public perception contributed significantly to the appointment of the Board of Trustees, has changed in recent years. It was mainly flats in the industrial housing stock that were demolished. But decisions also had to be made to abandon buildings in neighbourhoods close to the city centre when the substance of the buildings was already very run-down. Or the location on busy roads meant that no or only difficult developments could be expected. Based on the discussions in the Board of Trustees, new impetus could be provided here, e.g. on Bergstrasse and Zietenstrasse. In the meantime, sales to new owners have taken place in both areas.
The coming years will not be characterised by major new changes due to urban redevelopment. Instead, the work will focus on reviewing existing concepts in individual districts and neighbourhoods and updating them where necessary. This small-scale work can be supported by the neighbourhood managers on site and in discussion rounds, e.g. stakeholder conferences. Based on current knowledge, external advice and support on this topic will not be primarily required in the coming years. However, it is planned to consult the experts individually on specific issues if necessary.
The Board of Trustees consisted of the following eight experts with voting rights:
Prof Heinz Nagler (urban planning), Dr Carlo W. Becker (spatial and landscape planning), Prof Barbara Hoidn (architecture), Dr Arnold Bartetzky (monument preservation), Dr Fritz Reusswig (urban ecology), Prof Dr Henry Schulz (healthy living spaces), Prof Karl Clauss Dietel (art), Peter Kallfels (art).
The view of the Board of Trustees was supplemented by four members of the City Council familiar with planning issues (Dr Dieter Füsslein, Thomas Scherzberg, Dr Gerhard Schultz, Jacqueline Drechsler) and five knowledgeable residents (Karl-Joachim Beuchel, Frank Kotzerke, Liane Remmler, Heiko Richter, Ullrich Löschner).