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A warm welcome!

Thank you for your interest in the 16th Federal Congress on National Urban Development Policy.

Sharing innovative ideas and positive experiences is vital for integrated urban development policy. The annual Federal Congresses are the central forum for urban development policy in Germany. With a variety of formats, they provide a platform for all stakeholders involved in the processes and issues of urban development policy. Since the very beginning of the  National Urban Development Policy, they have become one of its most important cornerstones.

This is where a wide community of experts discusses the contents, objectives and current issues around urban development policy. In addition, new ideas and approaches are presented, using exemplary projects and processes from Germany and abroad.

This year’s Federal Congress took place in Jena, Thuringia, in the just completely renovated Volkshaus. It was linked to the presentation year of the IBA Thuringia 2023 and explored the diverse connections between city and countryside and the major transformation tasks of climate change, digitalisation, housing, social participation, energy and mobility transformation.

You can find the recordings of the main programme in the Media-Library.

Programme

(Last updated: 31/08/2023 / Subject to change)

Programme booklet download

12 September 2023

From 10:00 a.m.
Accreditation for Federal Congress available

11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Side events
Various events by the partners of the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building and the National Urban Development Policy

Due to space restrictions in the Volkshaus Jena, the number of participants at the side events will be limited.

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The Urban League is a federal alliance of over 80 projects and young citizens who are actively engaged in designing their own cities. As a project incubator, think tank and networking platform, the Urban League aims to strengthen the actions of Germany’s young adults. It gives them a greater say in public discourse, promotes a shared urban vision and expands their opportunities for action. The Urban League is a Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) project. Together with guests from the world of politics and administration, the Urban League discusses the relevance of civil society’s role in urban design, the inclusion of common good oriented initiatives as legitimate stakeholders in urban development processes, and the opportunities for urban development funding to strengthen the active engagement of young citizens in urban development.

The spatial and settlement development in Germany seems to be out of balance.  How can we successfully achieve a balance between increasingly overburdened major cities and smaller towns and rural areas that have persistent vacancy levels?  To what extent can an alleviation on the one hand, and a regeneration on the other hand, contribute to protecting resources, reducing land take and achieving social cohesion? This will be discussed by representatives from the housing industry, municipal practice, federal government and the scientific community.

To achieve climate goals, climate protection and climate adaptation must be given priority in the legal framework, to be able to prepare legally sound consideration processes on-site (or in the neighbourhood) that will respect the civil liberties of future generations. The following basically applies: The soil must be the long-term foundation for the objectives of the New Leipzig Charter and must reflect green-blue, just and productive urban development as well as an urban policy for the common good.

New formats of third spaces can become starting points for activating urban development. How can we successfully transform large buildings into third spaces? What distinguishes new cultural spaces and creative ecosystems and how can the momentum and energy of third spaces be encouraged in their surroundings?

As part of the “Kommunen Innovativ” project, the Thuringian town of Schmölln and the University of Kassel are conducting joint research on an integrated strategy for public services and sustainability. The ISDN links the challenges of public services and climate-adapted development. The (interim) results of the project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will be presented and discussed as part of the event. The panel will focus on an urban design for a mobility turnaround that is suitable for daily life in rural areas and based on existing stock (e.g. the railway station district).

From 2024, with the creation of the Small Town Academy Office, there will be a new action, learning and communication platform for small towns in Germany. This session reports on the pilot phase and presents the idea behind the Small Town Academy. Because, whether it is digitalisation, the development of housing areas and green spaces or town-centre revival, small towns are already developing and need a variety of solutions to the challenges of our time. The focus of the discussion will be on some inspiring projects and new forms of collaboration between small towns.

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The growing number of vacant spaces and new usage requirements in inner cities call for creative ideas and new tools. Selected pilot projects from the National Urban Development Policy show some innovative ways to use the ground floors of public spaces. They will demonstrate how ideas are developed in a collaborative, common good oriented way, which stakeholders are involved, how a stimulating range of uses can be coordinated and how pilot projects contribute to the sustainable transformation of inner cities, thereby strengthening their resilience in times of crises.

Urban development has always been engaged in the transformation of urban spaces and the organisation of towns and neighbourhoods. The objective was always to find place-based, integrated and practicable structural responses to economic, technological and demographic changes. With AI tools like ChatGPT so widely accessible, we must also address the impact and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in urban development. Can the new generation of AI be used as a tool to support urban developers and planners? Or can it trigger creative processes itself in the design and transformation of cities? That is what we will discuss.

Between April 2022 and January 2023, several amendments to the German Federal Building Code (BauGB) came into effect. However, the greatest success – a comprehensive amendment of the BauGB – is still pending.  The challenges are huge, as the amendments must lay the foundations for greater consideration of the objectives of climate protection and climate adaptation in urban development planning; at the same time, more affordable housing should be made possible and planning processes should be substantially accelerated. How can this be achieved without undermining people’s democratic participation rights? In May 2022, the SRL formulated seven key requirements for accelerating the planning processes under the BauGB and will present these for discussion.

