StadtUmMig – New Perspectives for Peripheral Large Housing Estates
Background
The BMBF-funded joint project will study large housing estates in three eastern German cities over a period of three years. After a phase of urban redevelopment and population decline in recent years, most of the new residents have been refugees, so that the proportion of residents with a migration background can be as high as 25%. The focus is on an assessment of the prospects of staying, the analysis of new demands on infrastructure, housing and open space design as well as the opening of the urban society for refugees.
The research approach aims to use an explorative approach to analyze the main problem areas for the further development of urban redevelopment neighborhoods in the context of refugee-related immigration, to understand their interrelationships, and to develop solution options. Of particular interest are the interdependencies of governance structures, planning strategies and integration perspectives with the opportunities for sustainable urban development.
Research questions
The main research questions of the project are:
- Is there a medium-term influx of migrants into "urban redevelopment districts" that transforms them into immigrant neighborhoods in the long term? What prospects are offered to newcomers in the neighborhoods?
- What changes in terms of housing, infrastructure and open space requirements will result from this development?
- How can the integration of immigrants, in terms of access to participation opportunities and social contacts, be facilitated at the neighborhood level? What obstacles stand in the way of this?
- What forms of cooperation and coordination can be identified in this process between public, private and civil society actors? What potentials and problems do they imply for "urban transformation management"?
Next steps
For this purpose, the comparatively designed case studies empirically examine the urban districts of Mueßer Holz in Schwerin, Sandow in Cottbus and Südliche Neustadt in Halle (Saale).
Network partners
The project is a collaborative effort led by the Leibniz Institute for Spatial Social Research (IRS), between the Leibniz Institute for Ecological Spatial Development (IÖR), the Brandenburg Consultancy for Urban Renewal and Modernization (B.B.S.M.), and the state capital Schwerin and the BIM.
Project management
The project is managed at BIM by Dr. Ulrike Hamann and Nihad El-Kayed.
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