Since reunification in 1989, many East German cities have been devastated by failing economies and population loss. The Germans, therefore, have a leg up on management strategies for failing cities. Doreen Ritzau takes a tour.
Ritzau writes:
"A first impression offers a portrait of urban resilience made possible by an emerging toolkit of tactics-new kinds of ecological infrastructure, small-scale urban interventions, targeted demolition, and citizen-activism-coupled with economic development strategies like tourism, education, and high-tech incubators. In Magdeburg, for instance, a revitalized riverfront is the core of a new urban identity, with an old port reinvented as a science center and other brownfield sites returned to nature. The city of Köthen tapped its heritage as the birthplace of homeopathic medicine, building a new European library for homeopathy and exploring how alternative medical principles might even heal the urban landscape. "
Some East German cities have used the sort of landscaping/urban greening techniques being discussed for American cities like Detroit and Cleveland. Ritzau looks at how well these strategies are working.
FULL STORY: IBA 2010: The Future Shrinks

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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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