Jülich-Barmen „DORV-Centre“
DORV centre Barmen is a modern corner shop.It concentrates local supply, services, social/medical services, communication and culture thus improving the quality of life especially of immobile people and young families.
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Context
Source: DORV-Zentrum GmbH
The situation in Barmen, an urban district of Juelich (1,400 inhab.) is very typical for rural areas.Local supply is declining in many villages (and now also in many urban districts) or partly does not exist anymore. This has a negative effect on the quality of life especially of senior and handicapped people but also of children and adolescents.
A closed baker’s, butcher’s, grocer’s and bank caused citizens in Barmen to counteract the loss of local supply. For many citizens in Barmen, it seemed unacceptable to do two kilometres to the next small village or six kilometres to Juelich (33,000 inhab.) in order to buy convenience goods. Public transport was only available in the form of a bus driving once per hour. The people of Barmen therefore aimed at re-establishing local supply thus improving the quality of life.
Project description
Source: Pressefotograf Georg Lukas, Essen
In the former building of the branch bank in Barmen, the citizens have established “their” new centre, the so-called DORV centre, a modern corner shop, with great effort and without any financial support (DORV stands for “Dienstleistung und Ortsnahe Rundum Versorgung” - services and local all round supply). The centre concentrates local supply, services, social/medical services, communication and culture according to the so-called “model of five pillars”. In the DORV centre, demand determines supply. Only if their needs are fulfilled, citizens remain true to their shop and then the concept will be successful.
In the meantime, the DORV centre has become the most important centre and an indispensable part of Barmen. Apart from journals and stationery, it offers drinks and food, also from the region. Furthermore, it provides services such as a parcel counter or the cleaning of clothes. Driving licences and vehicle licences etc., for which people otherwise would have to go to the county town of Düren, which is 25 kilometres away, can be settled there. It furthermore houses insurance agents giving advice, a handicraft service run by senior citizens and a travel agency displaying brochures.
Launched as a project to re-establish local supply, the DORV centre’s profile was steadily advanced. By volunteers altering a flat into a surgery, the inhabitants were even able to attract a general practitioner to Barmen. Following enquiries to create a meeting point for citizens, the café area was developed. Last but not least, special delivery services for senior and handicapped people were established. Soon, the pharmacy from the neighbouring village will install a prescription box in the shop, arrange for and deliver the drugs ordered.
Services or shops established in the DORV centre have to pay a fee, e.g. the bank for providing a cash dispenser. All in all, the shop offers two full-time and six part-time (400-euro) jobs.
The project was financed by the people of Barmen themselves via special shares at 250 euros each emitted to citizens, private loans and donations. Due to the high personal contribution to the alteration measures, the new local supply centre including equipment did only cost 100,000 euros.
Lately, the idea has been transferred to other places. There are presently two other DORV centres following the example set by Barmen. Further ones are being created (about 10 centres). In all related places, finances are a problem as no funding is provided in this area. This is why, first of all, a time-consuming process has to be launched involving citizens and highlighting the long-term advantages for the quality of life.
In the meantime, a competence team, set up for this purpose and for an adequate fee, is making a basic analysis including concrete figures, proposals for locations and recommendations for action etc.to check the preconditions for establishing a DORV centre. On this basis, further steps for implementation will be developed together with the local authorities involved. In Völlinghausen, for instance, another DORV shop was opened in April 2010.
Project chronology
Year | Event |
---|---|
2001/2002 | Idea and draft concept developed |
03/2002 | Publicly presented by WDR broadcast station |
04-06/2002 | Information gathered, contact established to other centres, demand among the population analysed |
2003 | DORV umbrella organisation founded in Barmen |
2004 | Citizens involved in the project, feasibility study, partner search, final presentation |
Summer 2004 | DORV centre altered, extended, furnished, operating company founded |
09/10.09.2004 | DORV centre in Barmen opened |
Aims
- to ensure local supply to improve the quality of life
- to create jobs close to the place of residence
- to use new ways of communication and information
- to speed up the integration of new citizens
- to create regional identity by offering regional products (by farmers, butchers and bakers)
- to support the self-supply of immobile people and young families
- to enable life in a familiar social environment
- to enable life and work in rural areas
- to ensure health care
Types of measures
- financing the project based on capital provided by citizens, donations and high personal contribution altering a former branch bank into a DORV centre
- re-establishing local supply, services, social/medical services
- meeting point
- cultural offers
- offering regional products
- advancing the DORV centre oriented towards demand
- project presentation
- workshops
- various information activities in newspapers, radio and television
Innovations
The DORV centre has become a central meeting point for all local residents. Especially the continuous process has to be stressed in which local supply is adapted to the changing needs of residents thus improving the quality of life not only through local supply.
The project could be launched and run without public funds. As there is no intention to realise profits, only the costs must be covered, which has functioned well so far. The basis for economic stability is formed by establishing profitable services.
Such projects last but not least depend on the participation of citizens, which is an “imperative” precondition for projects to succeed based on this model.
Sources
- DORV-Zentrum GmbH (Zentrum für Dienstleistung und Ortsnahe Rundum Versorgung - services and local all round supply centre), web: http://www.dorv.de/
Further information
- http://www.spes-zukunftsmodelle.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Zukunftsmodelle/dorv/ASG_Bericht.pdf
- http://www.spes-zukunftsmodelle.de/fileadmin/user_upload/PDFs/brand_eins_Artikel_Dorv.pdf
- http://demographiekonkret.de/Juelich_DORV-Zentrum_GmbH.629.0.html
The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 52428 - town: Jülich - street: Kirchstraße 29.
Poject site on Google-Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/WHTu33t5u9q
Last update: 12.03.2018