The side event of the BMBF-funded collaborative project, “SInBa” (“Social Innovations in Building, Housing and Urban Development”) focusses on the potential of social innovations for sustainable urban development: Can social innovations promote climate-neutral and affordable construction and housing? What do they achieve for sustainable and socially inclusive neighbourhoods? Do they open up new possibilities for overcoming the conflicts of urban transformation and accelerating the necessary transformation processes in a way that promotes democracy? To help answer these questions, examples and new approaches will be presented and debated with renowned experts from the scientific community and municipal practice.

“Let me know when you’re home!”. This phrase also applies to urban development. It’s all about security, public space, communication and respect, but also about representation, inclusion and participation. Gender mainstreaming, feminist and gender-sensitive planning have been under discussion for a long time and are actually completely self-evident elements of an urban policy for the common good and the design of urban spaces. The New Leipzig Charter calls for equal opportunities and liveable cities for everyone. In this side event, the BMWSB wants to pick up  the various discussions about gender-sensitive planning and jointly develop them further, as the basis for a new, feminist urban development policy.

How can neighbourhoods and urban and rural areas become more crisis-resilient and adaptable? The Memorandum on Urban Resilience, adopted in 2021, already identifies key guardrails. Nevertheless, there are questions about the practical feasibility of implementing this approach on the spot.  The vhw event invites interdisciplinary dialogue and opens up various perspectives on the concept and its implementation.

Side events (by invitation)

URBACT is a European programme in which cities can share their experiences regarding current issues they face in integrated urban development and learn from each other. It offers  cities the opportunity to meet European partners facing similar challenges and to gather ideas for new solutions and approaches. The German cities selected as part of URBACT’s first call in the current round of funding for participation in the URBACT network will join us in Jena to share their ideas at the start of their projects.

All international guests and members of the Dialogues for Urban Change (D4UC) network are invited to join us for a networking lunch followed by a tour of the iconic Eiermannbau as part of the International Building Exhibition (IBA). After gaining an overview of the IBA concept, we will explore the applicability of IBA-type approaches in different contexts, such as integrated urban recovery in Ukraine.

From 5:00 p.m.
Congress Programme

Overall moderation: Anja Heyde

5:00 p.m.
Welcome/introduction: “Urban-Rural Future Lab – new pathways to better cooperation”
Klara Geywitz, Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building

5:15 p.m.
Welcome to the Free State of Thuringia
Bodo Ramelow, Prime Minister of the Free State of Thuringia

5:30 p.m.
Welcome to the City of Jena
Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, Mayor of the City of Jena

5:40 p.m.
International welcoming speech
Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister for Infrastructure, Ukraine (ENG)

5:50 p.m.
Keynote
Aysel Osmanoglu, member of the Executive Board and Spokeswoman of the Executive Board of GLS Bank

6:20 p.m.
Dialogue on the keynote
Moderator: Anja Heyde in conversation with Klara Geywitz, Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building, and Aysel Osmanoglu

6:40 p.m.
Discussion on urban development policy

Leading the discussion: Anja Heyde, moderator

  • Bernhard Daldrup, Member of the Federal Parliament, SPD
  • Anja Liebert, Member of the Federal Parliament, Alliance 90/The Greens
  • Rainer Semet, Member of the Federal Parliament, FDP
  • Lars Rohwer, Member of the Federal Parliament, CDU/CSU
  • Caren Lay, Member of the Federal Parliament, The Left
  • Stephan Brandner, Member of the Federal Parliament, Alternative for Germany

7:25 p.m.
“Urban Development Day” photo competition: Award ceremony
Moderation: Anja Heyde, moderator

  • Klara Geywitz, Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building

7:40 p.m.
Evening reception by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building in the foyer of the Volkshaus Jena

13 September 2023

From 8:30 a.m.
Admission and registration

10:00 a.m.
Opening and welcome, with dialogue
Moderator Anja Heyde in conversation with Elisabeth Kaiser, Member of the Federal Parliament and Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building

10:10 a.m.
Keynote
Dr.-Ing. Martina Doehler-Behzadi, Managing Director of IBA Thüringen GmbH

10:40 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Breakout sessions (in parallel): Different working formats with short stimuli, practical examples and discussion (including excursion)

Moderator Anja Heyde starts with an overview of the breakout sessions and provides organisational instructions (finishing at 11:00 a.m. latest).  Only some of the breakout sessions will take place in the Volkshaus. Some breakout sessions will be excursions to IBA projects. Buses will be available for the excursions if the locations are not easily reached by public transport or on foot. Participation in these breakout sessions is limited.

