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The LUDA e-newsletter is a free electronic document, edited by the LUDA research team from the Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development in Dresden (Germany). The e-newsletter will be distributed every three months, providing project updates, information on current affairs and details of other interesting issues.

In the 6th issue of the newsletter we will be starting a new series of articles written by colleagues from the Partner Cities. These "Cities´ Stories", detailing experiences of rehabilitating distressed areas, will be published in future issues. The stories will be part of a larger presentation of the Partner Cities, which will be available our website: www.luda-project.net. The first city to present its story is Valenciennes where the "Grand Project de Ville" has made an important step towards re-developing the LUDA case study.

Our colleagues Jemma Turner and Christiane Westphal have submitted an essay examining the problem of "shrinking cities" in both Eastern Germany and the UK. This essay addresses some of the programmes developed in response to this challenge and also focuses on urban planning and development requirements in these "shrinking cities".

The IOER LUDA Team

Project Workshop in Lisbon

During the 5th Workshop in Lisbon, delegates focused on the discussion of progress towards improving the quality of life in the partner case study areas. Dresden, Valenciennes, Florence, Bratislava, Edinburgh and Lisbon presented their projects and highlighted steps already taken toward improving the quality of life in their distressed areas. In separated working groups, attendees discussed the issues around illegal construction, the participation of inhabitants in the projects and their acceptance of the changes and attracting new investors and incoming inhabitants.

A framework plan for the large urban distressed area in Dresden will be elaborated upon

From 2002 to 2006, the city of Dresden will use 22,4 million Euros from the European Fund for Regional Development for developing the Weisseritz area in the city's southwest. This is generally considered a large urban distressed area due to its deficits in the technical, social and cultural infrastructure. The newly developed framework plan, Dresden Weisseritz , which covers an area of 270 ha, shall now serve as a basis for developing the "Weisseritz Project".

The plan has following aims:
o Planning manifestation of a green connection between the districts on the city fringe and the inner city
o Redefining the borders of the inner city and re-developing the industrial site (Kohlebahnhof)
o Urban re-arrangement of existing commercial structures
o Improving of the accessibility of the Weisseritz riverbank
o Safeguarding the built structures of a former village

In the centre of attention is the "green connection Weisseritz", the key project of the framework with the investment of 2 million Euros. The plan will come up for public discussion from the 06.08.2004
For more information look at: www.dresden.de/weisseritz

Introductory site visits in LUDA Reference Cities

The members of the LUDA Project Consortium made their first round of site visits to the Reference Cities in June and July. The visits were aimed at improving the communication between the cities and addressing research efficiency.
These introductory site visits were intended to support better mutual comprehension between the Partner Cities and to clarify the issues of recognition, communication and participation. In particular, the matter of direct contact between the cities' representatives has been highlighted as essential in terms of future productivity.
Consequently, the second round of visits should provide an opportunity for additional consultations, completion of the research results and space for a more formal presentation of the project within the partner municipalities.

Within last two months, the following cities were visited: Dublin (Ireland), Essen (Germany), Graz (Austria), Lyon (France), Maastricht (Netherlands), Malmö (Sweden), Ostrava (Czech Republic), Trnava (Slovak Republic), Xanthi (Greece).

The three remaining cities, Tallinn, Genoa and Manchester, will be visited in August and early September 2004.

Meetings in the Reference Cities have, so far, proven to be very inspiring and successful events. The visiting LUDA researchers express their gratitude to all of the cities' representatives for their positive, friendly and open-minded reactions to the work discussed.
On the basis of the collected visual materials, information and completed questionnaires, the presentations of the Reference Cities will be collated and published on the LUDA website: www.luda-project.net.

Dagmar Pertickova, Ingrid Belcakova, Maros Finka, Lubomir Jamecny, Matej Jasso (Slovak University of Technology)
Aleksandra Kolpak, Jürgen Breuste Thomas Keidel (University of Salzburg)

Urban Regeneration conference. The liveability agenda: how do we create cleaner, safer and greener communities?

A one-day conference hosted by the Guardian and the Observer newspapers took place on the 1st July in London. Many of UK's leading urban regeneration professionals spoke at the event including MP's, practitioners, consultants and academics.

The conference is in response to the ODPM's launch of the agenda for cleaner, safer, greener communities, which sits as part of the overall Sustainable Communities Plan.

The main concern for urban communities in the UK is the poor quality of the local environment; that is crime and anti-social behaviour, dirty streets, neglected spaces and lighting as well as the lack of facilities for young people. Parks and other public spaces are continously being seen as a threat rather than an asset in our urban areas due to the rise of crime, and more specifically the rising fear of crime.

According to Hazel Blears, the UK Home Office Minister, "Graffiti, abandoned cars, litter and fly-tipping can hold back the regeneration of some of our most deprived communities and can create the environment in which crime can take hold. They undermine faith in public services and discourage people from taking a stand against the behaviour of a minority that makes their lives a misery".
The conference discussed ways in which we can tackle these kinds of issues, including: introducing high quality urban design (CABE); strong investment in public spaces; strengthening networks and encouraging community participation; the introduction of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and other neighbourhood wardens; joined up action between the local authority and the police; and more activities for young people.

