"Cars have no place in cities"
Hermann Knoflacher with Vladimir Balzer and Axel Rahmlow
Hermann Knoflacher wants roads and car parks to be built on. Car-free cities are feasible, says the transport expert. This would allow local authorities to create masses of affordable living space. But will they go for it?
Affordable housing in cities is becoming increasingly hard to find. Many feel pushed to the margins. Politicians want to take countermeasures, but have very different mechanisms depending on the country and the municipality.
Following a number of pilot projects, Dresden-based photovoltaic film manufacturer Heliatek is now officially starting series production of organic solar films. Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer came to the event to press the symbolic red button together with Heliatek's CEO Guido van Tartwijk: "With the opening of the production facility, Heliatek has successfully mastered the transition from research to the production of highly innovative products," said Kretschmer. The company plans to start manufacturing industrial-grade solar films in mid-2020 and deliver them to its first strategic customers. The core production machines have been installed, he said, and Heliatek is now working to ramp them up for mass roll-to-roll production in large quantities. According to the PV company, the production line is designed for a maximum capacity of one million square meters of solar films. The organic solar films are intended to open up new potential for PV use on facades: www.pv-magazine.de/2019/08/21/heliatek-faehrt-serienfertigung-organischer-solarfolien-hoch/
On Saturday, 14 September, the RENN.west campaign "Goals need action" was launched in Dortmund. It informs about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and mobilizes people for their implementation. Prominent supporters are the BVB, the multiple boxing world champion Wladimir Klitschko and the top model Elena Carrière.
What has to happen when BVB, multiple boxing world champion Wladimir Klitschko and German top model Elena Carrière support a campaign together? Then it's crunch time! Translated: a time when really important things have to be done. Not tomorrow or next week, but now! Not by anyone, but by us - by you, by me, and worldwide!
"Goals need action" is the name of the campaign of the Regional Network Units for Sustainability Strategies (RENN.west), which calls for support for the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. By 2030, for example, poverty and hunger in the world must be significantly reduced. Equality must become an everyday reality and inequalities must be eliminated, the extinction of animals and plants and climate change must be stopped. The 17 SDGs call for big goals that can only be achieved through action!
The campaign launch took place on Saturday, 14 September at the cooperation partner BVB in Dortmund's SIGNAL IDUNA PARK at the Bundesliga match Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen. Also present: Prof. Dr. Günther Bachmann, Secretary General of the German Council for Sustainable Development. In the following weeks, the campaign will be on display at various football stadiums in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, as well as at selected railway stations, on buses and trains. In addition, extensive, playful information material on the Sustainable Development Goals will be presented at various events. For this purpose, the regeneratively powered RENN.mobil from the StreetScooter company, exclusive electric mobility partner of the campaign, will be on the road until the end of December.
About RENN.west: RENN.west is a network of sustainability actors in North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It was founded in 2016 with the new edition of the German Sustainability Strategy together with three other networks (RENN.nord, RENN.süd, RENN.mitte). The aim of RENN is to further develop the political framework for sustainable development in Germany. www.renn-netzwerk.de/west/
The "Alternative Economic Policy Working Group" has published its MEMORANDUM 2018 report.
Price of the "black zero": distribution deficits and gaps in supply
Germany, with its senseless ideology of austerity and cuts, has not yet arrived economically in the 21st century. The small-minded hucksterism in the ruling policy is also slowing down the recovery in the European Union and the Eurozone.
The Memorandum 2018 shows urgently needed alternatives to the economically narrow-minded "zero policy". In Germany, the focus must be on strengthening domestic demand and thus on higher incomes for dependent employees and more government spending. The state share is significantly too low. In Europe, it must be about cooperation instead of blind competition. Prof. Dr. Heinz-J. Bontrup explains: "Germany's current account surpluses have been and are being generated at the expense of dependent employees and are therefore counterproductive and dangerous. Germany's chronic current account surpluses are by no means a healthy indicator of competitiveness. Rather, they are the result of domestic economic imbalances. Permanently and senselessly, much more is produced in Germany than is consumed, while important domestic economic sectors such as infrastructure, care, education and the Affordable housing on the basis of public housing are criminally neglected.
Millions of precarious jobs have led to poverty wages and later to poverty in old age. Frustrated, many citizens are turning away from established politics. National ideas that are hyper-dangerous for democracy are becoming more and more popular. Prof. Dr. Mechthild Schrooten explains: "The demand for an unconditional basic income shows how many people feel that working life has no prospects. In fact, a basic income that is resistant to poverty is not an option in purely mathematical terms.
What is urgently needed is better participation in the labour market. "Contrary to the manipulated official statistics, mass unemployment with a growing number of precarious poverty work still characterises society," says Heinz-J. Bontrup. Reducing working hours with full wage and staff compensation is therefore urgently needed and would be easily financed against the background of an overall rich Germany. Last year alone, Germany produced over 2.3 trillion euros in distributable value added. The distribution issue is the core problem in Germany. "A lot of capital in the hands of a few also means that the financial markets no longer function; risks are again accumulating more intensely here," explains Mechthild Schrooten.