Inner city development is an ongoing task. Inner cities and town centres are continually facing new challenges, and there is much pressure for change. The session by the BMWSB and the City Centre Advisory Board provides an opportunity to share information about tools for inner city development, especially for dealing with large buildings and for implementing experiments. Municipalities report on their projects and experiences on the ground.

The urgency to expand and safeguard social infrastructure and healthcare in rural areas has steadily increased in the past few years. Two pilot projects which have been implemented on a cross-community basis by the Seltenrain village area as part of IBA Thuringia serve as a nation-wide good practice for Baukulturare: the collectively converted rural centre in Sundhausen and the walk-in health centres in four surrounding communities will be presented and visited.

International Building Exhibitions (IBA) develop exemplary and transferable solutions for social and planning issues. To address the increasingly urgent key future tasks for urban development – including in the context of climate change – the local neighbourhood is increasingly becoming the territorial level for decision-making. In this session, we will discuss – based on neighbourhoods already created and those being planned – how ambitious neighbourhood initiatives can benefit from stimuli and strategies from IBA to more quickly develop and implement sustainable, transferable solutions.

How do we transform large housing estates into diverse urban areas? In the session, we want to use practical examples from Jena, Bremen and Dortmund to discuss the challenges facing large housing estates and how the existing potential for transformation can be used. To this end, we want to examine the social, urban development, housing industry and technological aspects of large housing estates and derive recommendations for action. In the smart Jena-Lobeda neighbourhood, we will take a look at concrete measures and services.

Climate change leads to new challenges for urban areas. The session therefore explores the contribution of green and blue infrastructure to promote urban climate action. Current examples in that field will be presented on an excursion in Jena. Moreover, the session will focus on the implementation of the EU Mission on “100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities” and its ambitious goal to achieve climate neutrality in the 100 selected European cities – among them nine German cities – by 2030. It will present best-practice examples from different European cities and discuss enabling framework conditions.Climate change leads to new challenges for urban areas. The session therefore explores the contribution of green and blue infrastructure to promote urban climate action. Current examples in that field will be presented on an excursion in Jena. Moreover, the session will focus on the implementation of the EU Mission on “100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities” and its ambitious goal to achieve climate neutrality in the 100 selected European cities – among them nine German cities – by 2030. It will present best-practice examples from different European cities and discuss enabling framework conditions.

How can housing stock be increased globally while ensuring liveable and mixed neighbourhoods? How can we tackle homelessness, living conditions in informal settlements, or create (temporary) housing in the context of war or natural disasters? Join us at this international session with urban experts and government representatives from various countries. The event aims to facilitate exchange and collaboration among participants. A visit of a housing-related project in Jena is part of this session.

3:30 p.m.
Coffee break and discussion in the Volkshaus

4:15 p.m.
Discussion: Partners of the National Urban Development Policy

Moderator Anja Heyde in conversation with:

  • Elisabeth Kaiser, Member of the Federal Parliament and Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building
  • Prof. Dr. Barbara Schönig, State Secretary to the Thuringian Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture
  • Bernd Düsterdiek, Alderman for Urban Development, Environment and Climate Protection, German Association of Towns and Municipalities
  • Hilmar von Lojewski, Alderman for Urban Development, Building, Housing and Traffic, Association of German Cities
  • Christian Gerlitz, Mayor and Head of Department for Urban Development and Environment of the City of Jena

5:15 p.m.
Brief wrap-up and end of programme
Moderator Anja Heyde in conversation with Elisabeth Kaiser, Member of the Federal Parliament and Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building

5:30 p.m.
Close of Congress and City of Jena get-together in the foyer of the Volkshaus Jena

Event location

Volkshaus Jena 
Carl-Zeiss-Platz 15 
07743 Jena 

https://www.volkshaus-jena.de

The ideal location for intellectual stimulation

Immerse yourself in culture in the historic Volkshaus Jena. Initiated in 1903 by Ernst Abbe, the building was primarily intended to offer people “opportunities for intellectual stimulation”.

And the Volkshaus is still impressive today, with its various rooms ornately decorated with art nouveau elements.

The Ernst-Abbe-Saal in the Volkshaus Jena

At the heart of the Volkshaus is the large plenary hall named after Ernst Abbe, the physicist and social reformer. With its faithfully restored art nouveau elements and excellent acoustics, this awe-inspiring setting is perfect for the 16th Federal Congress.

The Volkshaus is complemented by the tower building which, after extensive renovation and conversion, has been turned into a modern conference centre that was opened in 2022.

The Volkshaus Jena is located right in the heart of the city and is just a few minutes’ easy walk from both the main stations, Jena Paradies and Jena West. The city centre is on the doorstep, with a large hotel directly opposite and the university campus nearby.

If you look around Jena, you’ll find a city with a youthful, easy-living vibe – a harmonious blend of old and new, a bustling city centre with a studenty atmosphere and wide green spaces, culture, and a fascinating history.