It is hoped that these kinds of initiatives will not only improve the quality of life of millions of people in the UK, but also promote inward investment and encourage economic regeneration through a safer and more attractive urban environment.

Jemma Turner (USAL, Salford)

Project RESTATE. Restructuring Large-scale Housing Estates in European Cities: Good Practices and New Visions for Sustainable Neighbourhoods and Cities

The project is funded under Key Action 4: "City of Tomorrow and Cultural Heritage" in the "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development" programme within the Fifth Framework Programme of the EU.

All over Europe large numbers of inhabitants live in large-scale housing estates built after the Second World War. The estates were carefully planned. But now, while some have well integrated into the housing markets, many of them experience both physical and social decline. They house large numbers of low-income households, unemployed people and households from ethnic minorities. Often despite more than two decades of attempts at rehabilitation, they are increasingly associated with crime and social exclusion. The circumstances in the estates and policy initiatives associated with these estates are the focus of the RESTATE project. An important part of the RESTATE project is the exchange of experiences and solutions between policymakers housing companies and researchers.

The focus of this project is on the circumstances in these large post-war estates, on policies to counteract negative trends and on activities that stimulate positive developments. All over Europe urban and other policies are increasingly concerned with these large post-war estates. The estates are both physically and in a social sense, increasingly identified among the worst parts of cities in Europe. As millions of people will be affected by the success or failure to improve the estates, which will, due to their sheer quantity, remain an important part of the European housing stock for the coming decades. The range of different problems and their complexity means that they present a challenge to policy makers, practitioners and researchers alike.

Very often, policy and practice responses have only required additional funding. But, after lengthy and costly experiences with different attempts to improve the conditions in the estates, it is now necessary to find out what really seems to work and how. Nowadays, it seems to be most important to integrate policies across departments and between different organisations. Local communities, private partners and different parts of the governmental organisation co-operate in partnerships. When learning about these complex organisations the different social and economic contexts will be taken into consideration.
For more information please look at: http://www.restate.geog.uu.nl

Public Spaces and Quality of Life in Cities
EURA Conference in Brno, Czech Republic

Conference date: September 23 - 25, 2004
Conference place: Faculty of Architecture Technical University of Brno
Porici 5, Brno, Czech Republic

Conference Theme: Over the last decade issues surrounding public space and its uses have attracted the attention of sociologists, architects, geographers, etc, as well as municipal politicians reflecting on the impact of years of neglect and lack of investment in such spaces. Thus, both in theoretical and practical terms, the problems surrounding public space, its use and position within the city, is of importance to all those who research, manage, live and work in the modern city. Moreover, local communities have become increasingly concerned with such spaces, how they are used and their impact(s) on communities. Increasingly judgements about particular cities and towns take into account the quality of their public spaces (e.g. the existence or nonexistence of pedestrian zones, parks, residential squares, etc). The conference will focus on:

• How we judge the quality of public spaces
• What constitutes a desirable public space
• How public spaces are used
• The position and role public spaces occupy within the wider urban structure
• The role of public space in attracting investment
• How public spaces can improve the quality of life for citizens of cities
• People's experiences of public spaces

All of these factors play an important role in determining how city life is evaluated and how desirable particular cities are considered to be regarding investment, living, working, raising families, etc. The problems surrounding public space and its use is thus not merely an issue for architects and politicians but has much wider implications for other academic disciplines and professions (e.g. sociology, psychology, ecology and traffic engineering) as well as for the inhabitants of cities. This conference seeks to investigate how both academic and policy orientated research has addressed these issues and the implications for the future of the modern city.

Contact:
Dr. Vladimira Silhankova
Urban theory department, Faculty of Architecture TU Brno and
Head of NGO Civitas per Populi
Porici 5, 639 00 Brno, Czech Republic
E-mail: vladimira.silhankova@atlas.cz

The International Conference on Managing Urban Land

13-15 April 2005: Waterfront Conference Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
The International Conference on Managing Urban Land is presented by CABERNET (www.cabernet.org.uk) and Laganside Corporation (www.laganside.com), in association with University of Nottingham, UK and Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency), Germany. It will be held on 13-15 April 2005 at the Belfast Waterfront Conference Centre, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK.

The challenges and opportunities faced by the multitude of stakeholders involved in land management include: engaging communities, decreasing social segregation and exclusion, re-using abandoned and derelict sites, stimulating inner city investment, reducing land consumption rates, managing the urban-rural fringe and the sub surface, preserving cultural heritage, ensuring mobility transportation and traffic flow and delivering high quality urban living.

The Organising Committee is inviting all interested persons to participate in the International Conference on Managing Urban Land. The best of the submitted papers will be peer reviewed and published in Urban Land Management, a new journal focusing on land management and regeneration issues.

The aim of the conference is to bring together the wide range of professionals managing urban land to share good practice experience, problem-solving knowledge, and the application of new techniques and tools. The conference will highlight current thinking and future trends in innovative land management and is intended to help inform current public and private sector decision-making. The outcomes of the conference will formally feed into a number of European research and policy initiatives.

