Gladbeck „InnenstadtForum“
In order to ensure the competitiveness of the city in the long term, the City of Gladbeck pursues a family-friendly urban development especially in the inner city. Squares and shopping streets were developed into attractive meeting points for children and families. The programme also includes gambling machines near shops as well as opportunities to play and paint and baby changing units in shops.
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Context
Source: Stadt Gladbeck
The city of Gladbeck (76,000 inhabitants) is in competitive neighbourhood to middle- and high-order centres such as Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Bottrop and CentrO Oberhausen. Since the beginning of the 90s, urban development is oriented towards expanding family-friendly infrastructure in qualitative terms. Various measures especially for young families with children have helped the city in the last few years to change net migration losses into net migration gains.
Project description
Source: Stadt Gladbeck
“InnenstadtForum Gladbeck” has taken the initiative in strengthening the profile of the inner city and making it more attractive. Already in 1998, a broad concept to alter the pedestrian zone and adjacent inner city areas in a familiy-friendly way was agreed upon. A coordinated catalogue of measures helped to increase the quality and attractiveness of the the inner city as a place to live, work, shop and play.
In terms of the project, family-friendliness is broadly defined. By reshaping the public space, its recreational quality for families with small children could be increased, that means among other things that new urban spaces were created around the town hall and the market square. In reshaping the inner city and implementing the local planning statutes for the inner city, traditional forms of building and materials were underlined and advertising structures removed. In addition, unclear fear zones could be eliminated, which did not only improve the recreational quality of the above-mentioned areas but also increased the feeling of safety of the inner city residents. The outdoor gastronomy was also expanded and enhanced in terms of quality. The family-friendly offers furthermore implied events in the inner city. Gambling machines close to shops, playgrounds and baby changing units in shops were created and integrated in a special signpost. Stakeholders within the “InnenstadtForum” furthermore tried through talks with retailers, land and house owners to exert influence on the existing mixture of economic sectors. In the last few years, for example, some shops with children's and youth fashion were intentionally established. The inner city's attractiveness was enhanced especially for families and the elderly by creating high-quality dwellings in gaps between buildings.
“InnenstadtForum” is responsible for steering the measures in terms of contents. Following the invitation of the mayor, inner city representatives of the retail trade sector, the local advertising association, the chamber of commerce and industry, the local history club, the tourist association, the local association of house, flat and land owners, of political parties of the city council prepare single measures within inner city working groups. These measures are either carried out by the city council or by members of "InnenstadtForum" or by way of cooperation. Residents and interested citizens will be involved in the activities of the working groups and in special actions according to topics and needs.
The project activities did not cause current costs as the participants worked on a voluntary basis or in the context of their professional activities. The costs for external moderation incurred by 2003 were partly covered by (city marketing) subsidies. Financing the measures was partly done from the municipal budget, by house owners and retailers as well as through sponsorship or by allocating the costs among all parties involved.
Project chronology
Year | Event |
---|---|
1998 | start of project |
Since 2001 | Altering the “Lambertistraße” in a family-friendly way, removing fear zones, restoring the market place, newly constructing the administration building in traditional architecture, designing the town hall square/park, developing a slaughterhouse site |
Aims
- Strengthening the inner city towards neighbouring municipalities/districts
- Family-friendly offers in the inner city
- Strengthening the recreational quality and attractiveness of the inner city
Types of measures
- Altering “Lambertistraße”
- Restoring the market place
- Newly building an administration building in traditional architecture
- Planning statutes for the inner city
- Private measures to improve facades
- Infill developments
- Planning freehold and rented flats in a barrier-free way
- Steering the mixture of sectors
Innovations
Source: Stadt Gladbeck
The City of Gladbeck has succeeded with an integrated approach, taking housing, the retail trade sector and public spaces into account, in maintaining the inner city’s competitiveness. Cooperation between all relevant inner city stakeholders within the “InnenstadtForum” has helped to induce all parties involved to cooperate in a trustful and open way avoiding formalities and additional costs. The success was also based on the fact that family-friendly measures to make the inner city more attractive were consequently implemented. They were above all realised by combining various funds, by self-financing, sponsorship and allocating costs.
Sources
- Publication: Lebenswerte Innenstädte - Initiativen, die bewegen! (Inner city worth living in - Initiatives which move!) Good examples of projects and initiatives of inner city development, published by: BMVBS/BBR, Bonn 2007, http://www.bbsr.bund.de/BBSR/DE/Veroeffentlichungen/BMVBS/Sonderveroeffentlichungen/2007/LebenswerteInnenstaedte.html
Further information
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 45964 - town: Gladbeck - street: Lambertistraße 8.
Poject site on Google-Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/gT83mg3cxTH2
Last update: 19.03.2018