#stadtvonmorgen: Ms. Keupen, what relevance does the topic of city centres have for you in terms of urban strategy?
Sibylle Keupen: It is very relevant. The city center is the focal point of a city's future challenges. This is where all the issues come together, and this is where we have to show that we are solving the important tasks of the future and opening up prospects for urban society. The city center is the central place of a city that everyone looks at and where it generates its identity. It is therefore important to bundle all stakeholders and forces for the city center in order to achieve the greatest possible impact for positive development.
#stadtvonmorgen: You say that the city center is the focal point of a city's future challenges. What are the key challenges facing the city center?
Sibylle Keupen: In general, cities are undergoing radical change. We are in a situation in which traditional concepts such as the car-friendly city and the city of commerce are no longer sustainable. We are experiencing vacancies and that the function of streets is changing. This calls on us to fill the spaces - with new uses, new ideas and new formats. In this context, there is also the organization of the traffic turnaround: with fewer cars, especially in the city center, a strengthening of the environmental network and collective mobility offers. This will lead to a transformation of public space. We want to activate streets with urban greenery and a high quality of stay for people. In addition, the question of climate adaptation arises for city centers: How do we make them strong for hot summers, how do we protect them from heavy rainfall? How do we create the conditions for people to enjoy living in the city in a healthy and climate-friendly way? Ultimately, the city center must be understood as a social place in a large city. This has a psychosocial significance. We are seeing an increase in the number of people living alone. From a health and social policy perspective, it is therefore important to ensure that the city center fulfills its function as a meeting and experience space. If we strengthen the city center, this will have extensive effects on people's living environment.
#stadtvonmorgen: Aachen is now launching the "City Center Tomorrow" future process. You are specifically focusing on citizen participation. Why are you involving citizens in the planning and development process?
Sibylle Keupen: I have just mentioned the social dimension of inner city development. In order for social life to function, the conditions for this must at best be supported and developed by many people. We want to develop the city for the people and with the people. The more people participate, the better we will succeed. Top-down planning - as was the case with the implementation of the concept of the car-friendly city - is out of date. People want to have a say and increasingly feel the need to get involved. They want and are invited to be part of the change. For example, the transport transition will only work if people join in. Transformation is a participatory task.
#stadtvonmorgen: ... that will be solved when?
Sibylle Keupen: We will probably never reach a point where a city center stands for eternity. Life is change, and current crises show all the more how much we have to adapt to constantly changing situations. The same applies to the city center: its development is an ongoing, highly complex task for the future. There is no master plan that we can stubbornly implement. This dynamic of acting within the process and working together with the urban community on the best solutions for the future in a process of constant change offers both opportunities and challenges. The example of climate protection shows that success can only be achieved if many people get involved.
#stadtvonmorgen: This means that the entire urban society is involved.
Sibylle Keupen: That is our goal. It's about leveraging synergies and tapping into new potential and new solutions by working together. Inner city development is a joint task, which is why it is so important to bring together and involve the key players. In doing so, we have the opportunity to make the future of the city tangible. Because what we achieve in the city center will have an impact on other social and urban development units. We therefore want to roll out the belief in change and the concrete solutions that we are demonstrating as best practices in the city center to other neighborhoods and districts.
#stadtvonmorgen: You say that city center development is an ongoing, never-ending process. Nevertheless, what does your Aachen city center of tomorrow look like?
Sibylle Keupen: In this respect, I have less of a visual idea than an emotional perspective of what the city center of tomorrow will feel like. It is lively, colorful and diverse. It is a city that moves at a relaxed pace and thus offers safety for children and disabled or elderly people. It is characterized by a mix of uses and a variety of offers. It is green and criss-crossed by water. It is strong, self-confident and resiliently positioned for its future.
17.02.2023