For more information please look at: www.cabernet.org.uk/conference2005

Conference HB 2006 in Lisboa

The conference will take place on 4-8 June 2006. HB2006 is the 8th in a series of Healthy Buildings Conferences started in 1988 at Stockholm and since then have taken place in Washington DC (1991), Budapest (1994), Milan (1995), Washington DC (1997), Helsinki (2000) and Singapore (2003). The issues addressed relate to indoor air quality and its impact on health. The main focus is on buildings as confined spaces where we spend around 90% of our life. The objectives of the conference are:

• To set the state-of-the-art in the field of indoor air quality for all buildings in all climatic conditions and its relation with health.
• To create a multi-disciplinary forum on the development and advances of knowledge made in the field of indoor air quality and climate to achieve healthy, comfortable and productive environments.
• To contribute to the development of methods for the assessment of environmental health hazards and their effects on health and to improve risk assessment methodologies.
• To allow interactions among scientists, policy makers, medical, legal and building professionals on the application of state-of-the-art research to practical problems encountered in the design, construction, operation and retrofitting of buildings.
• To increase the awareness of the importance of good indoor air together with energy-efficient buildings for a healthy environment among all professionals dealing with the quality of the built environment.
• To contribute to set strategies and criteria for policy makers to introduce, in an urgent but coherent and always evolutionary context, the precautionary principle in what regards the role of materials and technologies; the relevance of the architecture and building design and of the use and maintenance practices of the building stock to safeguard healthy conditions for all.
• To support health and environmental policy-making and to provide public information on links between environment and health.

For more information please look at: http://www.hb2006.org

The International Conference
Sustainable Post-Industrial Land Management

4-6 November 2004 - Kraków, Poland

Due to its long industrial history, new Europe faces a major challenge in rehabilitation former industrial sites, mines and associated processing sites and their waste disposal facilities, in order to make these sites reusable for other activities. The complexity of re-development is generated by interrelations between relevant topics such as remediation, land use planning, urban design, environmental and social matters, and financial aspects. Particularly, in light of the enlargement of the European Union, it is expected that numerous, already existing old industrial sites will have to be rehabilitated, and many more will emerge where industries will have to shut down due to economic problems. Many of such sites can originate from the extractive industry, as waste from the extractive industry represents in some countries a major waste stream.

The purpose of the conference is to present and discuss legal, environmental, technological and socio-economic aspects of sustainable post-mining land management strategy. This event aims to encourage a platform for exchange information and experience from all EU countries in comparison to others - Candidate and Associated, as well as non-European countries.

The Conference Proceedings will be published as a book of abstracts (one page for each paper) and CD-ROM with abstracts and full paper text. Authors are requested to submit the paper and abstract in electronic form to the e-mail address lca@min-pan.krakow.pl, not later than 13.09.2004. Authors are also requested to send their presentations in PowerPoint format not later that 15.10.2004, preferably together with the paper. All the papers presented will be considered for the publication in international journals, e.g. special issue of Progress in Industrial Ecology - An International Journal, Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, Minerals and Energy and possibly the post-conference book.

For more information please look at: http://www.min-pan.krakow.pl/pbs

Urban renewal of housing, social and economic substance - creation of social, cultural, and tourist projects within the degraded urban and postindustrial area. International conference and workshop

10-11September 2004: 2 day conference + possible participation in the festival of Praga artists in Zabkowska Street. International conference and workshops regard renewal of degraded urban areas basing on the example of the Old Praga Discrict in Warsaw and similar devastated urban and postindustrial areas in the European cities.

The purpose of the conference is to share the experience and expertise among the capitals of the present and the new European Union Members regarding the examples of urban renewal projects and the possibility of their financing from EU funds.

Participants are: local authority officers responsible for urban renewal in EU cities and Warsaw, experts working for the European capitals within the field, public and non-public entities conducting different types of urban renewal projects - organisations, associations, artists, representatives of the Polish cities with presentations of the most interesting projects of these cities, representatives of Warsaw organisations and other independent experts interested in urban renewal in its broader meaning, selected euro-coordinators from the City of Warsaw, guests invitied to the conference, journalists, Warsaw citizens, experts, City Hall officers.

Organisers:
City of Warsaw, Development Strategy and European Integration Office:
Coordination of the whole project in contents/theme and in organisational aspect:
European Cooperation Unit - Mr. Marcin Sliwa, tel. +48 22 656 76 22,
msliwa@warszawa.um.go.pl
Structural Funds Unit - Mr. Radoslaw Achramowicz, tel. +48 22 656 62 79,
rachramowicz@warszawa.um.gov.pl

Legal Instruments of Urban Policy and Management - An international perspective. International seminar in Rio der Janeiro, Brazil

Date: 17-19 November 2004. Subthemes: Urban Central Areas, Irregular Settlements, Environmentally Fragile Urban Spaces.

This seminar is organized in three workshops. Each workshop will be opened by a keynote speaker and followed by the presentation of 4 papers previously invited to experts in the field. The invited speakers are reputable members of institutions such as the Ministery of Cities of Brazil, the Inter-American Development Bank, Municipal Attorney, Brazilian and foreigner municipalities, Brazilian and foreigner Universities.

The deadline for the requested abstracts for papers is the 11th of September. The paper should summerize the central theme and content of the work (300 words, ie. 2000 characters including spaces).

