Publication & Interview Structural change, Axel Schuch @ Wirschaftjahrbuch, Germany, 1 May 2006
Structural
change
as a
challenge
Elizabeth Sikiaridi
These processes can also be influenced. In the Netherlands, for example, large shopping centers on greenfield sites are almost never approved, unlike, to give another European example, in France, where the âhypermarchesâ not only provide a fantastic food department, but also centers for villages and small towns without bakers. However, the loss of purchasing power and vacancies in the inner cities of the Ruhr should be seen in the context of the general economic and demographic problems. In the Ruhr region, which was confronted with such developments earlier than other regions in Germany and is therefore also referred to as the âlaboratory of demographic changeâ, these issues are the subject of intensive work and reflection. It is important to turn the problem of structural change into a challenge. In order to deal with urban shrinkage, it is necessary to develop a holistic view that considers the entire space of the urban landscape, that includes not only the built-up but also the undeveloped areas, not only the physical-architectural but also the digital-media spaces in the transformation processes of the urban: The spaces created in the city in the process of urban redevelopment and reconstruction can be used to qualify existing urban structures at comparatively low cost. Media services can be used to support infrastructure facilities that are underutilized and can therefore hardly be maintained. This is also interesting in the context of services for an ageing society. We have been working on such projects for years and have developed the term âsoft urbanismâ for this work on the city, which makes use of such âsoft toolsâ.
Elizabeth Sikiaridi
This is a good example of this: In times of scarce financial resources, urban agriculture can be used to develop strategies to use not only urban development funds for urban redevelopment, but also the wide range of partly European funds, including funds, for example, for renewable energies and the environment. For the development of urban open spaces that âmaintain the urban and socio-spatial continuumâ, solutions can be found with the help of urban agriculture that are âwell-maintainedâ and cost-effective. Landscaped agricultural and forestry areas used for urban agriculture, whose yield can cover the costs of care and maintenance, can be used as energy producers, for example (energy crops for biomass to generate energy). We have also worked on such projects in eastern Germany and in the region.
In a current project at the University of Duisburg-Essen, âWorld Cup 2006: playing on the urban landscapeâ, you pose the question of how the World Cup will boost urban development. Are there any concrete answers? We need to be creative and try to use all the impetus for the positive development of the region and its cities. The World Cup will attract many guests and journalists from all over the world. This is certainly a task for city marketing: to present and publicize the region and its cities as a business location and tourist destination. At the same time, the popular team sport of soccer is an excellent tool for integration. In the Netherlands, 200 soccer pitches and the associated infrastructure are currently being set up in socially deprived areas as an important part of an integration program for young people with a migration background.
In connection with this project, we have been asked to develop ideas and concepts for online games that support interaction on the green lawn in the neighborhood in terms of sustainable integration.
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