Co-producing just and sustainable localities: emphasising the role of local authorities in current practices in Germany

In current debates on socio-ecological transformation, a growing number of stakeholders are highlighting the need to consistently move away from growth pressures. Several urban and rural development initiatives are pioneering alternative local production and consumption patterns in sustainable and integrated land use. Taking a spatial perspective, we discuss promising initiatives in three fields which we see as paradigmatic for a new kind of co-produced local development geared to a fairer and more sustainable future: co-operation projects between municipalities and community enterprises, participatory approaches to sustainable land use in rural communities, and collaborative development for sustainable urban residential estates. The aim of the paper is to discuss the transformative potential of these paradigmatic initiatives and what should be done to serve their interests and promote their mainstreaming. We draw on a diverse economies framing (Gibson-Graham 2008), arguing that it is important to bring these nascent post-growth practices to the attention of academic practice as well as politicians. Understanding these newly emerging practices in their potential and constraints is key to ultimately stimulating broader societal trend towards more just and sustainable localities. We argue that German municipalities have a fair amount of leeway in shaping the interplay of stakeholders and the interface between bottom-up initiatives and top-down steering policies towards just and sustainable localities. Our analysis emphasises the agency of local municipalities and their discretionary power to initiate change and transformation

Can local development actions be transformative and contribute to more just spaces?

The key question in this article is whether place-based or local(ised) development actions can have a lasting impact on local institutions and whether, in influencing decision-making processes and planning routines, they can support more inclusive or just processes and outcomes in a locality. I draw on scholarly literature on spatial justice, as well as recent work on transformative social innovation, to develop an analytical framework for assessing the transformative potential of local development actions in disadvantaged regions. I subsequently use this framework to analyse empirical evidence from 15 case studies. The findings show that place-based actions can help to reform institutional settings but need to be planned and implemented more consequently in terms of a process facilitating institutional change. Among the factors limiting the lasting impact of localised development actions on local institutions is a narrow (one-dimensional or too modest) set-up of actions, or a lack of time and persistence to achieve structures that consolidate new practices

Spatial Science Perspectives on Peripheralisation Processes in German Regions

Based on research projects over the last years, this paper presents find-ings from three German towns and regions confronted with peripheralisation processes. It is based on the relational concept of peripheralisation which describes long-term processes of continued outmigration, infrastructure and decision network disconnection, dependency on external funding and stigmatisation. The towns examined in this paper are, to some extent, located in geographic centres. However, they failed to draw noticeable development stimuli from this spatial centrality at this point in time. A comparative perspective will focus on spaces of agency of the towns from a (multilevel) governance perspective and from one of path creation. We argue that research on peripheralisation benefits from multidisciplinary research, integrating po-litical science, history and spatial science perspectives.Based on research projects over the last years, this paper presents find-ings from three German towns and regions confronted with peripheralisation processes. It is based on the relational concept of peripheralisation which describes long-term processes of continued outmigration, infrastructure and decision network disconnection, dependency on external funding and stigmatisation. The towns examined in this paper are, to some extent, located in geographic centres. However, they failed to draw noticeable development stimuli from this spatial centrality at this point in time. A comparative perspective will focus on spaces of agency of the towns from a (multilevel) governance perspective and from one of path creation. We argue that research on peripheralisation benefits from multidisciplinary research, integrating po-litical science, history and spatial science perspectives

People, Place and Politics : Local Factors Shaping Middle-Class Practices in Mixed-Class German Neighbourhoods

This article takes a nuanced look at the role played by neighbourhood characteristics and local policies in facilitating or limiting the ways in which diversity-oriented middle-class families interact and deal with people of lower social classes in mixed-class inner-city neighbourhoods. The study draws on interviews and social network analysis conducted in neighbourhoods with different socio-economic characteristics in the German cities of Hanover and Dusseldorf. A comparative view allows us to analyse how neighbourhood characteristics and local policies influence middle-classes' interactions across social boundaries. Our aim is to contribute to ongoing debates on urban policy options: In discussing the conditions encouraging cross-boundary interactions of specific middle-class fractions, we argue that the scope of local-level action is not fully recognized in either policy or academic debates.Peer reviewe

New measurement approaches to identifying spatial concentrations of poor and low-income households in German city regions