Contact: Fernanda Magalhães, e-mail: fmbrasil@centroin.com.br

Strategies for Developing Shrinking Cities and Towns - Examples from Germany and Britain

1. Shrinking cities as a phenomenon of urban development

Urban development and urban planning are mainly associated with perpetual growth of population, economic activity and the most effective alignment of new land use requirements within the existing urban form. However, due to socio-economic changes from fordist industrial production to globalised service industries in certain European regions, shrinkage more and more becomes a determining factor of urban development (www.schrumpfendestaedte.de).
This article aims to point out processes of urban shrinkage in Germany and Britain as well as the main strategies to cope with urban shrinkage.

German perspective

Shrinkage in Western Germany mostly refers to monostructered old-industrialised areas with a loss of jobs and inhabitants, as for instance occuring in the Ruhr area since the 1970’s, as well as to an ongoing process of suburbanisation. Processes of shrinking in Eastern Germany are more severe. Here, after the German reunification, processes of deindustrialisation, suburbanisation and negative demographic development led to the emergence of shrinking cities those suffer from loss of population, vacancies in housing and commerce, urban degradation, social segregation and a failure of local economy (BMVBW, BBR 2003; Pfeiffer, Simons, Porsch 2000; Hannemann 2000; Müller 2002). This can for instance be demonstrated by the number of 1.300.000 vacant flats in Eastern Germany in 2003 (17% of the building stock) (Kabisch, Bernt 2003, p. 105). Cities as well as medium-sized towns with a strong industrial or military sector are hit by processes of shrinkage most severely (BMVBW, BBR 2003; Röding, Veith 2003). Problems of shrinkage however are not evenly spread within the cities, but are on the contrary polarised and most severely affect those areas that already have been disadvantaged before. So shrinkage has the potential to aggravate the situation in urban distressed areas.

British perspective
The depopulation of cities in Britain has been continuous from the beginning of the 20th Century with increasing suburbanisation and deindustrialisation. In the second half of the 20th Century British cities saw the most severe decline of old industries, leading to mass joblessness and subsequently an out-movement of people. At the same time much of the high-density housing which accommodated the workers was relinquished for the Government’s slum clearance programme which ran until the 1970’s (ODPM 2004b).
In Britain, especially in the post-industrial North, there was significant population decline of cities in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Although there has been a stabilisation of the population or, in some cases, a slight increase in population of many British cities from the late 1990’s, the continuing shrinkage of many deprived urban areas remains today. This has led to increasing polarisation where some urban areas, mainly the regenerated city centres, have encountered resurgence in population, while other urban neighbourhoods have continued to experience severe decline, where houses and often whole streets have been abandoned. Although peripheral housing estates have suffered some decline, the inner city areas have been hardest hit with high crime and unemployment rates contributing to a poor image and further population loss. Many people in deprived, abandoned areas cannot sell their houses and face the prospect of negative equity. It is estimated that there are approximately 750,000 empty properties across England (8% of the building stock), with a further 850,000 homes rapidly at risk of collapsing in value (BBC News 2002; ODPM 2004a). In the North West and the West Midlands the situation is most severe with a 10% vacancy rate recorded in 2002/2003 (ODPM 2004a). The problem of shrinkage is not just restricted to British cities; it is also a phenomenon that is occurring in towns which have been affected by the loss of a major industry. The most obvious examples are the coal-mining towns of Yorkshire and the cotton towns of East Lancashire that lie in the hinterland of Manchester.

2. Strategies for Developing Shrinking Cities and Towns in Germany
Currently in Eastern Germany the main approach to cope with the problems of shrinking cities is the programme “Urban Restructering in Eastern Germany” (Stadtumbau Ost) with its focus on housing economy. However other programmes and policies are relevant as well, e.g. the programme “Socially Integrative City” (Soziale Stadt), since 1999 directed at promoting social inclusion in growing as well as shrinking cities.

Dresden (Photo: IOER, Dresden)

"Urban Restructering in Eastern Germany" (Stadtumbau Ost)
The Programme “Urban restructuring in Eastern Germany” reacts to the oversupply of housing in Eastern Germany which has its origin in the extensive construction of new buildings by the end of the 1990’s, stagnating household figures and migration to Western Germany. The programme has been launched by the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing with a duration from 2002-2009 and a budget of 2.7 billion €. It aims at strengthening inner cities, reducing oversupply of housing and revitalizing cities affected by deconstruction in Eastern Germany (BMVBW, BBR 2003). The programme consists of several elements:

• A subsidising programme for deconstruction of housing and improvement of urban environment
• Subsidies for promoting private proprietary in inner-city areas with old buildings
• An increase of investment subsidies for lodgings in inner-city areas with old buildings

Apart from these subsidies a key aspect of the programme is the competition “Urban Restructuring in Eastern Germany – for Liveable Cities and Attractive Housing” (2002), directed at the elaboration of integrated urban development concepts. The main aims of this competition, held jointly by the German Federal Government and the states (Länder), were to promote a rethinking of urban development which is required by reason of restrictive urban development conditions and to elaborate planning principles for allocating grants. The participating municipalities (259 East German cities and ten districts of Berlin) were asked to develop integrated urban development concepts for overall city development and received grants up to 125.000 € for this purpose. An important requirement for the integrated urban development concepts was the forecast regarding demographic development, housing market and urban conditions. The elaboration of an integrated urban development concept is as well a precondition for receiving subsidies named above. Within the programme the specific problems of shrinking cities are directly addressed for the first time. However its stress on physical improvements with a lack of social and economic measures has to be regarded as a main deficit of the programme. This issue is partly addressed by the programme “Socially Integrative City”.

