Day of urban development 2021
50 years of urban development promotion in Germany
On May 8, 2021, the Day of Urban Development will take place nationwide. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, no events or tours are planned in Jena as part of this event. This year, the anniversary "50 years of urban development funding" is the focus of the day of action and refers to the diverse funding programs of urban development funding, which have been constantly adapted to new challenges in urban development over the past decades. Since 2020, there have been the three federal and state programs "Vibrant Centres", "Social Cohesion" and "Growth and Sustainable Renewal", in which current cross-cutting tasks such as adaptation to climate change have been added. The city of Jena benefits from all three programs in its assisted areas.
30 years of urban development funding in Jena
In Jena, we are looking back on 30 years of urban redevelopment this year. After reunification in 1990, a comprehensive process of urban renewal began here as well as in society. The formal designation of the first redevelopment areas "Altstadt", "Sophienstraße" and "Karl-Liebknecht-Straße" on 10.07.1991 created the conditions for the use of urban development funds. Further redevelopment and development areas were added in the following years - today, the urban development department is responsible for six urban redevelopment measures and four development areas.
The tasks of urban renewal have constantly changed over the past decades. In the beginning, there were tasks such as securing buildings, removing contaminated sites and renewing the technical infrastructure. Today, however, the public and private building stock has been almost completely renovated and all available building sites are being planned or implemented. The focus for the next few years will be on the renewal of public streets and open spaces - in the city center with a focus on the surrounding design of the two major projects Inselplatz and Eichplatz with estimated total costs of EUR 15 million, in Wenigenjena on "Gries" and in the Damenviertel in the redesign of "Nollendorfer Straße" and "St.-Jakob-Straße".
Since 1991, the projects in the urban redevelopment and development measures of the city of Jena have been supported with around € 160 million in financial aid from the federal and state urban development programs. In addition to the city's funding measures, the commitment of around 8,500 private property owners and the financial commitment of investors in the redevelopment areas have also contributed to the structural developments and thus to the achievement of the redevelopment goals. The result is visible everywhere in the cityscape.
Head of Department Christian Gerlitz says: "The success of urban redevelopment through 30 years of urban development funding in Jena makes me visibly proud. I would particularly like to thank the daily work of the urban redevelopment team, which is responsible for processing the funding."
Outlook
To ensure that the city of Jena can continue to use subsidies in the redevelopment areas in the future, all redevelopment statutes must be extended by 31.12.2021. The legislator has provided for a time limit in the building code for all areas that were adopted before 2007. At the moment, the urban redevelopment team in the urban development department is evaluating the redevelopment objectives adopted for all areas and examining the time periods for an extension that are necessary to achieve the objectives. The current aim is a maximum extension of 10 years and a gradual completion of the areas. Also enshrined in the Building Code is the necessary collection of compensation payments, which must be levied by the city of Jena after completion of the urban redevelopment measures. On a positive note, over € 10 million in compensation payments have already been redeemed early by private owners and used directly to finance measures.
The lifting of the zoning restrictions does not mean the end of urban renewal tasks, but rather opens up opportunities for the designation of new redevelopment and development areas in the city.