Verändert sich der Stadtumbau?

Abstract

Germany plays an important role in the discourse on urban shrinkage due to the “fast motion” urban shrinkage it underwent in the 1990s. The country has been internationally recognised for problematizing urban shrinkage as early as the turn of the millennium, for developing strategies considering urban shrink- age as an alternative to the “growth paradigm”, and for offering political as well as financial support through an urban restructuring programme (Stadtumbau). In no other country are urban politics and planning in shrinking cities as closely related to a publicly funded programme. To be precise, there are two programmes: Stadtumbau Ost for states in eastern Germany, launched in 2002, and Stadtumbau West, launched two years later for the western part of the country. By 2016 the federal government will have examined a possible fusion of the two programmes. This fusion could be regarded as a purely administrative act or as a political decision, which does not warrant discussion in academic literature. This paper argues that the past shows that programme design shapes urban development discourses and concepts. Therefore, the paper seeks to reflect on: (a) the meaning of the term Stadtumbau in relation to the understanding of Stadtumbau Ost and Stadtumbau West; (b) the main characteristics of the programmes in respect to their contributions to urban development in Germany, principally in shrinking cities; and (c) the question of whether the “farewell to growth”, for which Stadtumbau is internationally recognized, is fading, shifting or has always been “a farce”.