"Socially Integrative City" (Soziale Stadt )
The Programme “Socially Integrative City” (Soziale Stadt) (since 1999) is a joint programme of the German Federal Government and the states (Länder) designed to counteract the growing socio-spatial disintegration within German cities. It is eligible for growing as well as shrinking cities and aims at promoting social cohesion, economic development and improving quality of life in overstretched neighbourhoods. Meanwhile 249 urban districts within 184 municipalities participate in the programme.
The programme is designed for densely built and populated urban districts which due to socio-spatial segregation are threatened by social exclusion. These areas suffer from deficits in social structure, detrimental urban building stock and structure, inadequate provision of jobs, a low level of qualification, a low supply of social and cultural infrastructure, low quality of housing and living environments and environmental problems (www.sozialestadt.de).
Main approaches of the programme are (Becker et al. 2002):

• Inter-institutional and cross-sectoral approaches on national, regional, municipal and district levels;
• Combination of investment and non-investment activities such as mobilising local self-organising forces;
• "Integrated Actions Plans" containing long-term, integrated and district-based development policy to offer targeted integrated solutions for complex problems, elaborated by all major stakeholders;
• Pooling of resources from programmes of different ministries including funds from third parties such as housing associations, European Structural Funds and employment promotion programmes;
• Fostering co-operation between all relevant players and mobilising residents of a neighbourhood;
• Social integration, civic society, neighbourhood management.

These approaches, originally designed for densely populated areas, are applicable as well within shrinking urban areas. However specific attention has to be paid to the mitigation of social problems related to an enduring process of shrinkage, characterised by a loss of population and subsequent social segretation, a loss of amenities and deconstruction of housing (Beer et al. 2003).

Summary of German strategies
At present, in Germany two main approaches are directed at coping with problems of shrinking cities: “Urban Restructuring” has a focus on physical measures. “Socially Integrative City”, eligible for growing as well as shrinking cities, is directed at strengthening social inclusion. However these two approaches are not used in a co-ordinated way. Within shrinking cities, still a much stronger integration of physical and social measures is required. As urban restructuring measures might speed up social segregation, these need to be backed by social measures (Beer et al. 2003).
The written fixing of urban restructuring ideas, achieved with the competition “Urban Restructering in Eastern Germany” is a first important step to promote the discussion on and implementation of urban development concepts under the conditions of shrinkage. However, the process of urban restructuring in Eastern Germany is still at its very beginning. In reaction to current deficits the strategy will have to be adapted. This implies transparent and methodologically sound setting of priorities, compromises between the demands of urban planning and housing industry, well balanced strategies for financing, monitoring, the integration of infrastructural aspects as well as a stronger focus on improvement measures and social inclusion. The eradication of housing vacancies alone will not solve the problems of shrinking urban areas.

3. Strategies for Developing Shrinking Cities and Towns in England
As in the German context there are some approaches that deal more specifically with shrinkage and the deterioration of the urban environment, such as the Housing Market Renewal Initiative. However it is also important to focus on longer-term regeneration, tackling such problems as joblessness, poor health, crime, and poor education, as a way of improving the quality of life of local residents. Therefore neighbourhood renewal initiatives will not only help retain the population but may also encourage the future in-movement of people.

Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI)
The Housing Market Renewal Initiative sits within the Government’s ‘Communities Plan’ which sets out a long-term programme of action for delivering sustainable communities in both urban and rural areas. In total, £500 million (750 million €) has been allocated to the Market Renewal Fund over three years (2003 to 2006) with the intention of reversing low demand by 2010. In total nine pathfinder areas have been chosen across the North and the Midlands, these being: Newcastle-Gateshead; East Lancashire; Merseyside; Manchester-Salford; Oldham and Rochdale; South Yorkshire; Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire; North Staffordshire; Birmingham and Sandwell (ODPM 2004b). As discussed in the introduction, this distribution highlights the problems of not only cities, but also ‘one-industry’ towns and towns ‘isolated’ in the hinterlands of some cities. Each pathfinder area has different problems relating to market failure. However they have all suffered from under-investment in the public and private sector and most areas share the common problems of a poor quality environment and lack of housing choice. One of the key points to make is that low demand and low house prices are not just a housing problem. Housing market failure also stems from a wider range of social and economic issues affecting a community (ODPM 2004b). The HMRI therefore sets out a strategic framework to create opportunities for jobs, skills and education as well as using urban design as a means to create high quality urban environments which facilitate inward investment. Although the emphasis is on physical regeneration to revitalise failing housing markets and attract people back into those areas, there is also a community approach to empower local stakeholders to play an important part in the decision-making process. After ten years (2014), amongst other factors, it is hoped that many of the pathfinder areas will have a growing population, a higher proportion of homeowners, more people in employment and fewer wards suffering from serious deprivation (ODPM 2004b).

