Project

Many city centers suffer from vacancies, the uncertain fate of department stores, the closure of traditional shops, and declining visitor numbers, among other things. The beginnings of these developments often date back several years, but the pandemic has intensified the dynamics of these changes. There is broad agreement that city centers should be designed to be more diverse and multifunctional. This includes, among other things, new residential offerings, art, culture and leisure facilities, co-working spaces, meeting places, and urban manufacturing. At the same time, there are demands for improving the quality of public spaces and recreational areas. However, there are challenges such as limited resources, limited influence of municipalities, fatigue from constant change, and the temptation to return to a "post-corona normality." However, in order to create a sustainable city center, it is essential to consider topics such as urbanization, growth pressure, double inner development, traffic transformation, climate change, and rainwater infiltration specifically for this urban space. City centers will have to change, and these changes should ideally be accompanied and supported by a dialogue with stakeholders and citizens.

The project brought together various approaches to strategic foresight within a transdisciplinary framework to collaboratively and co-creatively develop sustainable and positive visions for the future of city centers. The goal was to link different perspectives from academia, government, business, and civil society and to create a shared understanding of possible developments and scope for action. The focus was on the exchange between research and practice, aiming to combine scientific findings with the experiential knowledge of residents and local governments and translate them into concrete visions of the future.

To implement this, a toolbox and a corresponding workshop concept were developed, combining strategic foresight methods with interactive and participatory formats. This allowed participants to jointly explore future-oriented topics, draft visions, and discuss pathways toward sustainable urban development. The concept was tested in seven municipalities and further refined through several iterations. Feedback from the field helped to adapt and refine the individual elements, resulting in the kit “Rethinking Sustainable Downtown Development with Foresight Methods”– a practical approach that supports municipalities in developing long-term visions of the future and using them as a guide for new initiatives in their own cities.