Demographic Patterns of Reurbanisation and Housing in Metropolitan Regions in the US and Germany

After decades of decline, first signs of a central and inner city revitalisation were noticed towards the end of the 1980s in North American metropolitan areas. The repopulation and redevelopment of the metropolitan cores – often referred to as “reurbanisation”, “urban renaissance” or “back-to-the-city-movement” – has accelerated since then and is today one of the outstanding characteristics of recent urban development in the US. In Western and Central European urban regions, reurbanisation patterns were detected some years later although starting from a different level, as the inner cities have never faced a process of decay to the extent that was known in North American cities. At present, reurbanisation is intensely debated in urban and regional research. Although the evidence of reurbanisation is hardly questioned any longer, there is considerable uncertainty about how this new pattern of population change can be explained, how long it will last and how it will change the spatial urban structure of metropolitan areas in the long run. In this paper, we comparatively investigate recent trends of urban development in the US and Germany based on both survey and case study methods, with a focus on demographic patterns and housing. Our results suggest that reurbanisation is a universal trend in large metro regions in the Global North, manifesting itself as a significant repopulation and densification of core areas. At the same time, we found considerable divergence in terms of scale, dynamics and sociodemographic composition of reurbanisation patterns in the selected regions of the US and Germany. * This article belongs to a special issue on reurbanisation

Demographic Patterns of Reurbanisation and Housing in Metropolitan Regions in the US and Germany

"After decades of decline, first signs of a central and inner city revitalisation were noticed towards the end of the 1980s in North American metropolitan areas. The repopulation and redevelopment of the metropolitan cores - often referred to as 'reurbanisation', 'urban renaissance' or 'back-to-the-city-movement' - has accelerated since then and is today one of the outstanding characteristics of recent urban development in the US. In Western and Central European urban regions, reurbanisation patterns were detected some years later although starting from a different level, as the inner cities have never faced a process of decay to the extent that was known in North American cities. At present, reurbanisation is intensely debated in urban and regional research. Although the evidence of reurbanisation is hardly questioned any longer, there is considerable uncertainty about how this new pattern of population change can be explained, how long it will last and how it will change the spatial urban structure of metropolitan areas in the long run. In this paper, we comparatively investigate recent trends of urban development in the US and Germany based on both survey and case study methods, with a focus on demographic patterns and housing. Our results suggest that reurbanisation is a universal trend in large metro regions in the Global North, manifesting itself as a significant repopulation and densification of core areas. At the same time, we found considerable divergence in terms of scale, dynamics and sociodemographic composition of reurbanisation patterns in the selected regions of the US and Germany." (author's abstract

Kommunale Strategien im Vergleich: urbanes Wohnen in Stuttgart, Mannheim und Freiburg

"Die Städte Stuttgart, Mannheim und Freiburg verzeichnen wachsende Einwohnerzahlen. Obgleich Suburbanisierungsprozesse anhalten, partizipieren nach Jahrzehnten rückläufiger Entwicklung auch die inneren Stadtbezirke von dem Bevölkerungszuwachs, der sich vor allem aus der Zuwanderung jüngerer Gruppen (Ausbildungswanderer und Berufseinsteiger) speist. In welchen Innenstadtquartieren die Zuwächse aufgenommen werden, hängt von den lokalen Wohnbauflächen- und Nachverdichtungspotenzialen ab, die sich in den drei Städten unterschiedlich darstellen: In Stuttgart konnten umfassende innerstädtische Wohnbauflächen aufgrund der Verzögerungen des Projekts 'Stuttgart 21' bisher nicht erschlossen werden, jedoch vollzieht sich in den Bestandsquartieren eine Erhöhung der Belegungsdichte. In Mannheim entstehen neue innerstädtische Wohngebiete vor allem durch die Konversion aufgegebener Bahn- und sonstiger Flächen. In Freiburg lässt sich die starke Wohnraumnachfrage nicht allein durch Brachflächen- und Innenentwicklung befriedigen. Obgleich alle drei Städte sich seit den 1970er-Jahren um die Förderung und Sicherung des innerstädtischen Wohnens bemühen, erfordert die jüngste Nachfragewelle neue stadtplanerische Strategien und Initiativen. Sie wurden in Stuttgart 2006, in Mannheim 2010 und in Freiburg 2013 in kommunalen Handlungskonzepten zusammengefasst. Dabei verschiebt sich in den stark wachsenden Städten Freiburg und Stuttgart der Akzent mittlerweile stärker auf die Sicherung preiswerten Wohnraums." (Autorenreferat)"The German cities of Stuttgart, Mannheim and Freiburg are currently experiencing a growth in population, even though the process of suburbanization still prevails. Unlike in previous decades, inner-city neighbourhoods are also profiting from population gains that are substantially fed by the in-migration of younger age groups such as students and young professionals. Local housing and development potentials determine where these population gains are accommodated. In Stuttgart, there has been no comprehensive inner-city housing development due to the delay of the mega-project 'Stuttgart 21', yet residential density is increasing in built-up areas. In Mannheim, new inner-city housing has emerged on former railroad and military sites. In Freiburg, brownfield and infill development potential does not suffice to meet the strong housing demand. While all three cities have engaged in promoting and protecting inner-city housing since the 1970s, the recent wave of demand calls for new planning strategies, initiatives and tools. These have been bundled into new municipal strategic concepts - for Stuttgart in 2006, for Mannheim in 2010 and for Freiburg in 2013. The focus in the fast-growing cities of Freiburg and Stuttgart has now shifted towards affordable housing." (author's abstract

Demographic Patterns of Reurbanisation and Housing in Metropolitan Regions in the US and Germany

After decades of decline, first signs of a central and inner city revitalisation were noticed towards the end of the 1980s in North American metropolitan areas. The repopulation and redevelopment of the metropolitan cores – often referred to as “reurbanisation”, “urban renaissance” or “back-to-the-city-movement” – has accelerated since then and is today one of the outstanding characteristics of recent urban development in the US. In Western and Central European urban regions, reurbanisation patterns were detected some years later although starting from a different level, as the inner cities have never faced a process of decay to the extent that was known in North American cities. At present, reurbanisation is intensely debated in urban and regional research. Although the evidence of reurbanisation is hardly questioned any longer, there is considerable uncertainty about how this new pattern of population change can be explained, how long it will last and how it will change the spatial urban structure of metropolitan areas in the long run. In this paper, we comparatively investigate recent trends of urban development in the US and Germany based on both survey and case study methods, with a focus on demographic patterns and housing. Our results suggest that reurbanisation is a universal trend in large metro regions in the Global North, manifesting itself as a significant repopulation and densification of core areas. At the same time, we found considerable divergence in terms of scale, dynamics and sociodemographic composition of reurbanisation patterns in the selected regions of the US and Germany.   * This article belongs to a special issue on reurbanisation