Liverpool (Photo: USAL, Salford)

National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal
In the past, Government policies have been too keen to focus on short-term regeneration initiatives in a handful of urban areas with too little being done about the failure of mainstream public services in hundreds of neighbourhoods. The Government failed to utilise the energy and commitment of local people, choosing instead to develop with little or no consultation with communities (SEU 2001).
In order to make up for over 20 years of these shortfalls, the Government has introduced the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal (SEU 2001) which tackles the key aspects of social exclusion in the most deprived neighbourhoods of the country.
The vision of the strategy is that, within 10 to 20 years, no-one should be disadvantaged by the area in which they live. This means the common goals of lower worklessness and crime, and better health, skills, housing and physical environment (SEU 2001). By improving the quality of life of communities suffering from the problems of decline, it is hoped that the Government will achieve its main aim, which is to narrow the gap between the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of the country.
New Deal for Communities (NDC) (1998-2008) is a key programme in the Government's strategy, giving some of the country's poorest communities the resources to tackle their problems in an intensive and co-ordinated way (Neighbourhood Renewal Unit 2004). While the problems of each of the 39 NDC partnerships are unique, they are tackling the five key themes of: poor job prospects; high levels of crime; educational under-achievement; poor health; and problems with housing and the physical environment.
The key characteristics of NDC are:

• Long-term commitment with a partnership approach to deliver real change.
• Community empowerment
• Action based on 'what works' and what doesn't

Summary of English strategies
HMRI offers immediate solutions to improve the quality of the urban environment by providing services and attractive spaces, improving housing and diversifying housing choice. Thus this creates quality environments where the community has pride in the area in which they live and people want to relocate to. However the HMRI cannot fully deal with all the complexities of deprivation by itself. Problems such as crime, poor education and health cannot be eradicated simply through physical redevelopment alone. Without adequate investment and coordination in community regeneration the area may still fail. That is why HMRI is working in close cooperation with other initiatives such as neighbourhood renewal and New Deal for Communities, which together will offer a long-term, joined-up approach to tackling the related issues of low demand, population decline and deprivation in targeted areas.

4. Conclusions
While in the past Germany and Britain experienced similar processes of shrinkage related to de-industrialisation, job losses and a major decline in population, currently the form of shrinking processes as well as coping strategies differs. In Germany currently shrinkage equates with the tremenduous loss of population in Eastern Germany after the German reunification with its consequent vacancies of flats, office spaces and severe processes of urban decline. This situation seems to be quite unique in Europe (Keim 2001, p. 10). Current strategies mostly address an immediate solution for the problem of the oversupply of housing by providing financial support for deconstruction. Strategies are not yet integrated in the context that they equally adress physical/urban structural problems together with economic, social and environmental problems. Partnership approaches as well as community and stakeholder empowerment don’t receive as much attention as in Britain. In Britain meanwhile, cities that have been most severly affected by shrinkage related to de-industrialisation enter a stage of stagnation or even resurgence which has been reached by focusing on an integrated approach to urban regeneration. But despite this approach, inner city areas continue to suffer from exodus and decline. Therefore shrinkage is mainly discussed in the context of socio-spatial polarisation that is addressed by current programmes of neighbourhood renewal. In England the more obvious effects of shrinkage associated with an oversupply of housing are tackled in Government policy, such as with the HMRI, but not to the same extent as in Germany. Instead there is more reliance on public-private partnerships and innovative development companies, such as the Manchester-based ‘Urban Splash’ to see the potential in areas of dilapidation and decline. In spite of the different characteristics of shrinking processes as well as regeneration strategies in Germany and Britain, some common requirements regarding urban planning and development in shrinking cities can be pointed out:

• Need for integrated solutions: Shrinkage, related to complex processes of urban development, requires complex and integrated solutions. Decisions cannot solely be taken from the perspective of urban planning and urban design but need overall and integrated concepts taking into account efficiency of social and technical infrastructure as well as social, economic and ecological sustainability of neighbourhoods. It is not enough to reduce the oversupply of housing, but effective social strategies (including partnership approaches and empowerment) will have to be integrated into urban restructering in order to prevent a growing socio-spatial polarisation. Apart from well-grounded concepts on the local level, regional co-operation is required.
• Highlighting the potentials of shrinkage: Up to now shrinkage is mostly associated with negative development. However shrinkage as well increases the scope of urban development options as for instance the creation of green and open spaces and the reduction density of housing as applied in Leipzig (Germany) or the re-use of warehouses into stylish apartments as applied in Manchester (Britain).
• Creation of innovative and transferable examples: Urban restructuring is a permanent task that will determine the next decades of urban development in many European regions. However this challenge is not yet backed with sufficient experience. Innovative and transferable best practice is needed. Therefore the programme “Urban Restructering in Eastern Germany” is understood as a learning programme (Bräuer 2004) which due to a permanent monitoring can flexibly be adapted to new conditions of urban development as well as to newly gained knowledge. In England, many of the neighbourhood renewal programmes, such as NDC, have adopted an evidence-based approach to delivering change, whereby partnerships get proof of what works in practice and then translate this to the rest of the country.
  