Against this background, the Alternative Economic Policy Working Group is focusing on strategies that put a definitive end to the redistribution from the bottom to the top. Economic growth must reach everyone. Wages must rise, working hours must be shortened and the welfare state must be expanded instead of dismantled. To finance this, taxes must rise sharply. In the past, the much-lamented national debt was mainly caused by taxes that were too low. Therefore, the top tax rate and corporate taxes must be increased. In addition, a one-time wealth tax must be levied and the immediate reintroduction of the wealth tax must be implemented. This can then be used to finance, in addition to additional national debt, a public investment programme of at least 120 billion euros. Last but not least, and once again, the Alternative Economic Policy Working Group calls for a democratisation of the economy. The 40 million dependent employees in Germany must finally have a say in the economy, on an equal footing with capital.
Photo: Peter und der Wolf Communications GmbH / LHM
At a press conference today, Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter, together with City Planning Councillor Professor Dr. (l) Elisabeth Merk, presented an overall plan for Munich's mobility in the coming decades.
Where could new underground and tram lines be built, where could the new cycling expressways run, and where can people switch from their cars to environmentally conscious means of transport? The mobility of tomorrow will be characterised by an optimal interlocking of different forms of mobility - first and foremost an optimised and broadly developed public transport system, a wide network of cycle paths, new offers for commuters in so-called HOV lanes ("High-occupancy vehicle lanes"), dedicated bus lanes and clever mobility concepts in settlement development with innovative means of transport.
Not only population and economic growth pose major challenges for transport infrastructure and settlement development, but at the same time the urban goals for traffic safety ("Vision Zero"), the political and legal requirements for environmental and climate protection (air pollution control, CO2 neutrality) and technological progress (digitalisation and networking) must always be taken into account.
Mayor Dieter Reiter: "Only with a well-developed and, above all, cleverly networked mobility will we be able to master the great challenges. The overall concept published today contains many good ideas for the further expansion of our transport infrastructure. The backbone is, of course, local public transport, which we not only want to greatly expand, but also create further tangential and ring connections in its network. I see this look into the future as a good basis and impulse for further debates. However, the mobility of the future can only be successfully developed in cooperation with the Munich region. In recent years, the city council has passed several groundbreaking resolutions for well-connected, environmentally friendly and space-saving mobility. We want to continue this".
City Planning Councillor Professor Dr. (l) Elisabeth Merk. "In the overall concept, we want to bundle all important measures for sustainable transport planning. It is important to us that we tackle it together. In dialogue with citizens and stakeholders from the region".
Expansion of local public transport (ÖPNV)
Public transport is the backbone of sustainable mobility. To encourage even more people to switch from their cars to public transport, the service will be significantly improved - through the new main station, the second main line, new bus lanes, underground and tram lines, increased frequency, more reliability and comfort. The existing network will be decentralised by tangents and, where sensible, supplemented by innovative means of transport such as cable cars or on-demand services. The result is less congestion and freed-up space that can be used, for example, for lanes for express buses, cycle paths or as amenity spaces.
Improving the cycling infrastructure
Cycling in the city is becoming much safer and more attractive. The continuous and safe "Altstadt-Radlring" (Old Town Cycle Ring) demanded by the citizens' petition is being implemented step by step; every quarter, the city council also decides on a bundle of further measures to make the road network significantly more cycle-friendly. This means that the demands of the second citizens' petition "Radentscheid" will be largely realised by 2025. Munich's first cycle path from the Stachus in the direction of Garching and Unterschleißheim as well as five further star-shaped routes will connect the city centre with the surrounding area; a cycle ring connects several city districts.
New offers for the city-countryside commuter traffic
Work-related commuting between the city and the region is made easier: modern Park & Ride facilities are being built on the motorways and main access roads at the gates of the city. From there, express buses continue on to the city centre on separate lanes without traffic jams and loss of time. The occupancy rate of commuting cars is increased by allowing the bus lanes to be shared by vehicles with several occupants. These "high-occupancy vehicle lanes" are already successfully helping to reduce car traffic abroad. For the "first" and "last mile" to and from public transport stops, more sharing and on-demand services will be provided, for example call buses.
Car-reduced city centre
New parking regulations, fewer parking spaces, traffic-calmed zones and sustainable logistics concepts will reduce car traffic in the old town and city centre. The space thus freed up will benefit cycling, walking and public transport as well as the quality of stay and the green and open spaces that are so important for the urban climate. Necessary, unavoidable car journeys into the city centre will still be possible. However, it is primarily emission-free, innovative means of transport that will shape mobility here. Efficient city logistics concepts make delivery and loading traffic compatible.
Mobility concepts
When planning new neighbourhoods and urban renewal projects, mobility concepts are considered from the very beginning. The focus is on a lively, balanced structure of uses in which as many everyday needs as possible can be found in the immediate residential environment. Short distances, good internal and external access to the neighbourhood by public transport, car and bike sharing services enable people to live without their own cars and increase the quality of life.
Innovative means of transport
Mobility is strongly influenced by digitalisation and innovations. The City of Munich takes these up, plans ahead and is open to trends. Automated and connected driving is currently being researched together with partners from business, science and research; a cable car over the Frankfurter Ring is being studied for the north of Munich, which has heavy traffic. With all new technologies, the focus is on user needs.
On Wednesday, 12 February, the City Council will deal with other important resolutions on mobility in Munich in the Committee for Urban Planning and Building Regulations in addition to the draft resolution "Mobility Plan for Munich".
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