The question of whether 21st-century urbanization dynamics are leading to a suburbanization of poverty in Western city regions has been on the agenda of spatial researchers and housing policymakers for over a decade now. Persistent reurbanization trends are putting increased pressure on inner-city housing markets, resulting in affordability problems for low-income households. Evidence from the US and the UK shows that financing mechanisms in the real estate sector were severely disrupted in the aftermath of the financial crisis in 2009 and subsequent years, with many households losing their homes and being forced to move. Though social security systems and social housing policies generally have a moderating effect, they vary widely across Western countries. Against this background, this paper presents three spatial observation methods tailored to the spatial analysis of poverty concentrations in Germany. The methods are based on three popular conceptualizations of poverty: material poverty, relative poverty, and the concept of neighbourhood deprivation. The main novelty presented in this paper is a cold-spot analysis of purchasing power in 33 city regions using interactive map visualizations and complemented by socioeconomic indicators. Expert feedback verifies the validity of the approach which addresses a "blind spot" in assessing poverty in Germany, where many low-income households are increasingly exposed to risks of poverty despite not qualifying for social benefits.Seit über einem Jahrzehnt gehen Raumwissenschaftler der Frage nach, ob die Urbanisierungsdynamiken des 21. Jahrhunderts zu einer Suburbanisierung von Armut in westlichen Stadtregionen führen. Persistente Trends der Reurbanisierung verstärken den Druck auf innerstädtische Wohnungsmärkte, einkommensschwache Haushalte sind so erheblichen Engpässen für bezahlbares Wohnen ausgesetzt. Forschungsergebnisse aus den Vereinigten Staaten und Großbritannien verweisen auf die Nachwirkungen der Finanzmarktkrise 2009 und ihre disruptiven Auswirkungen auf die Eigenheimfinanzierung, als in der Folge zahlreiche Haushalte umziehen mussten. Sozialpolitik und soziale Wohnraumversorgung sind zwar generell dazu konzipiert, diese Effekte nach Möglichkeit abzufedern, sie funktionieren in den westlichen Industrieländern allerdings sehr verschieden. In diesem Zusammenhang präsentiert der vorliegende Beitrag drei Ansätze zur räumlichen Analyse von Armutskonzentrationen in Deutschland. Die Messmethoden basieren auf drei verbreiteten Armutskonzepten: der materiellen Armut, der relativen Armut und dem Konzept der benachteiligenden Lage. Die zentrale Neuerung des Beitrags besteht in einer Cold-Spot Analyse der Kaufkraft in 33 Stadtregionen, die als interaktive Kartendarstellung im Internet verfügbar ist und durch sozioökonomische Indikatoren ergänzt wird. Rückmeldungen aus Expertengesprächen bestätigen die Passfähigkeit der Messmethode im Hinblick auf einen "blinden Flecken" in der deutschen Armutsforschung. Dieser betrifft eine hohe Zahl einkommensschwacher Haushalte, die zwar keine Sozialhilfe erhalten, aber dennoch zunehmend armutsgefährdet sind

Postwachstum und Raumentwicklung : Denkanstöße für Wissenschaft und Praxis

Dieses von Mitgliedern des Arbeitskreises "Postwachstumsökonomien" (2016 - 2020) der ARL verfasste Positionspapier ordnet die internationale Postwachstumsdebatte ein und diskutiert ihre Relevanz für die Raumentwicklung und die raumwissenschaftliche Forschung. Neben sektoralen Zugängen und Befunden werden konkrete Vorschläge zur Postwachstumsorientierung in Planung, Forschung und Lehre gemacht. Dabei wird zwischen kurzfristig erreichbaren Veränderungen und mittel- bis langfristig auszulegenden Maßnahmen unterschieden

The Public Playground Paradox: "Child’s Joy" or Heterotopia of Fear?

Literature depicts children of the Global North withdrawing from public space to“acceptable islands”. Driven by fears both of and for children, the publicplayground – one such island – provides clear-cut distinctions between childhoodand adulthood. Extending this argument, this paper takes the original approach oftheoretically framing the playground as a heterotopia of deviance, examining –for the first time – three Greek public playground sites in relation to adjacentpublic space. Drawing on an ethnographic study in Athens, findings show fear tounderpin surveillance, control and playground boundary porosity. Normativeclassification as “children’s space” discourages adult engagement. However, in anovel and significant finding, a paradoxical phenomenon sees the playground’spresence simultaneously legitimizing playful behaviour in adjacent public spacefor children and adults. Extended playground play creates alternate orderings andnegotiates norms and hierarchies, suggesting significant wider potential toreconceptualise playground-urban design for an intergenerational public realm

Local Economic Development in Area-based Urban Regeneration in Germany

The article is intended to give insight into the state of the art of local economic development in area-based urban regeneration in Germany. The importance of local economic development has been widely recognised and a series of workshops, evaluation reports and programmes has been initiated to promote this policy area. A set of policy programmes has been developed to support integrated action in distressed urban areas. There are no radical changes in the different programme designs, but rather subsequent adaptations and amplifications through time. Policy learning has taken place in a process cutting across all levels of government. The state of the art of local economic development is illustrated using the example of the city of Gelsenkirchen in order to see how different funding programmes on the national and/or Lander (federal states) level are applied and combined on the local level, and how they help to formulate an integrated urban renewal approach. A range of policy challenges remains. The challenges on the local level include, for example, the development of strategic capacity in designing and implementing local-economic development measures.