References
Becker, Heidede; Franke, Thomas; Löhr, Rolf-Peter; Rösner, Verena (2002): Socially Integrative City Programme - An Encouraging Three-Year Appraisal. Chapter 1 of: Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik (Ed.): Die Soziale Stadt. Eine erste Bilanz des Bund-Länder-Programms "Stadtteile mit besonderem Entwicklungsbedarf - die soziale Stadt", Berlin.
Beer, Ingeborg; Haase, Andrea; Kunze, Ronald; Buhmann, Erich (2003): Soziale Stadt - Schrumpfende Stadt: Verflechtungsräume und Schnittstellen, http://www.schrumpfende-stadt.de
BBC News (2002): Housing crisis in northern England, http://news.bbc.co.uk
BMVBW (Bundesministerium für Verkehr Bau- und Wohnungswesen); BBR (Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung) (Eds.) (2003): Dokumentation zum Bundeswettbewerb "Stadtumbau Ost" - für lebenswerte Städte und attraktives Wohnen. Berlin.
Bräuer, Michael (2004): Stadtumbau als Chance - Anforderungen an Stadtplanung und Architektur, Referat auf dem Kongress 2 Jahre Stadtumbau Ost, in: BMVBW (Bundesministerium für Verkehr Bau- und Wohnungswesen); BBR (Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung) (Eds.): Dokumentation zum Kongress "Zwei Jahre Stadtumbau Ost" am 27. November 2003 in Berlin. Berlin, pp. 34-40.
CABE (2003): Building Sustainable Communities: Actions for Housing Market Renewal, CABE, London.
Atkins, David; Champion, Tony; Coombes, Mike; Dorling, Daniel; Woodward, Rachel (1996): Urban trends in England: evidence from 1991 Census, ODPM, www.odpm.gov.uk
DETR (2000): Our Towns and Cities the Future: Delivering an Urban Renaissance, HMSO, London.
Hannemann, Christine (2000): Zukunftschance Schrumpfung - Stadtentwicklung in Ostdeutschland - eine Skizze, in: Hager, Fritjof; Schenke, Werner (Eds.): Schrumpfungen. Chancen für ein anderes Wachstum. Berlin et al., pp. 99-105.
Kabisch, Sigrun; Bernt, Matthias (2003): Wohnungsleerstand und Nachhaltiger Stadtumbau, in: UFZ-Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (Ed.): Forschen für die Umwelt, 4. Ausgabe. Leipzig, pp. 104-109.
Keim, Karl-Dieter (2001): Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprogramm zur Regenerierung der ostdeutschen Städte, in: Keim, Karl-Dieter (Ed.): Regenerierung schrumpfender Städte - zur Umbaudebatte in Ostdeutschland. Erkner, pp. 9-39.
Müller, Bernhard (2002): Regionalentwicklung unter Schrumpfungsbedingungen, in: Raumforschung und Raumordnung, 1/2.2002, pp. 28-42.
Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (1994): Presentations from NDC Annual Conference, www.neighbourhood.gov.uk
ODPM (2004a): Commercial and Industrial Property Vacancy Statistics: England 2001/2 and 2002/3, HMSO, London.
ODPM (2004b): Making it Happen the Northern Way, www.odpm.gov.uk
Pfeiffer, Ulrich; Simons, Harald; Porsch, Lucas (2000): Wohnungswirtschaftlicher Strukturwandel in den neuen Bundesländern. Bericht der Kommission im Auftrag des Bundesministeriums für Verkehr, Bau- und Wohnungswesen. Berlin.
Röding, Anja; Veith, Karin (2003): Stadtumbau in den neuen Ländern, Fazit aus den Wettbewerbsbeiträgen des Bundeswettbewerbs "Stadtumbau Ost", in: Informationen zur Raumentwicklung 10/11.2003, pp. 657-668.
SEU (1991): A New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal: National Strategy Action Plan, Cabinet Office.
Urban Task Force (1999) Towards an Urban Renaissance, DETR.
www.odpm.gov.uk
www.schrumpfendestaedte.de
www.sozialestadt.de
www.urbansplash.co.uk

Christiane Westphal (IOER Dresden), Jemma Turner (USAL Salford)

Valenciennes Metropole and the Grand Projet de Ville

This is the first in a new series of city-specific articles to feature in the LUDA e-newsletter. This article concentrates on an area defined as a "large urban distressed area" and the Grand Project de Ville, the work of which can be seen as making important progress toward improving the quality of life in Valenciennes.
Valenciennes Métropole is situated in the north of France, 50 kilometres away from Lille and 200 km from Paris in the geographical area of Valenciennois. The "Communauté d'Agglomération", or "urban area community", was created in 2001, bringing together 36 municipalities and 200 000 inhabitants covering an area of 1380 ha.

Case study area
The case study area covers the municipalities of Anzin and Beuvrages and also includes parts of Reims, Petit Foret, Valenciennes and Bruayu sur l'Escot. This area constitutes the north-west suburbs of Valenciennes, where the difficulties, resulting from urban and social deprivation, present a strong contrast with the city of Valenciennes itself, which has entered a phase of regeneration. The area covers around 580 ha - 338 ha in Anzin and 126 ha in Beuvrages, with a total population of around 22 000 inhabitants and density of 3.8 inhabitants per square kilometres.

