Development concept shows potential and need for action for commercial and scientific areas up to 2035

Workplace and commercial space concept unanimously recommended to the city council

Jena's economy and science have developed very positively in the recent past. The highly visible activities on the major construction sites at the new headquarters of Carl Zeiss AG in the Tatzendpromenade industrial estate or the site of the modern university campus on Inselplatz are just two of several examples in the Jena city area where the dynamic development is reflected in the cityscape. In particular, the positive development of companies in recent years has been accompanied by a consistently high demand for commercial space. Determining the future demand for commercial and scientific space is therefore one of the key tasks of forward-looking and strategically oriented urban development planning.

For this reason, work began at the end of 2019 on updating the existing workplace and commercial space concept from 2013. Together with the commissioned offices Prognos AG and Complan Kommunalberatung, the entire urban area was scrutinized. Both the existing commercial and scientific areas - the so-called special construction areas for research and teaching - were recorded, the specific requirements up to 2035 were derived on the basis of various scenarios and specific recommendations for action were made.

The results of the update were presented and discussed at two meetings of the Committee for Urban Development and the Environment in January and February.

"The key result of the analysis is that, depending on the scenario selected, up to 26 hectares of additional commercial space will be required by 2035," said Christian Gerlitz, Mayor and Head of Urban Development and Environment for the City of Jena. "The potential, but also the challenges, lie primarily in the existing buildings over the next few years. In the commercial sector, 71 of the total 348 hectares - a good 20 percent - are currently still undeveloped," Gerlitz continued.

However, only a small proportion of this is already available for marketing. The remaining areas have either already been optioned by companies or are currently not available due to various challenges such as the need for a development plan procedure or due to private ownership.

In the case of scientific sites, the plans for the majority of land owned by the state of Thuringia envisage bundling and concentrating on a total of four campus locations over the next few years. In addition to the Inselplatz campus currently under construction, this includes the existing sites in the Bachstraßen and Landgrafen areas. There are also plans to develop the site of the former children's hospital in Westbahnhofstrasse as a campus for the humanities and social sciences. In contrast, the numerous scattered and individual sites scattered around the city are to be abandoned in the future.

In order to be able to offer the best possible framework conditions for the development of Jena's companies in terms of quantity and quality in the future, the designation of three additional commercial areas is proposed in addition to the revitalization and reorganization of existing existing areas and the development of the already planned commercial FNP reserved areas. In addition, the inter-municipal commercial area in the municipality of Rothenstein can be added to the portfolio in the future by a further approx. 10 hectares.

"When it comes to scientific sites, the main focus over the next few years will be on developing the existing locations, densifying them structurally and utilizing the space potential that is already available today," says Gerlitz. "The aim is to maintain scientific competitiveness and create modern locations in the city." Additional scientific areas, on the other hand, are not to be designated.

The concept was positively assessed by politicians in the urban development committee. At the same time, the urgency of site development for the city's continued economic growth was emphasized. In principle, there is sufficient potential land available, albeit with different challenges. These need to be tackled in parallel in order to be able to provide a sufficient supply of space in terms of both quantity and quality. The committee members unanimously recommended the concept to the city council.