EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Social regeneration of the neighbourhood “Northern inner city” Dortmund

Social regeneration of the neighbourhood “Northern inner city” Dortmund - DE

Introduction

Dortmund’s Northern Inner City has gone through various policies during the last decades – gradually opening the focus from mere physical regeneration to more and more comprehensive approaches. The opportunity to receive URBAN II-funding has been used by the local authorities to systematically check where earlier activities had left gaps and to round the approach off to a really comprehensive strategy with this additional funding opportunity. As a result, a strong emphasis has been placed on local economic development and elements of empowerment for local residents and organisations.

Problem

The area was very deprived:

there was a lack of maintenance in the housing stock;
inadequate design and greening of public areas;
the area was economically underdeveloped;
there was a one-sided population structure with an above-average number of unemployed, older and low-income groups of different origin;
there was a lack of cultural and social facilities especially for children and young people
there was a lack of support activities in schools for residents with a migration background – especially regarded to mothers and to young people without sufficient educational achievements and employment perspectives.

Description

One purpose of the project was to deal with deficits that still remained after many regeneration activities that had been carried out in the area in the past. The main purpose of this programme however was to “make the area fit for the future”. This means that is has been realised that such multiply deprived urban areas will always need special attention and will always have to deal with a high degree of complex problems. As public resources are getting more and more limited, it has been decided to implement this strategy with a focus on sustainable improvements and especially the achievement of higher capacities for problem solving in the area.

Approach

The following measures were carried out in the project:

Improvement of public parks and sports facilities
Improvement of roads and traffic situation in housing areas
Improvements in local schools and facilities for young people
Improvement of facades in co-operation with local artists

For the management of the initiative an inter-disciplinary project group has been established by the local authorities with co-workers from different departments to ensure an integrated project management. On the implementation side, intense co-operation and consultations between all those who carried out a sub-project have been set up to ensure a high degree of co-operation and synergetic effects.

An accompanying monitoring has continuously monitored the degree of co-operation and integration and helped to increase these forms of mutual support and integrated action during the implementation period.

Results

The project is still in the phase of implementation which will end in 2008. For now, the following results and achievements can be seen:

Various social facilities have been improved and the new offers for children, young people, families with migration background, artists etc. find a very high demand and use.
Various improvements in public parks and leisure facilities are being implemented and have raised a high degree of commitment and participation amongst residents and associations.
The three newly installed neighbourhood managements are very active and highly appreciated from co-operation partners in all sectors [various departments of local authorities, police, residents, owners of SME’s in the area]. Their structural participation forums for residents and house owners are reliable and active structures.
In term of economic development, a high degree of business start-ups and stabilisation of SME’s in the area has been achieved.
Various activities to improve the link between schools and employment have contributed to in improvement of those structured and improved employment opportunities for young people from the area.

Beneficiaries

Residents as well as house and business owners of the neighbourhood are the primary beneficiaries.

Other special target groups are children and young people as well as migrants.

Another focus has been placed on schools and non-profit organisations in the area. They have been enabled to widen and improve their activities and impact so that in future, after the end of URBAN II funding, they will have a higher capacity to contribute to a positive development of the area.

Resources used

European Funding – URBAN II Community Initiative
National and regional funding – Programme “Socially Integrative City”
Funding from the job exchange for employment promotion
Funding for cultural activities from the local authorities and the regional government
Funding from the Alfried von Krupp Foundation for the training of young people
Funding from the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation for artistic education of children
Funding from the Hoesch Foundation for the creation of an industrial museum
Co-financing contributed by local organisations

EU involvement

The project is funded in the framework of the URBAN II Community Initiative.

Contact info

Stadt Dortmund
Mr Ralf Appel (Head of the Project Group 6/URBAN II), tel. +49 (0)231/ 50 2 37 33

Project start date

01/01/2004

Links

Homepage of the project

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Urban environment

Keywords

Urban renewal