Integrated urban development in Saxony

The European Union and the Free State of Saxony continue to support cities and municipalities in Saxony in upgrading disadvantaged districts. At the beginning of January, the cabinet approved the “Sustainable integrated urban development 2021 to 2027” funding guideline.

“Apartments without tenants, abandoned buildings with no prospect of redevelopment, derelict commercial and traffic areas” was how the Görlitz Urban Development Office described the west of the city just a few years ago. Located right next to Görlitz’s thriving and charismatic old town, the “creeping decline” of the district could be observed. But a lot has happened since then. The former goods station was renovated and became the new home of the Freie Walddorfschule Görlitz. The adjacent open spaces were also put to new use as the “Brautwiesenbogen” park. Today, people walk, cycle or skateboard on the former wasteland. Sustainable redevelopment and various interventions have created sustainable structures in the district, which have enhanced the value of the entire area. Projects like these show that the right funding can really make a difference on the ground. The upgrading of Görlitz West was made possible by funds from the European Union and the Free State.

At the beginning of this year, Thomas Schmidt, Minister for Structural Development, Rural Areas and Construction in Saxony, therefore announced the continuation of the funding program for sustainable urban development. Over the next five years, 196.5 million euros will be available for comparable projects throughout the state. This is all thanks to the “Sustainable integrated urban development 2021 to 2027” funding guideline . The majority of the funding (156 million euros) comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The remaining amount is provided by the Free State of Saxony. Görlitz is just one of 21 projects that have received funding in the past. Thomas Schmidt emphasizes that the existing funding programmes have been “very well received” throughout the state.

In order to be eligible for funding, sustainable integrated urban development projects must correspond to one of the following fields of action. For example, they should be designed in such a way that they contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. Or contribute to the general improvement of urban ecology. Funding is also available for concepts that aim to enhance the economic, social or architectural culture of urban districts. Interested cities thus have the opportunity to tackle a variety of measures. For example, the renovation and conversion of buildings – as was the case with the Görlitz goods station. Or the upgrading of brownfield sites by transforming them into high-quality green spaces – also seen in Görlitz. New construction on unused land is also an option. This is what happened in Auerbach in Vogtland, for example. There, a cultural and leisure facility was built on a brownfield site. This enhances the cultural offering for local residents. At the same time, it can be a driver for tourism in the region.

In addition to urban development funding programs, the funds can also be used to promote small and micro enterprises. To this end, cities have the opportunity to set up municipal development programs that enable investment in existing businesses. Appropriate funding also makes it more attractive for new companies to locate in the respective region. Depending on the size of the city, the subsidy rates are between 70-75 percent. The location in the federal state itself also has an impact on the subsidy rates. The so-called more developed region around Leipzig has a funding rate of 50 percent. In the regions of Chemnitz and Dresden, the so-called transition regions, the funding rate is 60 percent.

The application deadline for the submission of area-based integrated action plans (GIHK) was March 31 of this year. By then, all the necessary documents had to have been received by the Sächsische Aufbaubank – Förderbank. Urban areas with a population of 5,000 or more were eligible to apply. In addition to an eligible project, they also had to prove that there was a disadvantage in the existing situation. With a clever concept – as was successful in Görlitz or Auerbach in the past – the cities can now hope to receive funding from the “integrated urban development” program. And thus sustainably upgrade neighborhoods and everyday spaces in the foreseeable future. We are excited!

A lot is already happening in Linz in terms of urban planning. What exactly? You can read about it here: Linz urban planning.