Erfurt (pop. 201,000 in 2003), the federal capital of Thuringia, has seen a significant decrease in population because of the extensive structural change since 1990. In the last couple of years, the population has remained steady because of people moving into the area. However, the downward trend in the large housing estates remains unchanged.

The Master Plan for Erfurt's large housing estates will achieve a sensible concentration of funds for urban development and will improve the living environment through the long-term definition of guarantee areas by 2020. These areas were defined together with the housing companies according to urban industrial and urban developmental criteria.

In October 2005, the new Master Plan II and the Action Plan 2006 / 2007 were decided on by the city council as the basis for funding and as the sub-regional development concept for the large housing estates in Erfurt. The most important innovation in the Master Plan II is that its focus is not on deconstruction planning any more but on which areas should remain stable in the long term until 2020. The guarantee areas and disposable areas shown in the Master Plan II were determined on the basis of housing industry surveys and urban development models in a communicative process together with the housing companies. As a basis, the City of Erfurt used the expected housing demand in the large housing estates in 2020. Areas which had already been demolished become development areas. These areas can have different subsequent uses, but they may also remain as green areas.

The Master Plan II is linked to strict funding regulations: deconstruction is excluded in the guarantee areas until 2020, deconstruction is only funded in disposable areas if the owners request it. There is no obligation to deconstruct. This guarantees that funds are used sustainably for the necessary enhancement measures. The housing companies have enough leeway for deconstruction decisions, in particular for debt conversion in order to be able to maintain the urban conversionprocess.

Despite the shrinking population in the large housing estates, the vacancies have dropped significantly from 15 percent in 2002 to only 8 percent in 2005. Thanks to the support of the funded living environment measures, many urban districts have reached a stable level by now.

Guarantee, disposable and development areas were designated. It followed the deconstruction and redevelopment of buildings designated in the Master Plan II. The measures for open spaces and infrastructure were enhanced (also on the basis of the Master Plan).

With the Master Plan II, a long-term planning tool is created which conforms to the overall urban conversion strategy, guarantees long-term stable urban development models and with this sustainably effective and efficient funding, and, at the same time, offers considerably more flexibility for housing companies when deciding which buildings are to be deconstructed.

By designating guarantee and disposable areas, the residents, the city, the owners and funding parties receive a long-term decision basis and an autonomous stabilisation of the guarantee areas is achieved. The guarantee areas also serve as the basis for planning the technical infrastructure (public utilities).

Of special importance is the chronological coordination of the deconstruction taking into account the existing communal facilities and the technical infrastructure. This was achieved by involving the different organisers.

Despite the shrinking population in the large housing estates, the vacancies have dropped significantly from 15 percent in 2002 to only 8 percent in 2005. Thanks to the support of the funded living environment measures, many urban districts have reached a stable level by now.

Erfurt
Germany
http://www.erfurt.de
Dipl. Ing. Paul Börsch (Department Manager), tel. 0049- 361-655 6050

01/01/1999

case

Urban Policy > Skills & capacity building > Capacity building & knowledge transfer

Process management