Revitalise city

"Inner city life" is the theme of the 11th conference on the beauty and viability of the city organised by the German Institute for Urban Design. Experts from 24 cities, such as Prof. Christoph Mäckler, Director of the German Institute of Urban Design, Andrea Gebhard, President of the Federal Chamber of Architects, Elisabeth Merk, City Planning Councillor of Munich and Reiner Nagel, Chairman of the Board of the Federal Foundation for Building Culture, will discuss the topic. The core of the conference is the combination of questions on economic, social, ecological and mobility strategies for inner city development with urban planning and architectural approaches. Together, sustainable approaches for the revitalisation of German city centres are to be developed.

"Our society needs inner cities with a functional mix and social diversity. People have to work and live in the city at the same time. That means they have to offer housing in addition to shops and offices. In the city centre, there must be subsidised and privately financed housing for this purpose, so that the entire society with its different income strata is represented in the city. This is one of the essential elements in the urban development of the European city. At the same time, a city needs greenery, you need public urban spaces of streets, with large trees, boulevards or avenues that become air corridors. And we need urban parks again that are available to the city's residents. Public space is our living room, it is the social space of our society," says Prof. Christoph Mäckler.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the conference will be held online and streamed live on 22 and 23 June 2021. It can be followed via the website of the German Institute for Urban Architecture from 12:15 each day. A summary of the conference will be broadcast on Rhein Main TV on 25 June 2021 at 9 pm. A recording of the panel discussion will also be made shortly on WDR3.