Map of Valenciennes (Photo: IPAA, Paris)

The social problems of the area result from historical developments. Following the Industrial Revolution of the C19th, Valenciennois exclusively focused on its iron and coal mining industry. However, with the mining industry declining rapidly over the last twenty years, many local people have been made redundant hence the current economic crisis in the region. The unemployment in Anzin and Beuvrages is up to 50% in some areas, representing more than double of the rest of the arrondissement . Since 1995, the situation in Valenciennois has changed and the arrondissement has recovered 13000 working places. But in spite of this improvement, the average rate of unemployment in the arrondissement is still 15%.
Parts of Anzin and Beuvrages are decaying. The sanitary situation is alarming and education rates are low, with large qualification gaps in evidence. Worrying increases in juvenile delinquency and family violence can be observed. The process of reintegrating the unemployed into working society is not easy, given that the population is not mobile; most families do not own a car.
In terms of the economic situation, small businesses are predominant on the site. The biggest employer in Valenciennes is still the hospital, but it is not situated directly within the case study area. The Toyota factory next to Valenciennes employs 42% of people living in Valenciennes, but it is not possible to identify what proportion can be attributed to the case study area.
During the mining period, the city was developed according to the requirements of this industry: in proximity to the mine shafts, transportation routes and the river Escaut. The area now contains one of the largest social housing districts in Valenciennois, which is situated very close to Valenciennes city centre.
However, the area is completely isolated from Valenciennes city centre, due to the surrounding infrastructures and lack of effective ties with the centre. In fact, the area is situated between the forest of Raismes-Saint-Amand-les-Eaux to the north-west and Escaut, channelled by the river, to the east. To the north, the area is cut off by a railway.

• urban regeneration accompanied by a social project;

ANRU - Agence Nationale de Renovation Urbaine - National Agency of Urban Renovation
In August 2003, the framework of GPV was modified. On national level, a law of programming and orientation was issued in order to enhance the process of urban renovation and simplify its financing. The law includes a national programme of 200 000 constructions, 200 000 rehabilitations, 200 000 residential transformations of public spaces into private domains and 200 000 demolitions to be effected between 2004 and 2008. In Valenciennes Métropole, the GPV projects have to be considered within the new ANRU framework, in terms of finance. ANRU will be establishing contracts for the GPV projects, which will define their contents, ensure housing aid and prolong the programme of action to the year 2008.

The Grand Projet de Ville in Anzin and Beuvrages
The case study area constitutes a large part of the central Valenciennes project area and is one of the largest, most urbanized, and most complex in Valenciennes Métropole. This area is of a strategic importance influencing the development of the other communes across the mining region. Therefore, the area wields the greatest influence over GPV plans. The objectives of the project are:

Complementary tools in the plan of GPV

Restraints and blockages
The crucial problem, for which it is difficult to propose a radical technical solution, is in relocating the poor population for whom even social housing is too expensive, given that the renovation of housing parks in the project leads to the suppression of cheap housing. A specific solution should be sought in each separate case. Studies should be performed prior to renovation, in order to determine the means, and the desires, of local householders. In order to meet French legal requirements, the partners have created a re-housing service for each operation.

Valenciennes (Photo: IOER, Dresden)

Financial sources

In addition to GPV financing, part of the European fund (FEDER) constitutes 50 to 75% in certain projects. The communes themselves do not invest much, as their fiscal potential is scarce and does not leave them much leeway for financial operations.

Today, the case study area is in an early stage of transition, although the physical project work has yet to start, and the process can easily be set back.
But there is also uncertainty in terms of the projects' impact. They are not essentially centred on the urban structure and, although they should improve residents' quality of life, the projects cannot guarantee that this population will have better level of employment. A key stage of the work should focus on the health, education and qualifications of the population. This stage has to be continuous throughout the project; from the beginning, through the operational stages. Only when this stage is successful will Valenciennes Métropole be able to talk of a take-off.
These developments are not free from the risks of the reverse process. There is dynamic, political willingness to work on the projects of Anzin and Beuvrages, and on other projects involved with GPV. But a simple political change can easily affect this willingness and bring the projects back to their initial phase.

References:
Contrat de ville 2000-2006 de l'arrondissement de Valenciennes, convention cadre
Le GPV du Valenciennois, "le renouvellement urbain pour placer l'homme au coeur de la ville", mars 2000
Etude intercommunale Anzin Beuvrages Raimes Valenciennes, novembre 2002
Schéma directeur de l'arrondissement de Valenciennes, 13 décembre 2002
Elaboration du PLH, "Opérations stratégiques et programmation d'actions", juin 2003
Zone franche urbaine du val d'Escaut, "un levier au service de la dynamique urbaine", mai 2003
Débat sur les orientations du PADD et du PLU d'Anzin, mai 2003
Plan national pour la rénovation urbaine : Ville d'Anzin, quartier centre-ville et Carpeaux, avril 2004

Nathalie Bonnevide (IPAA, Paris), Veronique Pinell (City of Valenciennes), Patrycja Bielawska - Roepke (IOER, Dresden)

The authors would like to thank Fiona H. Campbell form SBE (Edinburgh) for the language revision of this text. But for all failures only the authors are responsible.

Next events
03 December 2004	Workshop and Public Conference in Salzburg
20-21 Mai 2005	Workshop in Bratislava
September 2005	Workshop and Public Conference in Paris

LUDA Project Team
Project Director: Professor Bernhard Mueller
Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development IOER
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fon 0049 351 4679 0
fax 0049 351 4679 212

Editorial staff
Dr. Carlos Smaniotto Costa
Christiane Westphal
Patrycja Bielawska - Roepke
Leander Kuettner

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