‘Consolidate successful programmes for social coherence – increase urban development in 2012’
German Association of Cities urges the federal government
‘Urban development has enormous significance in the management of demographic change, for the much-needed and energetic urban renovation and for ensuring social stability in cities. It should therefore be strengthened, not cut’, emphasised the German Association of Cities Vice President and Mayor of Munich, Christian Ude, following today’s meeting of the Executive Committee and Board of the Association of Local Authorities in Neuss. He stated that increasing urban development again would also be a good idea from an economic point of view, since every euro spent from public funds would trigger numerous private investments.
Ude said that especially given the ongoing debate on ways to ensure the successful integration of migrants and the growing social divide, there was an urgent need to equip effective initiatives like the ‘Soziale Stadt’ (Social City) programme with the necessary resources in the future, too. The federal funds for this programme were reduced from 95 to 28 million euros in 2011.
In addition to an increase in resources for urban development from the current 455 million euros to at least the level in 2010, Ude stated that it was essential that urban development be used both for construction investment and for investment-accompanying measures within the framework of the ‘Soziale Stadt’ programme. The possibility of uniting construction investments and social projects, thus promoting an integrated urban development, has not arisen since 2011.
'From the viewpoint of cities, the ‘Soziale Stadt’ programme’s main recipe for success lies especially in the grouping of investment in fixed assets and social measures in the areas of education, integration or local employment market politics’, emphasised Ude.
This was also made clear by the ‘Soziale Stadt 2010’ competition, which witnessed entries from 178 projects from all over Germany. Ude welcomed the ‘Alliance for a Social City’, which was founded by the organisers of the ‘Soziale Stadt’ competition. Through this organisation, numerous associations and institutions campaign for an increase in urban development.
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