Umweltorientierte Städtebauförderung

Problem

The German urban development programmes provide financial assistance for investments in the renewal and development of cities and municipalities. This makes it the most important instrument for the sustainable regeneration and further development of the housing stock. The main objective is to sustainably strengthen the cities and municipalities as business and residential locations and to permanently remedy any deficiencies or shortcomings that stand in the way of this. Environmental protection is a cross-sectional task that has received a programmatic upgrade in recent years.

Goal

In the context of the Federal Environment Agency's “Urban Environmental Protection” research agenda, which defines priorities for the development of settlement areas geared towards achieving environmental quality goals, the research project will examine the extent to which urban development funding contributes to a transformation of urban areas geared towards sustainability and to the goals of environmental protection in urban development, particularly with regard to land recycling, resource conservation, climate protection and adaptation.

Research questions

• What contribution does urban development promotion make to land recycling, resource conservation, climate protection and adaptation, how can this be better addressed and thus increase the transformative potential of urban spaces?
• Which of the selected environmental issues have so far been addressed less or not at all?
• How can these ‘gaps’ be closed and what assistance can be derived for the various federal, state and municipal levels? Which criteria and approaches can be used to better address the selected environmental aspects for the relevant funding priorities and in municipal practice?

Methodology

As a basis for the evaluation and further development of urban development funding for the transformation of urban spaces, the relevant subject areas from an environmental perspective are first described using criteria and compared with the fields of action of urban development funding in order to identify existing points of contact and gaps.

The concepts and planning processes of integrated urban development planning are analysed with regard to their potential for synergies and the handling of conflicting objectives between urban environmental protection and other objectives. By analysing specific practical examples, starting points can be identified as to how urban environmental protection concerns can be anchored in urban development practice and what obstacles exist to this.

In addition to analysing specific concepts and projects, a Germany-wide online survey will be carried out in municipalities and among other stakeholders in urban development funding. Selected projects will be analysed in greater depth by means of expert interviews and site visits.

The results will be reflected upon in expert discussions with municipal stakeholders and representatives of other relevant institutions.

Results

The findings will be prepared in the form of a brochure for specific target groups. Furthermore, key messages will be formulated for stakeholders at different spatial levels (federal, state and municipal) on the adaptation and further development of the framework conditions for urban development funding and its implementation.

The project is intended to contribute to strengthening the design of urban development funding as a central financing and control instrument for existing urban development and neighbourhood development in the sense of a sustainability transformation of urban spaces.