Germanwatch: Habitat III unterstreicht Bedeutung der Städte für Nachhaltigkeit

At the end of the UN conference Habitat III in Quito (Ecuador), the environmental and development organization Germanwatch draws a mixed balance. "Around 50,000 people took part in the conference. This alone shows that cities are considered to be of great importance on the way to a sustainable world. It is very good that the adopted New Urban Agenda recognises cities as important players in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate targets," says Lisa Junghans, expert on climate change, adaptation and urban transformation at Germanwatch. However, she qualifies: "The New Urban Agenda is not concrete enough in parts. Citizens will not feel directly addressed and there is a complete lack of measurable goals and criteria for monitoring the success of the agenda. It remains to be seen to what extent the agenda really supports cities in their development towards greater sustainability and a higher quality of life. Civil society in particular will have a key role to play in the coming years to ensure that the principles adopted here for future urban development have an impact."

Habitat III was the third World Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development after 1976 and 1996 and is intended to define guidelines for future urban development. Despite the highly participatory process in the preparation of the New Urban Agenda, the negotiations in the final phase took place, as expected, exclusively within the circle of government negotiators. Junghans: "Although this process is a classic UN process driven by states, it is problematic that city representatives are excluded from the final decisions on their own development."

Germanwatch is particularly positive about the fact that the final document grants cities more self-determination and ownership in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and that "no one is to be left behind" - a reference to the particularly vulnerable population groups that must be included in the planning and implementation of future urban development policy.

The hope that a larger number of cities would lead the way with voluntary commitments, for example towards climate neutrality, has unfortunately not materialised. "Although there have been some very good announcements from civil society as well as from Germany and the EU regarding the creation of housing and climate-friendly mobility, concrete announcements from local governments themselves have been very limited," says Junghans.

Source: Germanwatch press release, 20 October 2016

Keywords: DE-News, Communities, Quarters, SDG 2030, Settlements, City, UN (United Nations), Housing policy

State and federal government give 3.9 million euros to Heidelberg / Also money for sports hall at hospital

Heidelberg is receiving massive funding from the 2021 urban development programme for two construction projects on conversion sites. The development of Patrick-Henry-Village (PHV) into a new city district has even received the highest funding amount in the entire programme. Heidelberg will receive 3.5 million euros for this project. In addition, the conversion of the sports hall on the former US hospital in Rohrbach will be funded with 400,000 euros. This was announced by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics on Wednesday, February 3.

"We are very pleased about this funding and would like to thank the state and federal government for their great support. We are convinced that with the development of Patrick Henry Village, Heidelberg will deliver a model project for the climate-friendly and liveable city of the future - this is precisely what the dynamic master plan of the city and the International Building Exhibition stands for, which we will implement in the coming years. It is an important signal that the state and federal government are supporting us here," explains Mayor Prof. Dr. Eckart Würzner.

In a press release, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economics praised in particular the plans for residential development on PHV: "On the conversion area Patrick-Henry-Village in Heidelberg alone, apartments for around 9,000 to 10,000 residents are to be built. In doing so, emphasis will be placed on a diverse range of offerings for all population groups." Heidelberg is thus fulfilling a core element of urban development promotion, which Economics Minister Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut describes as follows: "The aim is to create affordable housing for all age and population groups that is barrier-free and up to date in terms of energy. In accordance with the principle of inner development before outer development, the focus is on increasing the density of inner-city areas while preserving historically valuable building fabric."

Executive IBA Director Prof. Michael Braum makes it concrete: "The fact that the federal and state governments are funding the PHVision so generously shows that outside expertise also believes in our ambitious approach: the integration of topics such as the re-use of existing buildings, future-proof mobility options and multi-talented open spaces will make the urban development of tomorrow innovative, sustainable and attractive at the same time. This pioneering funding for the south of PHV congenially complements the ongoing activities of the city and the Federal Real Estate Agency."

"We can take this funding commitment as a signal that with the concept of the Dynamic Master Plan we are providing exactly the right answers to the current and pressing issues of urban development - particularly with regard to the interaction of living, working, education, leisure, sport and culture. The project is an absolute priority for us and is already being noticed internationally," says First Mayor Jürgen Odszuck. For Hans-Jürgen Heiß, Mayor for Conversion and Finance, the sums from the urban development funding are also a confirmation: "We have had several conversion areas under development in parallel for years and have proven that we are reliable partners. The sums from the urban development funding relieve the municipal budget and enable outstanding qualities in the development," explains Heiß.

Patrick Henry Village - Heidelberg's 16th district

Diversity in the residential buildings, sustainable mobility concepts and "green fingers" for a livable and ecologically high-quality public space characterize the plans for PHV. (Visualization: KCAP Architects)

The development site, which covers more than 100 hectares to the west of the Autobahn 5, was a housing estate for military and civilian personnel until the US Army withdrew in 2014. The city of Heidelberg wants to develop PHV into its 16th district in the coming years. Around 10,000 people are to live here and around 5,000 are to have their place of work. The basis for the development is the dynamic master plan. It was developed jointly by the city of Heidelberg and the International Building Exhibition (IBA) Heidelberg with the involvement of internationally renowned urban planners and various specialist planners, combined with the participation of the citizens, and subsequently adopted by the Heidelberg city council.

"More vital, more heterogeneous, greener" is the guiding principle of the new district. With sustainable living and working typologies, innovative open space and mobility concepts, a climate-neutral energy supply and the intelligent and socially responsible use of digital technologies, it will provide answers to urgent questions about the future. To this end, five neighborhood types with different identities were developed, often mixing new and existing buildings from the US housing development. A central park with a lake for water management in the center, diversity in architecture and in the use of buildings, the production of food and energy directly in the neighborhood - these are just a few aspects of the holistic approach. Thanks to neighbourhood garages on the periphery, the public space and the neighbourhoods are planned to be pedestrian-friendly and free of parking spaces.

US-Hospital - quarters for the middle of society

On the site of the former US Army hospital in Rohrbach, a pioneering low-emission quarter for the middle of society will be created in the coming years. The former sports hall - for which 400,000 euros are now flowing as part of the urban development funding - could be converted into an attractive beach hall. A corresponding concept for an energy-neutral open-air hall has already been drawn up. The next step will be to determine the probable costs for a conversion before the municipal council decides on the future use of the hall. The building, erected in 1903 as a drill hall, was later converted into a sports hall by the US Americans. It is a listed building.

The municipal housing company GGH is developing a residential area with around 600 apartments on the entire site by 2025 that takes account of demographic and social change, promotes social cohesion and offers a functional mix of living and working places. In the areas of housing, energy, transport and urban development, the quarter relies on forward-looking building blocks, some of which are unique in Germany. The housing target group concept provides for residents to pay only 30 percent of their disposable income for the warm rent for 40 percent of the apartments in the neighborhood.