Dessau-Roßlau „Dessauer Weg“

Context

to the top

Owing to the deep-seated economic and social changes, the traditional industrial centre of Dessau (pop. 77.557 as of 12/2004) increasingly lost its economic foundation after 1989. A large part of the sites formerly serving industrial or commercial uses fell into disuse as time went by. Hardly any further locations are available for urban development besides these inner city wastelands as extensive nature and landscape protection areas surround the town’s settlement area. Given this background, the urban policy pursued by Dessau council is predominantly aimed at protecting and creating jobs within the town. In doing so, the council places a particular emphasis on the demand-driven provision of land, coupled with the optimal exploitation of inner city site potentials. The revitalization of wastelands is a central element of the urban development concept and embedded in the „URBAN II“ programme.
Between 1996 and 2003, the project was funded and evaluated as a model project within the research field “Urban Planning and the Economy” (Städtebau und Wirtschaft) which is an element of the federal research programme “Experimental Housing and Urban Development (EXHUD)” (Experimenteller Wohnungs- und Städtebau).

Project description

to the top

As part of the urban development in Dessau, large wastelands created by erstwhile industrial locations within the urban settlement area are being dedicated to new uses immediately. The declared aims of the „Dessau Way“ particular include the revitalization of industrial and military wastelands, promotion of the marketing of inner city industrial sites, securing the location via stock maintenance and enhancing the inner city’s status as an industrial location. The council prefers to revitalize former industrial sites and wastelands for the development of inner city industrial locations, instead of settling them in outlying areas. Besides revitalizing large wastelands, the council also dedicates smaller inner city industrial sites and vacant buildings to new uses. The revitalization projects are realized within a framework of orchestrated administrative management. The process starts with the town planning department assessing the stock and drafting a follow-up use concept. The council purchases inner city wastelands. Following their development and parcelling, the sites are marketed at favourable conditions. The acquisition activities required for this are focused in the trade promotion department of the town planning office.

One of the most important initial projects of the „Dessau Way“ involved the development of a modern commercial and industrial estate for small and medium-sized businesses on the former site of the manufacturer “Waggonbau Dessau GmbH” (36 ha). These businesses already use the favourable interregional connection to the Autobahn access for the A9 Berlin-Munich. The site was redeveloped between summer 1996 and summer 1999, with some of the factory buildings being preserved. The remediation of contaminated areas was performed within a relatively short period of time, as was the new development and parcelling. In the industrial estate „WBD Industriepark”, the council is the main shareholder of an industrial estate company (IEC) established expressly for this purpose. The intensive dovetailing of processes within the administration and the close collaboration with its top tiers continue to be practiced. Despite unfavourable conditions in the overall economy, the revitalization of inner city wastelands has continued to result in successful developments.

Project chronology

to the top

Aims

to the top

• Revitalization of wastelands
• Promoting the marketing of inner city industrial sites
• Enhancing the inner city as an industrial location
• Preventing outlying development
• Development of inner city commercial locations

Types of measures

to the top

• Foundation of the industrial estate company
• Urban design contracts
• Public-private partnership
• Creation of a site management and site information system
• Establishment of special coordination meetings
• Council resolution on the urban development concept
• Consensus-oriented action
• Public involvement

Innovations

to the top

By virtue of recycling industrial wastelands, the council was able to direct investments to inner city areas, hence eliminating urban design defects, while simultaneously avoiding that new sites are claimed for development. The revitalization projects provide important impulses for the inner city development in Dessau. The constructive collaboration of business start-ups, the industrial estate company and the council ensured that the contamination remediation, redevelopment and parcelling processes could be accelerated significantly.

Sources

to the top

• BBR (client), FIRU GmbH (contractor): Querauswertung von ExWoSt-Modellvorhaben zum Flächenrecycling, 2004 (Lateral Evaluation of the EXHUD Model Projects for Area Recycling, 2004) (unpublished report)
• Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning) (2003): Zukunft findet Stadt (Future Meets Town), „Werkstatt: Praxis“ magazine, nr. 6/2003, Bonn 2003
• Construction and Housing Ministry “BMVBW”: www.werkstatt.de, Innovative Beispiele aus dem Experimentellen Wohnungs- und Städtebau (Innovative Examples for Experimental Housing and Urban Development), Berlin 2000
• Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning): Städte der Zukunft – Auf der Suche nach der Stadt von morgen (Cities of the Future – Looking for the City of Tomorrow), „Werkstatt: Praxis“ magazine, nr. 4/1999, Bonn 1999
• <http://www.stadtentwicklung-sachsen-anhalt.de/inhalt/dessau/>

Further information

to the top

• <http://www.dessau-rosslau.de/>

The projekt site ist to be found at postal code: 06822 - town: Dessau-Roßlau - street: Am Waggonbau 1.

Protagonists

to the top

• Stadt Dessau-Roßlau (Dessau-Roßlau Council), Amt für Stadtplanung und Denkmalpflege (town planning department): Frau Jahn, Tel: 0340 / 204 - 2061, email: <stadtplanung@dessau-rosslau.de>
• Stadt Dessau-Roßlau (Dessau-Roßlau Council), Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung (department for the promotion of trade and industry): Frau Kirchner, Tel: 0340 / 204 - 2080, email: <wirtschaftsfoerderung@dessau-rosslau.de>