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National Urban Development Policy

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Coproduction

We all "make city". We are part of a democratic community. We actively and cooperatively search for solutions and make decisions - based on constitutionality, respect and responsibility. How do we develop future strategies for our cities that are based on the common good and social cohesion? How can self-organised coproduction be realised in order to develop ideas on an equal footing, to make decisions together and to create a co-productive city?

Increasing commitment to urban society

In our lively urban societies, the willingness to get involved is growing. Whether for the common good or for their own interests: Many people are ready to get actively involved in urban development and confidently experiment with formats and approaches. The reasons for this growing commitment also lie in the intensification of conflicts in everyday urban life: about inexpensive living space, fair distribution of public space, sustainable mobility or the protection of self-determined, non-commercial living spaces - and last but not least about the sovereignty of interpretation and the balance of power in the urban development. For many people, the “classic” formalised cooperation between citizens, politics and administration is no longer enough. They want more direct and quicker influence on local decision-making processes.
The willingness to commit and to voluntary civil responsibility is a good tradition in the development of the European city. Many civil society actors in urban development work for the common good and provide mutual solidarity. They network, develop new ideas and implement them with a lot of fun in new formats and clearly in public space. These “city makers” seek support, activate other participants and create new civil society offers for the neighbourhood or the entire city.

Negotiate and test coproductive approaches

A sustainable urban development policy is aimed at continuously expanding the possibilities for coproduction - to “make a city”. This means, for example, improving opportunities for participation or trying out new collaboration structures. Processes continue to develop in the city's coproduction. Traditional roles are changing, and communication is increasingly taking place in virtual space. The relationship between the actors, civil society, the democratically elected representatives, the administration and other experts from science, business and practice is changing. In the sense of a representative democracy, new balances and cooperative approaches must continue to be negotiated and tested in the future.
The National Urban Development Policy is a platform for the further development of public service-oriented, coproductive spatial and urban development processes. In project calls and research projects, actors try out innovative processes and bring them into practice throughout Germany.